Orlando Tornadoes

Being an avid baseball fan and a resident of Orlando, it is very sad to say Orlando does not currently have any minor league baseball here. One of the fastest growing cities in the United States, we can't seem to keep a team here. We had the Orlando Rays, the Orlando Cubs and The Orlando Twins. My ultimate goal is to bring baseball back to Orlando, with the Orlando Tornadoes.

There are two possible locations to play that are both currently vacant: Orlando's Tinker Field and the Disney Wide World of Sports. Orlando is one of the world most popular vacation spots during the summer, making this a very attractive market.

The key to get people to the games is making it affordable, a fun-family atmosphere and promotions that people can't pass up. Even if people aren't baseball fans, they can still enjoy a fun, carnival-like atmosphere where they feel their money is well spent, and their family had a great time.

So why has baseball in Orlando failed in the past? One reason is that most local people will not drive out to Disney to watch a game, due to traffic and two, Orlando does have a lot of other entertainment options. But with the right marketing, this can all change. I have a plan to implement creative sports marketing ideas that will make people want to go through the turnstiles, just like Mark Cuban has done in Dallas. He took a team that was in dead last, created a new corporate image, motivated his employees and now has nearly a sell-out at every Dallas Mavericks game. He does things that people talk about, listens and interacts with the fans (the most important people who are actually supporting the team).

So why the Tornadoes? Believe it or not, no college or professional team carries the name "Tornadoes". There are many teams with "natural disasters" as their icon, but no Tornadoes. We have the Cyclones (Univ. of Iowa), the Lightning (Tampa Bay Hockey), the Avalanche (Colorado Hockey), The Norfolk Tides (Minor league baseball) The Storm (Tampa Bay Arena Football), the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Minor League baseball) and The Heat (Miami Basketball). All forces of nature for teams, but no Tornadoes. It just sounds nice, doesn't it? It's very hard these days to come up with a unique, creative name that is not in use.

My ultimate goal is to own and help operate a minor league baseball team here in Orlando. Don't worry Orlando residents and baseball fans, I hope to have a team here shortly.

Co-Founder of TornadoPromotions.com, Inc.,

Ryan Totka

ryan@tornadopromotions.com