Tom Dundon has expressed continued interest in bringing Major League Baseball to the Tar Heel State.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β One of the most prominent voices in bringing Major League Baseball to North Carolina is still on board with the movement, even after the purchase of a major sports franchise.
Tom Dundon, the owner of NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, is in the process of purchasing the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers from the estate of Paul Allen, sources confirmed on Wednesday. The sale is estimated to be over $4 billion.
Dundon has owned the Hurricanes since purchasing the team in 2018 for $425 million. He also holds majority stakes in the Professional Pickleball Association and Major League Pickleball.
“We are excited,” Dundon told Sportico in an email.
Dundon has also expressed interest in bringing an MLB team to North Carolina. In 2023, Dundon voiced his support for getting an expansion team in the state.
“It’s the only thing we’re kind of missing if you look at the size of the state and the support of the teams,” Dundon said in an interview with WRAL in 2023. “It sort of feels obvious.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed interest in adding two more teams to the league. It’s not known when the timeline for this would be.Β
Dundon’s major NBA purchase may concern people eager for MLB in North Carolina, but a Hurricanes spokesperson said this won’t impact his baseball ventures or current NHL team.
“[The Trail Blazers purchase] will not impact the Carolina Hurricanes, and Tom still wants to bring Major League Baseball to North Carolina,β a Hurricanes spokesperson said.
Charlotte, Nashville, Portland, and Montreal are typically the four cities most expected to attract an MLB team. Dundon expressed in 2023 that getting the team to move to Raleigh is more convenient for him but acknowledges the state should put the team in the city that makes the most sense for everyone.
“We’ve got to, just as a state, put our best foot forward, and wherever that is, wherever we think is our best chance, then I think that’s where everyone would focus,” Dundon said.
The Queen City is home to the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte FC, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. All of these attractions consistently bring in huge crowds and prove the area can support sports teams, even when the on-field performance is not at its best.
North Carolina is home to nine baseball teams at the minor league level, including the Charlotte Knights (AAA), Durham Bulls (AAA), Asheville Tourists (High-A), Carolina Mudcats (Single-A), Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Single-A), Greensboro Grasshoppers (High-A), Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Single-A), Hickory Crawdads (Single-A), and Winston-Salem Dash (High-A). The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball also has two teams in the state, the Gastonia Ghost Peppers and High Point Rockers.
The Tar Heel State has also provided MLB with some of its best players and rising stars. Corey Seager (Kannapolis), Cal Raleigh (Cullowhee), and Zack Littell (Burlington) are among the 34 players from North Carolina on MLB rosters this season. Gaylord Perry (Williamston), Luke Appling (High Point), and Hoyt Willhelm (Huntersville) are among the best players to ever come from the state.