In a recent poll from the Beacon Center of Tennessee, they posed the question, “Do you support using state tax dollars to fund the construction of a new stadium for a Major League Baseball team in Nashville?” The response they received was surprising.
Tennesseans who responded to the poll voted 58 percent in opposition to using state tax dollars to fund a stadium to bring the MLB to Nashville. Only 29 percent supported it.
Many places have been in talks to be the site of the MLB’s next expansion team. A few of those are in the south, including Nashville, Charlotte and Raleigh.
This opposition from tax payers potentially opens the door for N.C. to get a MLB team.
There is currently only three MLB teams in the southeast: Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins. Most southerners are Braves fans, as they are the closest and easiest team to get to for most people.
Both Charlotte and Raleigh have ownership groups formed in hopes of making a strong case to bring America’s pastime to N.C.
While this is only a poll, it shows that Tennessee residents are not willing to pay additional taxes in order to get a MLB team. N.C. has proven it can handle professional teams because there are multiple across the state and in two major cities in the state.
MLB in Nashville is still possible, but after the poll, residents would not be too happy if their taxes went up to build a stadium that wouldn’t open until 2029 or later.