To say I'm a bit fired up this afternoon is an understatement, to say the least. This weekend at the St. Louis Cardinals' fan fest event, the media asked Cardinals' chairman Bill Dewitt Jr. about minor league contraction and he responded with some of the most uneducated and ignorant comments I've heard when discussing minor league baseball, second only to maybe Rob Manfred himself. To summarize Mr. Dewitt's comments, essentially all you need to know is he does not know what he's talking about. He uses Manfred's minor league talking points to supplement his argument, which already invalidates any point he's trying to make as Manfred, despite being commissioner of baseball, fails to see the importance of minor league baseball to both everyone involved on the minor league level, as well as the future of the major league. Not only that, Dewitt made it clear he doesn't even understand how the minor league WORKS. He tries explaining the money brought in by fan attendance for minor league games, or should I say, lack thereof according to Dewitt, is why minor league contraction and cutting it entirely has been up for discussion lately. What Mr. Dewitt doesn't seem to realize is MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS DO NOT PAY THEIR PLAYERS. Their major league affiliate does. Bold of a multi-millionaire to speak about having to penny pinch when it comes to the salaries of guys who are making minimum-wage to achieve their dreams. Of course, for the head honchos of baseball, what do they care about the future of the league if those players aren't making them money at the major league level now?
To them, it's all about the product on the major league field. The big execs of baseball don't care about the minor league and don't pay attention to those teams and players, so to them that means they must not matter to anyone. They look solely at fan attendance numbers as a means to measure success, without any perception as to what those numbers actually mean. What really got me was Dewitt telling the media, "[minor league teams], frankly don't draw a lot of people." Per Emily Waldon of The Athletic and Baseball America, "in 2019, minor league baseball brought in 41.5 million fans, a 2.6% increase from 2018." But sure, let the money-hungry executives continue to spew nonsense about how nobody cares about minor league baseball.
There are hundreds of statistics I could give to show how untrue that is, but evidently statistics don't mean much to these guys. Seeing Dewitt's comments brought me back to my childhood. I was lucky enough to grow up just about fifteen minutes from McCoy Stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox. Growing up I attended far more Paw Sox games than Red Sox games. While proximity to the park of course played a role in that, going to Fenway was a big to-do for my family, as it is for most. With ever-growing ticket prices at Fenway, according to the Boston Herald, currently it can cost the average family of four up to $600 to attend a Red Sox game, even if you buy the cheapest tickets available. On the other hand, according to MiLB themselves, the average cost for the family of four to attend a MiLB game is under $60. That includes two adult tickets, two children tickets, four hot dogs, two sodas, two beers, AND parking. I once spent $40 on parking near Fenway alone, though I've never driven into a game since because of the outrageous pricing.
Minor league baseball games aren't just more family-friendly financially though, they provide an entirely-better fan experience, especially for children. Unless parents are willing to break the bank for some of the best seats in the park, seats that can start as high as $300+ for a single ticket, most kids never get the experience of sitting right next to the field during a major league game. At McCoy Stadium, there's a patch of grass out in left field where fans can set up blankets and beach chairs and watch the game right behind the fence.
My sister and I at McCoy Stadium in August 2004 before a game, hoping to get a ball from one of the players .
That section in the park especially has a feel of old-fashioned baseball like no other. Never in my life have I felt closer to the game of baseball than I did in that patch of grass in left field at McCoy. Kids everywhere, running around with their gloves, hoping to catch home run balls, playing catch with one another, and just soaking in the game. If it wasn't for minor league baseball, I would never have been exposed to baseball in the same way. Seeing a professional baseball game played live is an entirely different experience than watching it on TV. If you want your kid to be a baseball fan, you can't just plop them down on the couch and force them to watch some random Tuesday night game on NESN in April. Baseball is a game that I think can't be fully enjoyed and appreciated until you step foot into a park and soak it all in. I would not have half the love for the game I have now if it wasn't for my parents bringing me to those minor league games as a kid.
Every single person that either plays for a minor league team, or works for them, plays a big role in growing the game for kids like me. The employees do so much for so little purely out of love for the game, and for the players, they do it to achieve a life dream. These guys put in more work than any major league player, and they do it for little to nothing. Despite a demanding schedule from baseball, many players have side gigs working in retail, the food industry, or working for ride share companies. They're chasing their dreams by any means necessary. So for the MLB to even entertain the idea of cutting ties with MiLB? Manfred and the rest of those money hungry clowns might as well just outright admit they don't care about baseball and go about their way. In the future though, it'd be advisable for those men to at least educate themselves on the true impact minor league baseball has on the players, the game, and the fans.
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