19 March 2nd–March 8th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | living in an apartment in Chicago that was so close to Wrigley Field, he could hear the crowd cheer during games. At the time, locals could show up during the seventh- inning stretch and get free admission to the rest of the game. But even since 2008 when Watson and his son, Mesa resident Andrew Watson, became perennial spring training attendees, prices have ballooned. “I remember paying 20 bucks for a ticket not too long ago,” the younger Watson said. “If you wanted to sit in the outfield or in the grass, it was even cheaper.” A new collective bargaining agreement signed after last year’s lockout that included a player salary hike likely didn’t help keep costs down. The new five-year agreement features the biggest base salary hike ever, new bonuses for top young players, and a slew of other considerations. MLB also boosted team payrolls to $230 million, which is $20 million more than the 2021 season. Money Talks: Baseball Is Not a Dying Sport Last year, the New York Times said what many fans of America’s pastime have been thinking for years: “baseball is a dying sport.” But the numbers say otherwise, at least in Arizona. “They say baseball is dying? That’s bullshit,” McCullough said. The Cubs’ kick-off celebration on February 20 drew a bigger crowd than some minor league baseball games. Cubs spokesperson Ariana Moaveni said the team didn’t record an exact head count, but she “would be comfortable saying several hundreds” of people attended the event. Mesa Mayor John Giles said spring training is like another holiday season. “Our sales tax, it literally spikes to Christmastime levels,” he told KTAR. The Cactus League attracts 2 million out-of-state fans to Arizona every year and has a $644 million impact in the Valley, according to the ASU study. “The Cactus League is a key annual driver for tourism and hospitality,” Anthony Evans, a senior researcher at the ASU institute, told us ahead of spring training in 2022. And the World Baseball Classic could push that economic impact to nearly $700 million, greater than the 2023 Super Bowl, according to some top MLB operators. The tournament has not been played since 2017. “It’s been a real big success, with an economic impact where you can lift $30 to $35 million and place it into the city of Phoenix when it comes to lodging, food, cars, and dining,” said Derrick Hall, CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, But some sports economists argue that the economic impact is exaggerated. A chunk of spring training attendees are tourists who would have visited Arizona anyway, while others are sticking around after planning trips here to watch the Phoenix Open or the Super Bowl. “The money you make from spring training is often overstated,” Victor Matheson, a sports economics professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, told us last year. But Piper, the Sloan Park CEO, said fans focus on the baseball and not the economics of the Cactus League. Games started on February 24 and continue until March 28. “I’m hearing from fans this week, and they’re really excited to see the teams take the field all across the Valley,” Piper said. “We certainly see the impact in the City of Mesa. It’ll be a big draw this year.” Nico Hoerner during the Chicago Cubs spring training kick-off celebration at Sloan Park on February 20. Elias Weiss
