Officials of 1st Mariner Arena are optimistic the Blast will be back this fall  after the Major Indoor Soccer League folded and put the team’s upcoming season in jeopardy.

“In my heart, I still don’t believe it,” Frank Remesch, the arena’s general manager, said. “Having been through different leagues [and team names] I really believe they’ll be back.” 

But right now, the future of the city’s most successful professional sports team is uncertain as the league’s former owners try to formulate a new business plan during the next few weeks.

But no team in the arena means fewer people coming to downtown Baltimore, a part of the city that has enjoyed a renaissance the past few years.

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The Blast, which has won four of the past six league titles, has filled more than 100,000 seats every year since the 1998-1999 season and averaged a league-high 7,229 fans over 15 home games this year for a total attendance of 108,448.

Remesch said he cannot release specific numbers regarding the financial impact the Blast would have if it did not return next season. But he said the Blast is the staple of his busiest season, followed by family shows and concerts. The arena would also lose the sponsorships the Blast brought.

Mike Evitts, a spokesperson for the Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit corporation working with the public and private sectors to improve the downtown area, said the Blast has played an integral role in bringing visitors to the city.

“The Baltimore Blast has been an important presence in the downtown area,” Evitts said. “They’ve drawn people to the [1st Mariner] arena for decades. They’ve been a strong, consistent attraction for many, many years.” 

Evitts said the Blast has been an “important feature” to downtown entertainment and has added a sense of “civic pride” to Baltimore, as well as drawing people to surrounding restaurants and businesses that weren’t traditional tourists spots. But they are now.

“Certainly their record of wins and losses makes this harder [if we lose them],” he added. “Having events at the arena creates energy downtown where we can use more energy.”

Remesch said he doesn’t have a “crystal ball” but from past experience — he’s been a Blast fan since the 1980s — he believes the team will be back with the same star-studded roster.  But there is a possibility of not seeing a soccer ball kicked on the arena’s green turf anytime in the near future.

“It would be tragic,” Remesch said. “I’m not trying to seem melodramatic or anything, but it would be traumatic.”

Ed Hale, the Blast’s owner, is confident his team will take the field this fall.

“The Baltimore Blast will play next season,” he said. “The number of teams and the number of games will be determined very soon.”

taustin@baltimoreexaminer.com