Renovations at Olympic Stadium: Baseball Left Out

If we are to believe the ambitions of the Société de développement et de mise en valeur du Parc olympique de Montréal, the return of the Expos to Olympic Stadium is not an option.

According to what we've learned from Maxime Truman, the upcoming renovations at Olympic Stadium will not include a configuration suitable for hosting baseball games.

Of the four preferred configurations, none supports the return of baseball to the city. Yet we had believed it was part of the plans.

Hosting concerts, soccer matches, as well as Canadian and American football games are on the agenda for the next series of renovations to this 1976-era structure.

This somewhat (actually, quite a bit) contradicts the fact that the Quebec City area still ranks among the top 10 favorite metropolitan areas to secure a new Major League Baseball franchise during the next expansion wave.

I don't quite understand the connection to setting up an American football setup, when the chances of seeing the NFL come to Montreal one day are as thin as a sheet of paper. Yes, the occasional major league football game here and there is a possibility, but why not invest in the chances of seeing baseball return here one day?

Do the leaders of the Société de développement et de mise en valeur du Parc olympique and the Government of Quebec know something we don't?

This decision not to prioritize baseball in the upcoming renovation project goes against the grain and casts doubt in the minds of those who dream of major league baseball returning to Montreal. Seeing the government invest once again in this historic concrete structure while ignoring baseball suggests that our provincial elected officials would not be any more involved in building a new downtown stadium, thereby undermining Montreal's chances of reviving its baseball team. In short, none of these decision-makers seem to believe in Montreal's chances of returning to the major leagues.

It seems that one man's misfortune is another's fortune, for MLS bigwig Don Garber, after touring the current facilities, believes the Olympic Stadium could become one of the most prominent soccer venues on the planet. Nothing less!

As for the Alouettes: there's no indication that the Montreal team's management is thrilled about having to play games at the renovated stadium. The atmosphere at their aging home nestled against Mount Royal is hard to match and beat.

Ultimately, it's unclear why and for whom these renovations are planned, and which parties were consulted to arrive at these four configurations.

I have nothing against soccer and football—on the contrary—but it would have been appropriate to plan a configuration that allows for Major League Baseball games, and the message sent to the MLB commissioner would have been clear. Instead, it's as if only the fans wanted our beloved team back.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.