The first week of Cactus League games including the SF Giants’ planned home opener at Scottsdale Stadium has already been wiped out.
Two years after the coronavirus pandemic brought spring training to a screeching halt, business owners and public officials in Scottsdale and nearby municipalities expected Cactus League baseball to play a major role in the state’s economic recovery process.
According to an economic impact study conducted by Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, spring training provided an influx of more than $640 million into the local economy in 2018. Two years later, when the pandemic forced the abrupt cancelation of nearly half of the Cactus League schedule, the economic impact was slashed to an estimated $364 million.
If MLB owners and the Players Association reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement by a league-imposed deadline of Monday, Feb. 28, players would report to camps within the week and games could start within a 10-to-14 day period. The regular season would begin on March 31, as scheduled, so businesses could make up for some of the losses they’re experiencing now.
Owners and players are hopeful spring training will still happen, but neither side has publicly acknowledged the damage MLB’s lockout is already having on businesses and communities in Arizona and Florida that rely on baseball to make ends meet. “I propose MLB provide a $10 million subsidy to the Arizona Office of Tourism,” Phelps wrote in an op-ed for the“These dollars would help promote our tourism and hospitality industry, which has been significantly impacted by canceled and shortened Cactus League seasons.”
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