Millions on line for Arizona economy
First week of Cactus League games has already been wiped out
Under normal circumstances, the gates of Scottsdale Stadium would swing open for the start of Cactus League play on Saturday.
Giants fans from the Bay Area and beyond would flock to the team's spring training home for a look at the team defending a National League West division title for the first time in nearly a decade. While the Giants were playing the Cincinnati Reds, the A's would be in Glendale to play the Chicago White Sox.
A day of celebration will instead be a day of silence for fans of the Giants, the A's, and every other team. Major League Baseball's work stoppage has kept those gates shut.
“Spring training is by far one of the best times of the year historically,” Scottsdale director of tourism Karen Churchard said. “We see really high occupancy rates and our businesses do tremendously well in both February and March.”
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.
Those hopes began to fade when
MLB owners locked out players upon the expiration of the league's collective bargaining agreement on Dec. 2. Nearly three months later, an on-time start to the season is in jeopardy and it's possible spring training won't take place at all.
“We're encouraging businesses at this point in time to plan on (spring training) not happening,” Thomas Barr, the vice president for business development at Local First Arizona, said. “Because if you're banking on that happening and you don't have a backup plan, then you're going to be in a world of hurt. It's always better to have a plan B and plan C because this is out of a small business' control.”