By Jim Johnson
PoHo Contributor
Jim Johnson is the creator of The State of Sunshine blog.
Tonight, Major League Baseball is holding the 80th All Star Game in St. Louis. With the recent success of the Tampa Bay Rays, the question could be asked – when will St. Petersburg host the All Star Game?
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By Mitch Perry
PoHo contributor
Mitch Perry is the anchor of the WMNF Evening News on 88.5 FM community radio.
As the winter of 2009 comes to a close, Floridians (and Americans) are being inundated with various news reports about the effects of the worst economic downturn in 26 (if not 75) years.
New stories emerge every day about how the economy is affecting people in a myriad number of ways, such as putting off non-urgent surgical procedures, or couples who have divorced staying together, or actually living in Shantytowns. More than 355,000 Floridians have lost their jobs in the last year, and more than half-million are collecting unemployment. And now one local state legislator wants those who apply for such benefits to not only swallow their pride, but also their dignity by submitting to random drug tests.
Yet, there are sectors of the economy that are doing okay, if not thriving.
One is professional sports.
Last Friday afternoon at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, at a few minutes before 3 p.m., with the mercury hitting 79 degrees on a picture perfect Chamber of Commerce day, the Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard clobbered a two-run homer, and for the Philly fanatics, and everybody else with a pulse, the economic downturn was somebody else’s bad dream.
The defending World Series champions have been immune from the economic malaise. Attendance is up nearly 30 percent in Clearwater, and even higher for the American League champions in their first venture in Port Charlotte.
MLB.Com reports that the Tampa Bay Rays attendance in spring training is up a whopping 40 percent.
But elsewhere, there have been various reports about other teams struggling this March, particular teams who train in the Cactus League in Arizona.
USA Today reports that teams like the perennially popular Chicago Cubs are off 3,000 fans a game.
And in South Florida, the Palm Beach Post reports that the St. Louis Cardinals attendance is down 20 percent, and in Port St. Lucie, the February/March home of the New York Mets, occupancy is down 15 percent at the Hilton Garden Inn.
So the recession IS affecting pro baseball, right?
Uh, not exactly.
