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Baseball coalition plans outreach

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By TED JACKOVICS

tjackovics@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2009

ST. PETERSBURG - Until now, most of the attention on efforts to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in the area has focused on where a new ballpark might be located.

On Wednesday, the ABC (A Baseball Community) Coalition focused on the remainder of the mission it set in June 2008: reaching out to build community, corporate and fan support.

"Why should any citizen care about keeping Major League Baseball here?" asked Jeff Lyash, ABC committee chair and president and chief executive of Progress Energy Florida. "And why is a new facility needed to do that?"

Those are key points the coalition of business and community leaders plan to attend to through outreach initiatives to local elected officials and the general public through the next few months.

The group has identified demographic data that indicate areas in North St. Petersburg, West Shore and downtown Tampa provide the best potential for drawing higher attendance than the Rays have drawn at St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field. In 2009, the team ranked 23rd among the 30 MLB teams, with an attendance of more than 1.8 million.

Ultimately, where a new ballpark might be built will be up to the Rays, the government in the locale of the ballpark and the general public, Lyash said. He said the group expects a new ballpark to require some public funding.

The public needs to know the Rays represent a direct economic impact of between $212 million and $298 million annually and enhance the area's economic development opportunities, coalition members said.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached (813) 259-7817.

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