Orlando Magic co-founder Pat Williams is hoping to bring baseball to Orlando.
Williams announced that he is launching a campaign for the newly-minted “Orlando Dreamers” as the next professional sports team in the city. He held a press conference on Wednesday morning to discuss the details (via Matt Trezza of FOX 35 Orlando):
Orlando Magic Co-Founder Pat Williams held a news conference on Wednesday morning to discuss his plans to lure MLB to Orlando. In the news conference, he unveiled the ‘Orlando Dreamers,' a concept for what could be the next professional sports team in Orlando.
“Orlando keeps growing, the next logical step in sports growth is to try and become an MLB city,” Williams said. “The most important next step is finding out how badly Orlando wants to do this.”
The Dreamers already have their own website that includes a section for people to fill out a petition in support of the creation of a franchise in Central Florida. The website also notes that the “Dreamers” nickname is meant as “a nod to Walt Disney and Arnold Palmer and the many other visionaries who helped develop this area into the special place it has become,” in Williams' words.
Before helping to found the Magic, Williams was part of multiple front offices, including the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers. He joined an investment group geared at bringing an NBA expansion team to Florida, and in 1987 the league awarded Orlando with the new franchise.
The Magic began competing in 1989, but they may have made it through the 1990s had it not been for the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway.
Time will tell if Williams can make a convincing argument for the “Dreamers,” especially in light of the Marlins' struggles garnering attendance and attention in Miami.
Follow Us
Subscribe