Charlotte should help Raleigh land Major League Baseball | Opinion
.JPG "Most of us are Atlanta Braves fans by default, which works well enough. But it’s not the same as having a true hometown team. If North Carolina got one, much of the state would jump on the bandwagon overnight.")
Back when Charlotte swelled with civic pride, landing a pro baseball team felt like the next big step. At least, Jerry Reese thought so.
The commercial real estate attorney believed Charlotte was a “major league” city, and when the minor league Charlotte Knights were eyeing a new uptown stadium, Reese fought it tooth and nail. He filed lawsuit after lawsuit to stop the project, fearing a smaller park would crowd out grander ambitions.
He lost, and honestly, it turned out for the best. In Truist Field, Charlotte has one of the best minor league ballparks in America.
Major League Baseball is moving closer to expansion, likely with two new teams. While one will presumably be out west, the Southeast seems likely to get a team sometime in the next decade.
Naturally, Charlotte gets mentioned, and it is easy to see why. We are a fast-growing city with a major airport and a serious corporate base. On paper, Charlotte belongs in the conversation.
But I don’t get the sense Charlotte actually wants a team. There is no public push here, no ownership group, no stadium plan, and no city leaders marching down Tryon Street demanding the ceremonial first pitch.
There is, however, a North Carolina city that wants this badly: Raleigh.
The smart thing for Charlotte to do is “drop out” and back the Oak City’s bid.
Team of rivals
I realize this is delicate. Charlotte and Raleigh have an on-again, off-again rivalry built mostly on mutual condescension. Raleigh thinks Charlotte is a bunch of snooty finance bros. Charlotte thinks Raleigh is irrelevant.
Thankfully, I am uniquely positioned to arbitrate. I grew up in Apex, right outside Raleigh, but have lived in Charlotte for 15 years.
So let’s start with what we can all agree on: North Carolina should have Major League Baseball. Most of us are Atlanta Braves fans by default, which works well enough. But it’s not the same as having a true hometown team. If North Carolina got one, much of the state would jump on the bandwagon overnight.
The question is where that team should go. Looking at the facts, it has to be Raleigh.
The MLB Raleigh campaign has real grassroots energy, right up there with the Bring Back the Buzz movement that restored the Hornets name to Charlotte. Civic pride with merchandise can be powerful.
But Raleigh also has key pieces in place. Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is on board to lead the effort, and potential stadium areas are already being discussed, including south of downtown Raleigh and near PNC Arena.
The grand vision
Most of the so-called experts say Nashville has the better chance of winning the bid. That’s where Charlotte can help. The pitch should not be that Raleigh wants a team. It should be that North Carolina is ready for one.
That starts with Charlotte’s business community. The state’s banks, energy companies, manufacturers and law firms should not treat Raleigh baseball as someone else’s project. A Raleigh MLB team would sell suites in Charlotte, build corporate partnerships here and draw fans from here.
Tourism leaders should think the same way. A baseball weekend should not stop at the Wake County line. Build packages that connect Raleigh games with Charlotte restaurants, concerts, Panthers weekends, Knights games and airport travel.
The Knights should be central, too. Make them the Triple-A affiliate of Raleigh’s major league club. Charlotte keeps Truist Field, with its skyline views and family-friendly scale. Raleigh gets the big-league team. Fans can follow players from uptown Charlotte to the majors in Raleigh.
Then build the baseball train. Give me a reliable Charlotte-to-Raleigh game-day rail connection built around first pitch, one that lets fans ride east for a weekend series and come home without losing their will to live somewhere around Burlington.
That is the vision: Charlotte as the western gateway, Raleigh as the major league home, Durham as the state’s existing baseball cathedral, and the whole corridor acting like one market instead of three jealous siblings fighting over the front seat.
It could even help at the legislature. Any MLB bid will eventually need political support, especially if stadium infrastructure or tourism funding is involved. Raleigh asking alone is one thing. North Carolina presenting a united front is another.
Funnily enough, even Jerry Reese agrees with me. After losing the fight over uptown baseball, he studied the Triangle as a better market and even met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred about bringing baseball to the Carolinas through Raleigh. That is almost too perfect.
If this actually happens, I fully expect to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for fostering unprecedented cooperation between Charlotte and Raleigh.
I will accept humbly, provided the ceremony does not conflict with a baseball game.
Contributing columnist Andrew Dunn is the publisher of the Longleaf Politics newsletter, which offers thoughtful analysis of North Carolina politics and policy from a conservative perspective. He can be reached at andrew@longleafpol.com.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte should help Raleigh land Major League Baseball | Opinion."