MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

This research examines the financial structure of minor league baseball. The findings of this research are presented in relation to revenues, expenses, and characteristics of a viable minor league city. Purposefully omitted from this examination are detailed considerations of the antitrust exemption granted to baseball, the Player Development Contract, and the Professional Baseball Agreement, although it is necessary to explain what these phenomena are, and, how, if at all, they are to be considered in this research.

The Professional Baseball Agreement is a contract between the American and National League baseball clubs (the majors), on the one hand, and National Association of Baseball leagues (the minors), on the other, and covers all major-minor league matters (Sands and Gammons, 1993, p. xx). With respect to this current research, the significant aspect of the Professional Baseball Agreement is that the contract specifies the level of financial subsidies that are provided by major league clubs to the minor leagues, as well as the arrangement by which major league clubs share in minor league revenues (Zimbalist, 1992, p. 113). Thus, while the negotiating positions of the parties to the Professional Baseball Agreement, the equity of the provisions of the agreement, and so forth are not relevant to this current research, those elements of the contract that directly affect

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s while they attend a game (Morgenson, 1992, p. 42). 3. Offering relatively low cost assigned parking for fan on a per season basis (Morgenson, 1992, p. 42). 4. Selling billboard advertising for inside-the-park signs (Morgenson, 1992, p. 42). A wide variety of responsibilities are involved in the operation of such a minor league base ball club, including (1) revenue generation, (2) cost control, (3) crowd control, (4) public safety, (5) spectator requirements, (6) human resources administration, (7) physical plant maintenance, and (8) legal requirements. Regardless of the type of facility ownership-- public or private, it is essential for a sports facility to generate, as a minimum, a revenue volume sufficient to cover operating expenses. In part, this goal may be attained through effective cost control. Regardless of the effectiveness of cost control, however, costs of operation will always be present, and these costs must be covered by revenues. In most instance, the minor league club owner must be both active and creative in the scheduling of revenue producing activities for the facility. Internal cost controls are an essential responsibility for the minor league club owner. As noted
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2740
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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