Like the Great Depression, but different

The economic downturn hits the bush leagues:

At the minor league job fair and trade show, the topic on many minds was the floundering economy, which was expected to have a far more pronounced effect on baseball’s lower levels than on the major leagues. Many minor league teams are searching for creative ways to save money but keep fans heading out to ballparks, and job seekers are finding few openings. Some of the cost-saving measures will affect fans, and others will reach the field . . .

. . . Teams are looking beyond uniforms for savings. The Round Rock Express, the Houston Astros’ Class AAA affiliate, has often bought new in-game entertainment features for fans from one season to the next. Next season, however, the team plans to run the same video entertainment on the outfield screen between innings.

“It will be the same cap shuffle video instead of changing the whole thing, like we’ve done in years past,” said Clint Musslewhite, the team’s director for ballpark entertainment. “We are not going to have them redo it. We’re going to strategically change our entertainment; the number of inflatable things we’ll rent will decrease.”

I suppose things are tough all over, but it’s hard for me to get worked up about fewer rented inflatable things and repeats on the cap shuffle.


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nkhan
15 years ago

If you go to the same minor league park enough, it does drive you batty to see the same 1 of the same 3 video clips every single time*, but an easier way to save the money might be just not playing loud/distracting things on the video board between half innings.

*“Fish or No Fish” excepted

Wes
15 years ago

It’s a sad day in Mudville.