What seemed inevitable for baseball fans — not to mention local businesses that thrive on spring training — became official Friday with news from Major League Baseball that the first week of scheduled exhibition games is canceled due to the owners’ lockout.
The announcement of games wiped out through Friday, March 4, at least for now, came with the lockout in its 79th day, and a day after economic talks between management and the MLB Players Association lasted just 15 minutes.
Spring training was to have started this week, and the exhibition schedule had been set to begin on Saturday, Feb. 26, including the planned opener of the spring at Camelback Ranch-Glendale, which serves as the shared home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. The Sox were to open the Glendale slate that day against the Oakland A’s.
Should the March 5 games go on, that Saturday would have the Dodgers meeting a split White Sox squad.
MLB told the union it thinks Monday, Feb. 28, is the last possible date to reach an agreement that would allow a timely start to the season, according to The Associated Press. The union didn’t respond to MLB on whether it agrees with that date or thinks there is additional time.
The local economy figures to take a hit with a lack of winter visitors for Cactus League games. The previous two springs were severely impacted by the pandemic, and this year’s labor dispute threatens 2022.
“This has huge impacts on our hotels, our restaurants and our businesses that are in that area to support spring training,” Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps told the Glendale Independent on Jan. 11.
Valley cities, not to mention those in Florida where the Grapefruit League is hosted, depend on spring training for revenue.
Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business conducts an economic impact report on the Cactus League during even years. In the last report under pre-pandemic conditions in 2018, the report found spring training generated a total impact of $644 million, as well as about 6,400 jobs annually and $31.9 million in state and local tax revenues.
In 2020, when the spring training season was cut short by the start of the pandemic, that figure of total economic impact generated was nearly cut in half to $363 million.
In 2021, though a full spring training season was played, fan capacity was limited to 25%, and because many people still weren’t comfortable traveling, local fans made up a far bigger share of the crowd. Normally, about six of 10 fans at Cactus League games are from out of state, Cactus League Executive Director Bridget Binsbacher noted this past December.
“The only way this works — and it only works a portion of the way — is when we have out-of-state guests staying in hotels and shopping and eating in our restaurants and our stores,” Phelps said. “If you only do spring training where people who live in Peoria or people who live in Chandler decide to come to a Dodger game or to a White Sox game, there’s not even a fraction of the revenue to offset the costs that we’ve invested of taxpayer dollars into having spring training.”
Spring training workouts were to have started Wednesday of this week.
Opening Day of the regular season is scheduled for March 31, but that date, too, could be in jeopardy.
Steve Stockmar News Editor | Sun Life Magazine & Arts & Entertainment
YourValley.net @stevestockmar
Meet Steve Steve Stockmar joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, and has been an Arizona journalist for almost 30 years. He serves as editor of Sun Life Magazine and contributes to West Valley communities where he focuses mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference.
Community: Every season Steve serves as a “buddy” with the Miracle League of Arizona in Scottsdale, has volunteered his time with Family Promise in Glendale, and previously served on the Ghostlight Theatre board in Sun City West.
Education: Graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a Journalism major and English minor.
Random Fact: Steve once won a 50-player live Texas Hold ’Em poker tournament.
Hobbies: Anguishing over his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears; listening to Beatles and Grateful Dead music.
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