What is one of the biggest atrocities in the game of baseball? It’s the fact that the Tampa Bay Rays are stuck in Florida. It’s the fact that they have to play 81 games per season, in front of one of the most measly fan-bases in the entire league. Sure, most of them aren’t “measly” when it comes to commitment and dedication to the team. But overall……the “outpour” (more like trickle) of support for this team on a yearly basis is rather minuscule, compared to the rest of the league.

That is why, when the team announced the other day that they would NOT be moving forward with the construction of their brand new $1.3 BILLION stadium…

In gratitude for the continued support from our fans and community. pic.twitter.com/vVGHn6nrAA

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 13, 2025

I was relieved. I was ecstatic. I was overjoyed to see that this franchise, who has been one of the better-run squads when it comes to baseball over the past number of years, has decided to NOT invest a substantial amount of money in a new park. They stood their ground, and according to multiple rumors and sources on the internet, could be looking for a new home in the near future.

It’s a big moment for Kevin Cash’s squad, who has made the playoffs five times in his 10-year tenure with the team, with one World Series appearance in 2020 (COVID year). They will reportedly be looking to rebuild their tattered stadium, which was destroyed back in October by Hurricane Milton, where they still have three-years remaining on their contract with the city of St. Petersburg.

The 2024 season, however, will be played out at the Yankees’ Spring Training facility (George M. Steinbrenner Field) while the Trop is being repaired.

Now obviously, when it comes to the Rays possibly moving out of Florida…..I cannot confirm, nor deny, any reports of that actually happening. I am not associated with the Tampa Bay Rays organization, I’m not in on their team meetings, and I don’t have access to any of that information. BUT, as someone who’s on the outside looking in……I think they would be FOOLISH to not bounce out of the Bay once their contract is up.

They would be CRAZY, they really would. The state of Florida is not a place for baseball, and the Rays are a SHINING example of why that’s the case. They have been a relatively good ball club over the past number of years, posting 9 winning records over the last 14 seasons. But they haven’t been able to get fans through the door; ranking 27th or WORST in average attendance per game during that same time span.

Not only that; postseason games are basically “not a big deal” in the Sunshine state. I say this because in Game 1 of their 2023 AL Wild Card match-up against the Texas Rangers, this team saw only 19,704 fans walk through their front door. According to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic, it was apparently the lowest attendance that the league has seen for a playoff game in over 100 years, dating back to 1919.

Here’s some perspective on today’s attendance of 19,704 at the Trop: according to @Stathead, it’s the lowest (non-Covid year) attendance for a postseason game in 104 years. Last one below 19,704 was Game 7 of the infamous 1919 World Series in Cincinnati.

— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) October 3, 2023

Simply put; people don’t care about baseball in Florida, they really don’t. Unless it’s a Spring Training game where you can get a ticket for dirt-cheap, the thought of watching either Tampa or Miami play a regular season game just doesn’t interest folks in the South. It just doesn’t!

Sure, you can blame it on the “snowbirds” and the “retirees,” who have been flocking to FL from other parts of the country like crazy. Sure, you can blame it on the fact that people would rather be at the beaches than in a dark and dreary stadium like Tropicana Field. But regardless of the reason……people just don’t care.

So because of that…..why would the owners of the Rays invest in a new stadium? Why would they decide to spend more money to stay in a place that doesn’t care about the game? To satisfy the ones-of-thousands of fans who have been loyal to the team ever since it’s inception? To keep living off of the “vacation-esque” vibes that they can sell to people out of state?

If anything….it’s just not a good spot, and they need to pack up the U-Hauls. Find another place to play.

But in the end, as always….what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.