Sports
MLB DROPS GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK AS POTENTIAL BASEBALL VENUE
Major League Baseball (MLB) has ruled out Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming as a potential location for a future baseball game following opposition...
By Wavers Multimedia
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the decision in a letter sent to local leaders after concerns were raised over reports that the league was considering the national park for a special game.
MLB SAYS NO FORMAL PLAN HAD BEEN MADE
Manfred said the league had been carrying out preliminary checks on several possible locations when the Grand Teton discussions became public.
According to the commissioner, MLB had not made a decision on whether a game at the park was feasible and had not yet reached the stage of assessing its potential environmental impact or consulting the local community.
He said those steps would have been part of the process if the proposal had progressed.
GRAND TETON REMOVED FROM CONSIDERATION
Following the reaction from the local community, Manfred said MLB would no longer evaluate Grand Teton National Park as a possible venue.
The commissioner said the league would not bring a game to a community that had expressed concerns about hosting the event.
The decision came after local officials contacted MLB to object to the possibility of staging a game within the national park.
MLB HAS HELD GAMES OUTSIDE TRADITIONAL STADIUMS
MLB has previously staged regular-season games at unconventional locations away from the league's 30 major-league ballparks.
These have included the Iowa location associated with the Field of Dreams film, as well as games at historic venues and other special locations.
The league's interest in Grand Teton was connected to its exploration of unusual venues for special baseball events.
CONSERVATION GROUPS WELCOME DECISION
The decision was welcomed by conservation advocates, who had raised concerns about the possibility of bringing a major sporting event to the national park.
Allison Michalski of the National Parks Conservation Association said the organisation was pleased that MLB had decided not to continue evaluating the location.
Grand Teton National Park, located in western Wyoming, contains the Teton Range and large areas of natural landscape and wildlife habitat.
With MLB now removing the location from consideration, the proposed game will not move forward at Grand Teton National Park.