BRADENTON, Fla. — Gene Brown considers himself a lifelong sports fan, but lately he’s been rooting for a different sort of outcome.
Knowing the economic infusion spring training baseball could potentially bring to his community — as well as others throughout Florida and Arizona — the Bradenton, Fla., mayor is hoping for Major League Baseball’s ongoing lockout to thaw.
And fast.
As the impasse between owners and the MLB Players Association zoomed past the 80-day mark over the weekend, Brown has been forced to confront an unfortunate reality for this delightful Gulf Coast haven along the Manatee River: Spring training games have already been canceled through March 4, and more could be in store if progress isn’t made soon, with the prolonged impasse zapping Bradenton of its yearly spring excitement and a necessary influx of cash.
“The biggest thing that concerns me are the small businesses, the economic impact there,” Brown told the Post-Gazette by phone last week. “The Pirates play a big part for us this time of year. It will be important to not miss too many games because of this.”
The Pirates were originally scheduled to play 34 Grapefruit League games, including 17 at LECOM Park. Formerly known as McKechnie Field, it’s been their spring training home for the past 54 years and holds the distinction of being the oldest spring training ballpark still hosting games.
Saturday was supposed to mark the spring opener, although MLB’s announcement Friday wiped out a week’s worth of games and guaranteed teams will have to play a compressed slate if or when the two sides ever agreement on a collective bargaining agreement.
“We’re hopeful,” the mayor said. “I’m always a glass-half-full guy. I’m hoping they get things straightened out in the next week or two. You know how negotiations go. Things get more serious when a deadline approaches, so I’m hoping that’s what happens.”
Because of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s previously stated desire to have spring training last around four weeks — down from the usual six and up from the three baseball shoehorned in after the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 — the clock is certainly ticking.
Owners have told the MLBPA that a deal would have to be struck by Feb. 28 to prevent losing regular season games — and the money that comes with them — which is expected to beget an increase in bargaining this week.
As for how spring training impacts Bradenton and the surrounding areas, it’s definitely not small. According to a 2016 economic impact study — the most recent set of formal data available — 103,742 fans attended 15 home games that year and contributed a total economic impact of $36.5 million.
That number has since ticked up around $40 million, said Brown and Elliott Falcione, who’s the executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Furthermore, about a third of the fans who attend games travel to Bradenton from Pennsylvania.
“We know Pittsburgh fans that love it so much, they want to be down here. The general fan wants to watch it, too,” Brown said of spring training baseball.
“This year I was looking for a great return back to what we were before. Still hopeful. No matter what, I think we’ll end up having something. But we don’t know what that’s going to look like yet, unless miraculously over the next few days they get things worked out. You have to hope and pray.”
Brown won’t be alone. While Bradenton serves as the Pirates’ spring-training home, Sarasota (Orioles) and North Port (Braves) are not terribly far away — both geographically and when it comes to hoping these two sides, fraught with distrust built up over decades, can find some sort of common ground.
“Spring training happens during our busiest time of year, and our research shows it’s central to what people want when coming to Florida,” said Virginia Haley, who’s the president of Visit Sarasota.
In a study presented to Sarasota County last year, the Orioles say they have generated more than $485 million in the area since 2015.
“Everyone wants beaches and a break from the cold, but psychologically, seeing the game of summer, it just lifts peoples’ spirits,” Haley added. “It’s such a tradition.”
What fans saw last year was basically the light-beer version of spring training: drastically reduced crowds, pared-down food options, games that may or may not be shortened because of smaller rosters, a more regional travel schedule and fans seated in two- and four-person pods.
Thanks to a 75% reduction in allowable capacity, the Pirates totaled just 25,091 fans (1,673 average) for their 15 home dates, which obviously means a fraction of the typical money spent or revenue generated. COVID-19 also forced the closure of workouts at nearby Pirate City.
A diluted spring training likely had some effect on the traffic at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport — located less than 20 minutes from LECOM Park — but the impact there is a little different in scope.
When airport president/CEO Rick Piccolo analyzes SRQ’s traffic over the past calendar year, he’s nothing short of thrilled; the airport handled 3,163,543 passengers in 2021, which absolutely crushed its previous yearly record of 2,010,304 from 1990.
“A great year,” Piccolo said. “It was controlled chaos around here.”
At the same time, February (159,772) was the second-lowest month in terms of traffic, a lower-than-expected number partly attributable to COVID-19 but also emblematic of a possible traffic boom should a normal spring training ever occur again.
“We have service that makes it really easy for fans to fly down here, which didn’t exist prior to the pandemic,” Piccolo said. “We have all this good service, but now we don’t have any games.
“We’re really hoping the owners and players come to some agreement and everything gets back to normal.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: February 21, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: February 21, 2022, 11:03 a.m.