The New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Lowell All-Americans are negotiating a deal to play at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach (ME) starting in 2011. We think a $10,000 lease payment, in addition to paying 75 percent of concessions, 10 percent of tickets sales, and 10 percent of beer sales, is really not a great deal for a summer collegiate club. As we have reported many times, the former Triple-A stadium was saved from the wrecking ball and revived by a group of concerned citizens.
While we would love to see baseball back in Old Orchard Beach, there is substantial risk here. The town is small, most “summer people” are focused solely on the beach, and the very popular Portland Sea Dogs are just down the road. Couple this with a serious ballpark intimacy/atmosphere problem created by a 6,000 seat facility that will likely sit 80 percent empty on most game nights. That said, a simple, straight up $10,000 lease payment would be fair, reduce risk, and help bolster franchise longevity in the marketplace. Read more here.
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