Реферат: Minor League Baseball- Boom Or Bust To

The addition of minor league baseball to communities can provide many benefits.

The greatest benefit is the overall economic lift that minor league baseball brings to a

community. Minor league baseball provides additional jobs. Initially, local individuals

build the stadium. This project takes from six months to a year. An average of 15 full-

time and 125 part-time individuals ranging in age from high school students to older,

retirees are employed at the stadium.

The stadium will be beneficial if it?s useful for the baseball fan as well as any

resident. For approximately seventy nights a year, a stadium will provide an opportunity

for the baseball fan to view professional baseball up close, to identify future stars and to

follow their careers, and to get a glimpse of current major league players who

occasionally are assigned to a minor league team for rehabilitation purposes or who are in

the last stages of their career. The stadium, however, should be more than that. It should

be a community facility that provides many types of recreational resources. A new

stadium is capital improvement and should have a life of more than two decades. If the

stadium and team are to be evaluated as a true community resource, they must serve the

entire community. If a stadium is utilized during the winter months, when baseball is not

played, not only will a community?s quality of life be enhanced, but the economic

development function of the stadium will be maximized as well.

The addition of minor league baseball to an area can be an important tool in

revitalizing an area. The best example that comes to mind is the Harrisburg Senators

located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1980, after three decades of decline, Harrisburg

was one of the most distressed cities in the nation. It had lost its credit rating and faced

bankruptcy. By 1988, under the leadership of Mayor Stephen Reed, Harrisburg had

become the leading city in economic growth among those with a population 50,000-

75,000. The turn around of the city gained recognition when Harrisburg was named the

second best investment city in eastern United States. Harrisburg officials have identified

several benefits that the city has derived from the presence of the Harrisburg Senators.

The most important benefit has been the redevelopment of City Island. City Island was

Reed’s announced site for a future stadium. The mayor anticipated using the stadium as