Small towns across America may lose a crucial community hub
Jeff Hook
Anxiety over big changes to Minor League Baseball points to trouble finding economic catalysts for small towns In Erie, Pennsylvania, local leaders are once again rallying for minor league baseball. This time, the home of the SeaWolves isn?t trying to land a team, like it did in 1989, but instead wants to keep its team in the face of a plan that might see 42 minor league teams across the country lose their affiliation with Major League Baseball (MLB).
The anxiety being felt in Erie and other cities and small towns across the country stems from a recent proposal by pro baseball?s leadership to cut teams and consolidate the minor leagues. The minor league system, which contains 160 affiliated teams in 14 different leagues spread across the U.S. and Canada, functions as a farm system where talent is developed for the big leagues. With the current agreement between the leagues set to expire after 2020, MLB executives are looking to cut costs, jettison underperforming teams, and raise the quality of minor league play. Losing affiliation with the majors would mean losing support, funding (especially for player salary, a team?s biggest expense), the equity value of a franchise, and could spell financial ruin for small ball clubs. The proposal to cut teams has led to significant blowback across the nation. Erie Mayor Joe Schember, whose parents pushed to help build the current downtown ballpark, has reached out to regional and government officials to try and conv...
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