Minor League Baseball and Local Economic Development

By Arthur T. Johnson

Book Overview

Sport, including minor league baseball, is an object of public policy. Communities can exploit it to promote economic and social well-being, but not without risk. Drawing on case studies of fifteen locales including Fresno, Birmingham, Durham, Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Colorado Springs, Arthur Johnson systematically analyzes the political process by which communities decide to invest in stadiums for minor league baseball teams. He explores such factors as the presence or absence of a development strategy as a guide in decision making, and the value to a community of a minor league team and its stadium. Johnson also describes the dynamics of minor league baseball franchise relocation, the importance of intergovernmental relations to stadium financing, and the organization and business of minor league baseball, including its formal relationship with major league baseball.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252065026
• ISBN13: 9780252065026
• Release Date: March 1995
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Resource for Local Communities

When it comes to considering, funding and building minor league baseball stadiums, economic development agencies and local governments don't need to reinvent the wheel. This book outlines the experiences of other communities in relatively useful detail. Learn from their experiences and establish a workable platform from which to build your own approach to funding and building (or perhaps deciding not to build) a minor league park in your community.