Why this ‘misfit’ wants to bring the Expos back | The Corner Booth

Ashkan Karbasfrooshan already knows what you’re thinking.

There’s no way Major League Baseball is ever coming back to Montreal after the Expos were ripped away from the city following the 2004 season.

Karbasfrooshan, an entrepreneur who founded online media powerhouse WatchMojo, has dealt with doubters his entire career. And the prospect of reuniting Montrealers with Nos Amours has brought out many skeptics.

But that isn’t stopping Karbasfrooshan, and he joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week’s episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli to explain just how he plans on succeeding where others, like his neighbour Stephen Bronfman, have failed.

Bill Brownstein, left, and Aaron Rand, right, chat with Ashkan Karbasfrooshan on The Corner Booth at the Snowdon Deli in Montreal on Friday, May 8, 2026. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette

 ”I have nothing but respect for the founding builder families of Montreal,” Karbasfrooshan said.

 ”These families are very smart, great members of society. But they are investors. An investor’s DNA is, ‘I’m going to be very cautious.'”

As a first-generation entrepreneur, Karbasfrooshan thinks he might have the agility and creativity to line up the right investors and gain the support of the league.

“We are crazy. We are the rebels. ‘The misfits,’ to quote Steve Jobs. I start off with, ‘this doesn’t make sense.’ But I envision what the outcome is, and then I work backwards.”

In response to online critics who questioned his sincerity with the project, he pointed out he’s not looking for any public funds to purchase the team or build a new stadium.

“ What’s the grift? I don’t want taxpayer money. I’m not asking for any money.”

Is he doing it for self-promotion? His channel, WatchMojo, is already a massive platform.

And speaking of a new ballpark, that’s probably the biggest question any prospective owner will face from Major League Baseball: where would the 2.0 Expos play?

Renovations aside, the Olympic Stadium is a non-starter. The Peel Basin and the old Molson Brewery areas are accounted for. What’s the next best option?

“ I only want to go somewhere if they welcome us,” he said. “I also think it has to be fair. It has to be fair to Laval, it has to be fair to West Island, South Shore. But it has to be somewhere between Atwater, give or take, all the way to Bonaventure.”

The Corner Booth is also available on The Gazette’s YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.

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