The High Point Enterprise revisits the ill-fated attempt to bring Major League Baseball to the Triad. Ten years ago today, voters in Guilford and Forsyth counties soundly rejected a 1 percent tax on prepared food to help fund the cost of the $210 million stadium that hopefully would lure the Minnesota Twins down South:
“I still think about what might have been. This could have been the unifier for the Triad,” said Fred Starr, a leader of the baseball stadium campaign and retired furnishings industry executive.
A Major League Baseball team would have brought together people from across the region, raised the national profile of the Triad and encouraged young people to stay in the area, Starr said.
In the 10 years since the referendum issue was defeated, there`s been no concerted effort to bring a top-level professional sports franchise to the Triad, Starr said. The defeat of the referendum issue didn`t help with the climate for major league sports in the region, he said.
By the way, the Twins — ranked 25th on Forbes’ list of MLB team values —- finally has its new stadium —- and Hennepin County has new sales tax increase.
It is nevertheless interesting to think about what might have been had the Triad landed the Twins — the quintessential overachieving small market team that has experienced success over the last 10 years, success that unfortunately hasn’t resulted in an American League pennant. Twins fans haven’t supported that success — attendance has been well below the MLB average. Would it have been different here in the Triad?
