The value of baseball

When pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Florida in a few weeks, it will mark more than the commencement of another baseball season.

It also will be a reminder of the importance of Major League Baseball to Florida's economy. State and local leaders should understand its value extends far beyond the field.

This spring, especially, should carry some urgency in the Sunshine State, where spring training dates as far back as 1888, when the Washington Capitals held four days of drills in Jacksonville.

For the first time, there will be just as many teams training in Arizona as in Florida. Over the last 10 years, Arizona has lured five teams that previously prepared for the season in Florida's Grapefruit League.

The Cactus and Grapefruit leagues now have 15 teams each; one, the world champion New York Yankees, trains here in Tampa. But by one count, at least seven Florida teams' leases will be up for renegotiations in the next five years.

Expect Arizona cities to make a strong pitch for them.

A study commissioned by the state and Florida Sports Foundation of last year's Grapefruit League found the economic tally of the 39-day season was $752.3 million, with host communities each benefitting to the tune of an average $47 million.

Those figures included fan spending and income from labor, among other factors. More than 9,000 jobs were either created or supported through spring training. And nearly half of the 1.5 million fans were from another state, showing that spring training is a big tourist draw.

Those benefits explain why Gov. Charlie Crist and other officials tried to entice the Chicago Cubs, who have trained for 57 years in Mesa, Ariz., to Florida. Although the team decided last week to remain in Mesa, Crist understands spring training can be a fiscal home run.

Yes, Florida is enduring hard times, but spring training's payoff justifies sensible public investment. State lawmakers recognize this and are trying to devise ways to ensure the Grapefruit League doesn't lose any more teams.

Establishing a matching grant program for communities to expand, renovate or build baseball facilities, as has been proposed, is promising. It's similar to past programs that have helped communities retain teams. Given the economic importance of clubs and their fans, a reasonably constructed grant program is worth pursuing.

Retaining the Tampa Bay Rays is a different challenge. The key to keeping the Major League team, which plays in St. Petersburg, in the region is a new ballpark, as a committee of business and other leaders reported last week.

Tropicana Field is an antiquated dome, and the team is unlikely to remain there for the long haul. A Baseball Community Coalition acknowledged that reality while recognizing the Rays' sizeable economic impact - estimated at between $136.5 million and $212.5 million, and possibly as much as $298 million, annually.

The report warns that the region "faces the risk of losing its baseball team at some point in the future" due to financial and other obstacles facing the franchise. This could be avoided by building a new stadium with modern amenities in a location more central to the team's target market of 3.2 million residents.

The coalition has identified three solid possibilities, north St. Petersburg, the WestShore area in Tampa and downtown Tampa. All three merit serious consideration, but the downtown site is particularly appealing. The proposed high-speed rail project from downtown Tampa to Orlando would further expand the team's fan base. And a proposed light-rail project would make it easy for many local fans to get to games.

During these tough times, no local government can afford to help build major sports facilities, so there is no urgent need to act. But the baseball panel rightly notes the "local portion" of the debt on Tropicana Field will be paid off in 2016 and that the recession shouldn't stop local officials and leaders from pursuing strategies to eventually build a new ballpark.

The issue should not be put on the back burner. As the committee wrote in its report: "We must proceed with the common understanding that the loss of the Rays would produce irreparable damage to the economic, social and cultural well-being of the region."

If the region whiffs on the Rays, it loses tens of millions of dollars and lots of exposure. Baseball is more than a mere game. It's a reliable player in the economy and deserves reasonable taxpayer support.