KNOXVILLE — Talks about the Smokies coming back to Knoxville have been tossed around for years. However, the question that remains: Who will pay for it? Now that the governor's race is behind him, local businessman and owner of the Smokies Randy Boyd addressed that question.
“The city and the county would have to make us an offer. I can’t just do it on my own and neither of them have, so it’s hard to say what the new mayors and city council are going to do but, the ball will be in their court," he said.
Boyd bought land in the Old City that could fit a ballpark, but he said moving forward on his own would not be a smart investment as a team owner. The team is also under contract with Sevierville until 2025, so the project would likely be delayed until then.
Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero's office declined to comment on potential plans for the park, but Councilman George Wallace said he and most of his colleagues are excited about the idea.
“There is buzz in the city that they’re thinking about bringing it back," he said.
Wallace believes bringing the ballpark to Knoxville will take a team effort between the city, county, Boyd and The University of Tennessee.
“The city, the university and Randy Boyd ought to see if a partnership could work where we could build one stadium that could house UT baseball and the Smokies, and be in downtown Knoxville," Wallace said.
His city council colleagues Finbar Saunders and Stephanie Welch shared his sentiment.
"I would be thrilled to see baseball back in downtown Knoxville," said Welch.
Knox County Mayor Elect Glenn Jacobs weighed in stating his enthusiasm about bringing the Smokies downtown, but chose not to get into specifics of government assistance.
“I would love to see the Smokies back in Knoxville," Jacobs said. “I think at this point, it’s premature to say what exactly the government’s role is, but I think definitely I would encourage that move and do everything we possibly could to make it happen.”
A spokesperson for the city of Knoxville said the Mayor's office will likely provide a comment concerning the re-energized discussion sometime soon.