Who Killed the Montreal Expos? Documentary Review

Who Killed the Montreal Expos? [Qui a tué les Expos de Montréal?] (2025)

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Directed by: Jean-François Poisson
Starring: Pedro Martinez, Dennis Martinez, Larry Walker, Vladimir Guerrero, David Samson, Claude Brochu
Rated: TV-14
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Plot
An investigation into the downfall of the Montreal Expos, Canada's first Major League Baseball team, and who was ultimately responsible.

Verdict
You really need to be a baseball fan to care. This doesn't reveal anything new. Montreal loved their team and the owner was greedy. That's why the Expos left. Owner Jeffrey Loria sold the team when Quebec wouldn't build him a stadium and in turn bought the Florida Marlins in a city that would build a park. That was after he sold off any players of value for nearly nothing.
It depends.

Review
The Montreal Expos were Canada's first major league baseball team, established in 1969 after a minor league team folded in 1960. The Expos left the city in 2004, and many fans despair the loss. The city is still passionate, and the players loved the energy of the city too.

With each new owner fans hope the team will spend to create a contender.  

While the 1994 strike hurt baseball and the Expos who boasted a division winning lead, the owners led by Brochu wanted funding for a new stadium. Olympic Stadium was falling apart. To cut costs after the strike the team sold and traded away all the good players, leaving the team a shell of itself. The ownership wouldn't spend. Jeffrey Loria bought the team in 2001 and made big promises.

Gary Carter

Loria claimed to be losing money and seemingly had no interest in competing. He milks what he can out of the team, manages to get a majority equity and sells the team to MLB. Loria also wanted a stadium, but the city wouldn't provide him one. Loria then bought the Florida Marlins where the city built him a free stadium.

David Samson, the GM under Loria, blames everyone else. It's telling that he accepts no blame when the team never tried to compete, got rid of players, and asked such high prices that they couldn't continue sponsorship deals.

This doesn't break much new ground. Owners don't like to spend and like having a team for the prestige. Most owners would rather cash checks then invest to cash even bigger checks. When Loria couldn't get a tax payer funded stadium, he found a team and city that would provide him with a park. Major League Baseball facilitated that through buying the team from him.