Raleigh, N.C. — Tom Dundon owns one professional sports team in Raleigh.
Now he wants to add another.
Dundon, the billionaire owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, is “very serious” about bringing a Major League Baseball franchise to Raleigh, one of the team’s top business executives said Wednesday.
Brian Fork, the new chief executive officer of Hurricanes Holdings, said baseball is one of his job duties along with other development around PNC Arena.
“Tom’s talked about it publicly, but he’s also very serious about trying to bring a Major League Baseball team to Raleigh,” Fork said Wednesday at an introductory press conference.
“That’s easier said than done. We will not be the only city. We will not be the only ownership group looking to get one of the new expansion teams that will probably be created by Major League Baseball in the next couple of years. But Tom is very serious about pursuing that opportunity, bringing it here to Raleigh.”
In October 2023, Dundon expressed interest in bringing the sport to Raleigh, admitting the move would be ambitious and “a lot of work.”
“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 told WRAL at the time. “It sort of feels obvious.”
MLB expansion timeline
Major League Baseball has 30 teams and has not announced plans to expand at this point. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who is set to retire in 2029, said he hopes to have a process in place for expansion before he leaves the job, ESPN reported earlier this year.
At least three MLB franchises are dealing with stadium or relocation issues at the moment: the Oakland A’s, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals.
A number of cities, including several in the southeast, are considered candidates for potential expansion, including southern cities such as Austin, Charlotte, Nashville and Orlando.
Located about halfway between Washington and Atlanta, Raleigh offers access to a growing state and area without infringing on another team’s territory.
“It’s the perfect storm,” Fork said.
The Hurricanes relocated to Raleigh from Hartford, Connecticut, so buying an existing team and moving it is a possibility, too, Fork said.
“If relocation is on the table, then that’s absolutely something that Tom would be interested in,” Fork said.
New management for Hurricanes
Fork and Doug Warf, team president hired to oversee all business operations for the Hurricanes and PNC Arena, held a press event Wednesday.
Fork previously worked for North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. Warf worked for the Hurricanes for 16 years before joining a Raleigh investment and management firm.
The pair is handling duties that were previously handled by team president and general manager Don Waddell, who left the franchise after the season. Eric Tulsky was promoted to general manager.
“The big reason why there’s three people now is there’s getting ready to be a lot more things happening here in this building, in the area, the parking lots around the building, than there ever has been before,” Fork said.
Fork and Warf said they spoke before accepting their jobs and decided they wanted to do it together.
“There’s not going to be any so Brian does this and these people work with Brian on that and Doug does this and these people work with Doug on that,” Fork said. “We’re going to team up. We’re going to use our skill sets together.”
Development, renovations
Dundon can develop up to 80 acres around PNC Arenas under terms of a new development agreement. As part of the transaction, the Hurricanes signed a 20-year lease extension at PNC Arena, which will undergo a $300-million renovation. Raleigh and Wake County are providing the money for the renovation, through a tax that’s long been collected on prepared food and beverage and hotel stays.
The Centennial Authority board, which owns PNC Arena, will get a preview of potential projects and detailed renderings at its meeting Thursday. The board has not approved any projects.
“Tom’s vision is big, and it starts here,” Warf said, referencing PNC Arena. “And the way he tells it makes total sense. We have this great mixture of Southern hospitality and a tech sector, right? And if you bring those together, this building is — and should be — the premier sports venue in the U.S. It should combine those two things.”
A potential baseball stadium would not be placed on the PNC Arena site.
“There’s really not room within those 80 acres to put a baseball stadium,” Fork said. “Where that be somewhere else in the community is something that we haven’t dug into yet.”
Other obstacles for baseball?
A stadium plan and site are two of the biggest obstacles to attracting an MLB team, new or existing. But there are plenty more, including buy-in from state and local leaders.
A new franchise could cost more than $2 billion, Manfred said in 2021. So an owner with deep pockets is a must.
“You’d have to find a place to play,” Fork said. “You’re going to need a stadium, right? So you’re going to have to find a place to put a stadium. I don’t know where that’s going to be. It’s going to need a lot of land. You’re going to have to figure out a way to pay for the stadium. You’re going to have to get it zones. That’s going to affect a lot of people that live around there.
“One of the key components that Major League Baseball is going to look at before bringing a team is: Who are your corporate partners? Who are your big corporate partners that are going to invest in it in the short term and the long term? So you’re really going to need everybody on board.
“The most important thing is to have an owner that has the means and desire to do it. So that puts us way ahead of most places in the U.S.”