Project Peanut: The Return of the Montreal Expos?

Twenty years ago, when the Expos left Montreal, I felt powerless.

I was a young radio host (my side hustle) covering the team and doing everything I could to help keep MLB here, but the truth is I had no real influence at that age.

That moment changed my life. It made me realize that if I ever wanted to make an impact, I needed to build capability, credibility, capacity, and a platform that could actually move the needle. That realization is a big part of what pushed me toward entrepreneurship.

WatchMojo – the Origins story

Fast forward two decades. WatchMojo has grown into one of the largest independent media companies in the world. We reach 100 million people a month and have built a global network, strong partners, and institutional backing. By any objective metric, the early seed capital I invested to start WatchMojo has been one of the best investments in the history of digital media. And, WatchMojo remains one of the best-run companies in any sector based on financial performance, job satisfaction, etc.

None of this means I could bring a baseball team back to Montreal on my own. Far from it.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

An MLB franchise is one of the most complex undertakings imaginable. It requires capital, political alignment, real estate vision, a winning outlook, patience, and a lot of humility. Each comes with its own set of challenges.

But unlike then, I feel like I’m in a position to consider whether I could contribute to that effort alongside others. And interestingly, as WatchMojo — a mid-sized media company — goes through its own M&A process, several groups have approached us about sports and media collaborations. The disruption of streaming, rights, and digital fandom has changed the playing field, but those who want to capitalize on these trends lack certain ingredients.

That made me think: maybe Montreal deserves another chapter in its baseball story. And maybe the right mix of partners could make it possible.

With MLB investing in digital-first players like Jomboy, and with sports, content, and entertainment converging globally, the timing is… interesting, given the fact that WatchMojo itself is choosing the partner who will help shape our next chapter. With an entire generation having grown up on YouTube and watched WatchMojo, it is not surprising that several groups have approached us to collaborate. But not all of those groups are aligned with — or interested in — a sports franchise opportunity. I can work with anyone, but if amongst potential suitors some are more interested in such a vision, it makes me pause and evaluate our options differently.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

People often ask why I still work. The honest answer is that building something meaningful still drives me. Solving complex problems fulfills me. As CEO/CXO, I work across content, sales, marketing, legal, human resources, technology, finance, international, partnerships — all functions required for an undertaking of this magnitude. Bringing baseball back to Montreal would be meaningful. It would also be incredibly hard. Maybe even impossible.

But if I may be candid, the more I study the opportunity and survey the landscape, the only real curveball I see is MLB awarding Montreal a franchise slot (other challenges are complex, but solvable).

Strictly for illustrative purposes:

The investors who have expressed interest in WatchMojo during this process collectively manage over $500 billion. MLB caps institutional ownership at 30%, but in 2025, those who know Montreal know that money is not the constraint (when my financial advisors were pitching me a decade ago, they said they were the largest discretionary portfolio management group at the bank. I asked: in Montreal, presuming one of their rivals in Jays’ country was larger, but no – all of Canada).

Land for a stadium? The island of Montreal is ten times larger than Manhattan and Atlanta’s The Battery is a great case study of doing it right so that the community feels the lift: job creation, housing built, etc. Compare for example the skyline in 2000 when the Expos considered building Labatt Park in the header image above versus today’s skyline, below. Montreal like all cities faces its challenges, but the city is booming in many ways.

And it’s not just Montreal that has changed — the entire media and sports ecosystem has changed too.

The real challenge, as always, is people: egos, pride, and competing interests.

In the summer of 2012, I attended a Washington Nationals game in their beautiful open-air stadium, wondering if nos Amours — who had relocated to Washington — might have stayed in Montreal had they gotten a new venue. Attending a Nats game may have felt blasphemous to some Expos die-hards, but for me it brought closure.

Until Netflix released What Killed the Expos, which I broke down on WatchMojo’s Inside podcast, Slowly but surely, I began to hear a calling.

If you build it, they will come

Considering that for 20 years I told everyone “I started WatchMojo to bring back the Expos,” it began to feel hypocritical to ignore this calling now that I’m actually in a position to explore it. On my deathbed, I’d have comfort knowing I explored impossibility rather than ignored opportunity. That was my original reason for pursuing entrepreneurship in the first place, after all. I have no idea where this journey leads. It may go nowhere. But I didn’t become an entrepreneur to be a spectator again.

When I think about what is required for a credible bid, a few ingredients come to mind:

• Financing (my academic foundation, and thankfully available)
• A global promotional platform (WatchMojo happens to be one)
• Local and international partnerships (I’ve signed hundreds over two decades)
• Real estate vision and execution (my brother-in-law — a 25-year veteran of major corporate projects working on over $300 million in successfully completed construction projects on over 5 million square fee (in Montreal, this puts him in the top 5% quartile) — mapped out a viable roadmap, though a part of me wished he’d extinguish the flame so I could live a peaceful life!
• Patience, persistence, resilience, and strategic sequencing (things I’ve studied, written about and executed throughout my career)
• A genuine sports fan who understands team play and winning (my kids keep telling me I need a new hobby after tearing my ACL representing Canada at soccer in Dubai)
• And someone who can engage MLB while serving Montreal’s distinct bilingual community.

As a servant leader with a stakeholder mindset, I would feel like I was betraying everything I stand for by ignoring that call.

If MLB chooses to expand and is seeking someone credible to bring these pieces together, I’m confident I can put my best foot forward. But sequencing matters, and so does listening.

I wasn’t going to mention any of this publicly, but as I sit here watching my Montreal Canadiens take on the Colorado Avalanche — formerly the Quebec Nordiques, wearing Nordiques colors no less, I can’t help but feel like the universe is nudging me to step onto the diamond.

If you build it, they will come (will they?)

If Expos fans were looking for their Spaceman, they may have struck gold.

Entrepreneurship is a thankless journey. Civic involvement is even more daunting given the mix of stakeholders: MLB, the community at large, three levels of government, the business community, media partners and sponsors, and of course the fans — which raises the question: would fans support a baseball team if, for once, it played in the right venue?

I always tell people business isn’t a question of innings, but a best of seven series. You can lose something sometimes, but you can always find it in you to pull off an unexpected comeback in the bottom of the ninth.

As I continue to explore and study the opportunity, I’d appreciate input from my Montreal network.
If MLB ever returned to our city, would you support the team? You tell me via this survey. Since this article:

The funding model (no govt money)

A process, a test of patience.

The roadmap & vision of Granicus Sports Entertainment.