Town elders of Spring training locales now enmeshed with MLB teams

Sports Business Journal: "Towns in both states (Florida and Arizona) are requiring teams to play more games at their ballparks than in years past

• and are requiring reimbursement for lost games.

• Clauses seek more night games to drive food and beverage revenue for all sides.

But perhaps the biggest change is that leases are beginning to look more like partnerships than landlord-tenant covenants.

• Cities are no longer content with an ad page in the spring training media guide and a yearly junket to the big league ballpark. Now there is more engagement.

• Two Lee County (Fla.) staff members traveled last year with the Red Sox to the team’s season-opening games in Japan
• as part of a joint marketing effort.

County officials said the trip more than paid for itself when several groups from Japan came to the Fort Myers area last summer specifically because of meeting with the county-team contingent.

• The spring homes are getting more visibility on the big league teams’ broadcasts, as well.

“I spend more time marketing in Dallas and Kansas City than I do in Arizona,” said (town official) Coronado, who oversaw Surprise’s title sponsorship of a

• weekly talk show segment on the Rangers’ flagship radio station in Dallas."...

The article says there will be more spring training games due to visiting WBC practice squads.

• Breakdown of Cactus League revenues

• Breakdown of Grapefruit League revenues

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