The question of who is responsible for the demise of the Montreal Expos has resurfaced following the release of a Netflix documentary on the team. This inquiry has sparked discussions among Montreal residents, especially after the Toronto Blue Jays lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, stirring nostalgia for the Expos.

The documentary features insights from key figures associated with the Expos, including Mark Routtenberg, a member of the ownership consortium before the team folded in 2004, and David Samson, who managed the team when Jeffrey Loria acquired a controlling stake in 1999. Stephen Bronfman, who has campaigned for Major League Baseball's return to Montreal, was not interviewed for the film. His father, Charles Bronfman, was the Expos' original owner from 1968 to 1991.

Routtenberg attributes much of the blame for the Expos' downfall to the 1994-95 Major League Baseball strike. "That was the beginning of the ruination of the club," he stated. At the time of the strike, the Expos had the best record in baseball at 74-40. The season was ultimately canceled, and many believed the team had a strong chance of winning the World Series that year.

When play resumed in 1995, Claude Brochu, the managing partner of the ownership group, executed a fire sale, trading away star players like Marquis Grissom, Ken Hill, and John Wetteland, while star right-fielder Larry Walker departed via free agency. The Expos finished last in the National League East that season, and Routtenberg believes the franchise never recovered. "That was the beginning of the end of my friendship with Claude Brochu," he said. Brochu declined to comment for this article.

Routtenberg criticized his fellow owners, stating, "My partners were stupid. They were heads of corporations who knew nothing about baseball and sports." The ownership group, which purchased the team from Charles Bronfman in 1990, included several prominent Quebec corporations. Routtenberg believes the main issue was their unwillingness to invest more money to keep the team competitive.

He expressed frustration with the lack of financial commitment from local owners, saying, "I blame everyone; I blame Stephen (Bronfman). I didn’t have the money to step up. I wasn’t a billionaire partner."

Routtenberg noted that Loria understood the value of owning a sports franchise, stating, "There’s only 32 of them in the world. It has to go up in value." He explained that when Loria made cash calls, the local owners were not willing to contribute, leading to Loria acquiring 94 percent of the team. The Expos were sold to Major League Baseball for $120 million in 2002, paving the way for Loria to purchase the Florida Marlins. The Expos were relocated to Washington in 2004, becoming the Nationals.

Routtenberg also attempted to persuade singer Céline Dion and her husband, René Angélil, to buy the team, but those efforts were unsuccessful. He initially thought Loria would be a good fit as an owner but soon became disillusioned. "The minute the deal went through, I was getting some negative signals," he recalled.

Samson, who was involved in the team’s management, noted that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig wanted a local owner when the team was for sale in the late 1990s, but no Quebec businessman was willing to invest. "Every local businessman had an opportunity to invest in that team," he said. "And it was not a big investment."

Samson explained that the team was losing money annually and lacked a viable path to a new stadium without government support. He initially believed there would be governmental backing for a new facility, but after several meetings, it became clear that the government would not invest. "The team couldn’t stay at Olympic Stadium; the MLB would not allow it," he said.

In the documentary, Samson accepts some responsibility for the Expos' collapse but emphasizes that the real issue lay with the consortium of minority owners. "These were the biggest corporations and the wealthiest people in Montreal. It’s insane to me that none of them thought to want to run the Expos," he said.

Bronfman, who held a small stake in the team, echoed Routtenberg's sentiments about the local owners' lack of understanding of baseball. He lamented the absence of a business leader willing to take a risk on the team. "Back then, there was a chance, but nobody would step up," he said.

He compared the situation to when Molson Breweries sold the Montreal Canadiens, noting that there were no Quebec or Canadian suitors for the storied franchise. "That’s why George Gillett came in and got a sweetheart deal," Bronfman said.

When asked about the blame for the Expos' demise, Bronfman stated, "All of the cast of characters involved since my dad’s sale because nobody would step up, nobody." He acknowledged that he, too, shares some responsibility for the team's fate.