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Pat Williams, one of the founding members the NBA's Orlando Magic, has not budged an inch on his dream to bring major league baseball to Central Florida.
It's been more than three years since Williams revealed his plans at the Dubsdread Golf Course to create a Major League Baseball team called "Orlando Dreamers." However, it has made very little progress as many local and national hurdles remain.
Yet, he spends every day pushing and searching for ways to make it a reality, basing it all on the team's theme — a dream.
He said many of Orlando's historical moments or "dreams" include Walt Disney's plans for undeveloped land in the 60s; the arrival of golfing legend Arnold Palmer and his hand in growing golf here; and even when local businessman Jimmy Hewitt convinced Williams to leave Philadelphia — where he worked several years with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers — and take a risk on Orlando to start the Magic NBA team.
Those moments, among others, epitomize what he hopes the proposed local MLB team represents. "The dreamers are who we are as a community ... we all have big dreams," he said.
Here, Williams spoke with Orlando Business Journal on the Orlando Dreamers effort, and here's what we know so far:
What does the Orlando market offer for a Major League Baseball team?
Central Florida is among the top 20 designated market areas (DMA) ranked by New York-based ratings firm Nielsen. The Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne DMA ranks No. 17, according to MethodShop report, citing Nielsen data. The Tampa-St. Petersburg DMA — where the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays play — ranks No. 13 and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale DMA — home of the Miami Marlins — ranks No. 18.
Experts say Orlando welcomes more than 1,000 new residents each week, and Williams said that, combined with Orlando's strong tourism industry, is a testament to the market's strength.
Who could be the owner of said Orlando Dreamers baseball team?
The Orlando Dreamers may remain just a dream if the team can't find an owner. Williams said every day he is hammering the pavement to find the person who can make it a reality.
Williams added that he has pitched the Dreamers to many potential owners, but he hasn't landed a hit yet. "We don't have anything for anyone to buy. We are trying to sell them on this dream. We need them to buy into a dream we think can become a reality."
What about a Major League Baseball stadium in Orlando?
The stadium is admittedly the second major hurdle facing the Dreamers right now, Williams said. He said there won't be much movement on a stadium until an owner or a team is approved.
However, Williams said if or when a stadium begins to be designed and built, it would need to embrace one of Orlando's strengths — tourism. Specifically, he said the International Drive area would be ideal for a stadium, as well as it being a facility that can be used regularly when games aren't being played.
"That facility would have to be a tourist attraction onto itself ... such as an attraction [where visitors] from all over the world would come here to see 'Dreamland Field,'" he said. Williams said events such as collegiate sports, growing sports like pickleball and other meetings and sporting events could make use of the stadium.
How big would the Orlando Dreamers stadium be and how much could it cost?
The specifics of a stadium can vary, but it would need about 35 acres of land to make it happen, Williams said. Finding a plot of land that size makes building in Orlando's city center difficult, so it makes sense to search for areas like the tourist corridor that still have lots of undeveloped land, he added.
Meanwhile, it won't be cheap either. Williams said modern MLB stadium have broken the $1 billion price-tag threshold and he suspects Dreamers stadium would follow suit.
Is there any interest from Major League Baseball to come to Orlando?
Williams said the Dreamers team is watching all discussions about expansion efforts within Major League Baseball. There have been reports that the league could be looking into expanding from 30 existing teams to 32 — and possibly more in the future.
The Royals Review, a site dedicated to the Kansas City Royals, said Orlando has a shot, citing the Nielsen DMA ranking and the metro's size. Also, Bookies.com, a Tampa-based online sports betting site, pegged Orlando as the No. 9 most likely city out of 10 cities, as well as 'the field' of cities beyond top candidates, to get a Major League Baseball expansion team.
Further, there have been past discussions about the Rays moving. For example, the team in 2020 had discussions with Tampa and Hillsborough County leaders regarding playing home games in two different cities, reported Tampa Bay Business Journal.
However, the league mostly has been mum on the topic of future of expansion — expressing only that there was a desire, according to an ESPN report. League sources could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Orlando's sports landscape has been changing rapidly.
For example, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is bringing back professional football to Orlando this year with the XFL. The Orlando Guardians will kick off play in this month.
Also, the region will play host to the 2024 U.S. Olympics Team Trials — Marathon event next year.
In addition, the city now has a Major League Pickleball team: The Orlando Squeeze.
Want more insight on what local sports leaders are doing to draw world-class events, attend Orlando Business Journal's 2023 Business of Sports event on March 9. Click here to register: https://bit.ly/3koeIEo
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