▶ 0:00:04Let me know when you're ready. Testing. Testing. One, two, three. Testing. Testing.
▶ 0:06:25I'm not going to I don't
▶ 0:42:05So before we begin, as is customary for this committee, I will lead us in the pledge of allegiance and an opening prayer. If you'll stand with me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. For those who wish to do so, will you please take a moment to pray with me?
▶ 0:42:34Dear heavenly father, thank you for bringing us here today, different people from different places with different perspectives, united under something as simple and fun as baseball. In a world so often divided, we are grateful for moments like this where a shared love for a game reminds us of what we have in common. We humbly ask for your blessing over our conversations today. May they be filled with respect, openness, and a spirit of unity. Amen. Amen. Good afternoon everyone.
▶ 0:43:04I now call the small business subcommittee on innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare w a recess of the committee at any time. Pursuant to committee rules, I request unanimous consent for representative McDow to wave on to this hearing for the purpose of asking questions under the five-minute rule. Without objection, so ordered. I now recognize myself for my opening statement.
▶ 0:43:31Welcome everyone to today's hearing entitled Beyond the Ballpark, the role of minor league baseball and economic growth. With the annual congressional baseball game tomorrow, Capitol Hill is a buzz about America's pastime. This is our first hearing of the Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development. And I thank ranking member Skolton for her partnership as we planned today's discussion. This hearing is focused on the economic benefit minor league baseball brings to communities across America.
▶ 0:44:00Almost every member of Congress on this panel represents a city that hosts a professional baseball team operating within minor league baseball or its partner leagues like the Pioneer Baseball League or the American Association of Professional Baseball. While only 27 of America's largest cities host Major League Baseball teams, fans of America's pastime are able to enjoy professional baseball in over 200 small to medium-sized cities across our country.
▶ 0:44:27Minor League ball clubs create significant economic impact opportunities for local businesses, and the teams bring enormous pride to the communities they call home. Some minor league teams are owned and operated by their major league affiliate, but the majority of minor league clubs qualify as small businesses and experience many of the same challenges our full committee has addressed, like access to capital, stable employment, and fluctuating sales.
▶ 0:44:51minor league baseball organizations are unique in that they have little to no control over their roster of players and the product they put on the field. Instead, they must innovate to create affordable experiences that draw fans and families to the ballpark. If you follow MLB promos on Instagram or X, you'll see a steady stream of the innovative promotions minor league baseball teams offer.
▶ 0:45:14From bobblehead giveaways to $1 hot dog nights, one of the more memorable promotions came from the Stockton ports, which hosted asparagus night, replete with an asparagus eating contest and very healthy asparagus themed uniforms. To be successful in minor league baseball, you must have an entrepreneurial spirit and clearly a great sense of marketing. As my colleagues know, I'm a passionate supporter of professional baseball.
▶ 0:45:38And I was very excited last year when my hometown Atlanta Braves announced minor league baseball was returning to Columbus, Georgia, Georgia's second largest city for the first time in 17 years. I represent the northwestern part of Columbus, and many of my constituents are proud season ticket owners and attendees of Columbus's new ball club. Last September, I joined hundreds of my now constituents at an event at the Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center at which the team and mascot were revealed.
▶ 0:46:05A video played on the screen and the Columbus were formed with the name and mascot that immediately went viral. In April, I was honored to attend the Clingstone soldout opening night to see ninetime Major League Baseball all-star Craig Kimell pitch a scoreless inning. Later that week, I attended another game and was honored to join the radio and television broadcasts and provide color commentary. At each game, the atmosphere was electric, the community was vibrant, and the attendance number suggests this trend will continue.
▶ 0:46:32Already, in just 24 games, over 100,000 fans have attended a Columbus game this season. Prior to the Clston's founding, the historic ballpark at which they play was vacant and its infrastructure was crumbling. But thanks to the public private partnership with the Columbus Consolidated Government, the team's ownership group and companies like Senovas, the ballpark has been completely renovated and the area around it is set to thrive. Local restaurants and hotels are already experiencing the positive impact from the Columbus.
▶ 0:46:59And I look forward to learning more today about how the stones are generating economic opportunities and memorable experiences for our constituents. As was said in the field of dreams, baseball has been the one constant through all the years, and it has a very special way of connecting each of us. In the 1970s, my father played baseball in Georgia's Stam Musial Division of the American Amateur Baseball Congress. After a game, one of his teammates, James Ivy, was signed by the Atlanta Braves and played one season in its minor league organization. Mr. Ivy pitched three games for the Withville Braves, a rookie level ball club.
▶ 0:47:29I mentioned this because Mr. Ivy's teammate on the Wville Braves was a young and upandcoming player out of Texas Christian University named Mr. Roger Williams. Indeed, our chairman, Roger Williams, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1971 Major League Baseball draft and is the only former professional baseball player in the 119th Congress. He's also the manager of the Republican Congressional Baseball Team and the distinguished chairman of our small business committee. I thank him for presiding over this hearing with me today.
▶ 0:47:57Also joining us in the audience is my friend Kevin Malone, who was previously the general manager of the Montreal Expose and Los Angeles Dodgers. Kevin was recognized by USA Today as the best general manager in the game and since his baseball career ended, he has devoted his life to fighting the scourge of human trafficking. Thank you for joining us, Kevin. I now recognize the distinguished ranking member, Miss Hillary Soulton, for her opening Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for convening this hearing. What a great idea.
▶ 0:48:24uh when the chairman and I first sat down about uh where we wanted to take this committee and I I threw out some ideas. You know, I said, you know, I'm really interested in uh digital currency, uh Bitcoin, and he's like, how about we start with baseball? Uh and I thought that was a brilliant idea. Nothing brings us together like sports.
▶ 0:48:45uh as the daughter of our local sports reporter and an athlete myself, I know how sports can not only bring communities together, but uh bring us together uh across the aisle. I'm really looking forward to today's hearing uh and I know along with so many of my colleagues looking forward to uh tomorrow's congressional baseball game. Minor leagues provide so many benefits to our community. Their players participate in local volunteer activities.
▶ 0:49:13Their teams are a source of pride for their hometowns. Their stadiums serve as community gathering places and their games are an affordable entertainment option for families. Over the course of this hearing, I hope that we can shed light on another benefit, the team's ability to boost local small businesses.
▶ 0:49:34In my hometown, for example, our minor league team, the West Michigan White Caps, uh, partnered with the Lake Michigan Credit Union and now play at LMCU Ballpark. LMCU is a proud SBA lending partner and was recognized as the SBA's international trade lender of the year.
▶ 0:49:53Beyond bringing greater visibility to this and other outstanding local businesses, the White Caps and LMCU Ballpark have been an economic driver for the Commtock Park community in the greater Grand Rapids area. The park hosts concerts and movie nights, annual events like the Taste of Grand Rapids, a car show, a holiday lighting display, charitable events and fundraisers, and private events like family celebrations.
▶ 0:50:20All of this has helped to lead development in the nearby business park and supported retail shops and restaurants that would otherwise not be there. These benefits have been the result of the White Cap's long-term investment in our community and our strong relationship with local small businesses. We are also uh so honored to have a representative uh here today serving as a witness who I look forward to to introducing in just a moment.
▶ 0:50:46Their example shows how minor league teams can play a role in small and midsize cities, local economic systems, and drive development and economic activity in the surrounding area. I look forward to learning more from all of our witnesses today about how minor leagues can be good partners and enormous assets to local small businesses while bringing their enthusiastic fans and cultivating a sense of community in their neighborhoods. Thank you. And with that, I yield back. Thank you, Ranking Member Soulton.
▶ 0:51:16I now recognize the distinguished chairman of the House Committee on Small Business and a great baseball player, Mr. Roger Williams, for his opening remarks. Uh, thank you. Uh, thank you, Chairman. I appreciate that. And I just noticed that we all have this right here. I want to thank uh, Representative Sculton for these bats because this is the bat the Democrat will be using next tomorrow night. So, I appreciate that. I want to thank you again for holding this. I want to thank both of you for holding this committee hearing.
▶ 0:51:43I'd like to thank all of our four witnesses uh for being here today to talk about a sports that that is the greatest sport there is. Uh I'd like to thank Chairman Jack. As he mentioned, we're just one day away from congressional baseball game and this hearing is the perfect way to preview the importance of it. Now, minor league baseball plays a significant role in the lives of families throughout the country. And whether the team plays in large metropolitan area or smaller town, fans can see some of the best baseball players in the world in action. As a former player myself, I understood the importance of this.
▶ 0:52:13In 1971, I was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. I played in their minor league system for three years and returned home to run the family car dealership and coach baseball at Texas Christian University and then later bought the San Antonio Missions in San Antonio, which Reed's very familiar with. Uh, and during my time as a professional player, I saw firsthand the value of making professional sports accessible to people from all around the country, as well as the community that has built these minor league systems.
▶ 0:52:40In addition to making our national pastime more accessible for fans, minor league baseball teams serve as important fixtures in their local communities. Now, from providing opportunities to local suppliers to fostering a small business boom in the surrounding area, minor league teams support the economic development of small towns and cities nationwide. This unique type of small business fosters a self-sustaining ecosystem in areas fortunate enough to have a minor league sports teams. I look forward to today's discussion.
▶ 0:53:08and it will be a lot of fun on the rule of on the role of minor league teams in building communities and we're excited for the big game tomorrow. We're also excited about all the play all the former players and my friends that are out here today. So, this hearing is an opportunity to highlight the benefits that minor league baseball can bring to local small businesses. With that, I yield back. I will now introduce our witnesses. Our first witness is Mr. Pat Battle. Mr.
▶ 0:53:31Battle is the executive chairman of Diamond Baseball Holdings, a sports management group that owns and operates 44 minor league baseball teams, including the Columbus Clingstones, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Mr. Weeds District, the Scranton Wils Bear Rail Riders, Mr. Breahan's district, and the Louisville Bats and Mr. McGarvey's district. Mr. Battle was previously the chief executive officer of Collegiate Licensing Company, the oldest and largest collegiate licensing company in the United States. He is a graduate of Georgia State University, a university I strongly support.
▶ 0:53:59And for generations, his family has been involved in sports management. Mr. Battle, we are grateful you are testifying before our subcommittee today. And I now recognize my colleague, Representative Breznahan, to briefly introduce his constituent who is appearing before us today. Thank you, chairman. Uh, it is an honor to introduce our next witness, Mr. Lou Champy Jr. Mr. Champy is the president of Independent Graphics in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, located in my congressional district. and ironically the same burrow where I was born and grew up.
▶ 0:54:27Uh, Independent Graphics was started by Lou's father, Lou Champy, Senior, in 1980. Mr. Champy has been a full-time employee at his family business since 1986, starting as a sales manager and progressing to president. Independent Graphics is a proud partner of the Wuks Perry Scranton Yankees minor league baseball team, the Rail Riders. Through his extensive experience and knowledge of the print process and products, Lou has propelled sales volumes and has grown independent graphics dramatically during his tenure. Mr. Champion is also an integral part of our community.
▶ 0:54:56He is involved with charitable efforts such as the loser and county Jumpathon, indoor triathlons, and the Wyoming area football alumni association, which has locally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarships and equipment for high schools as well as little league teams. Mr. Mr. Champion graduated from with a bachelor's degree in economics from Dickensson College. Thank you for joining us today and I'm looking forward to to today's important conversation. I yield. I now recognize the chairman of the full committee, Chairman Williams, to briefly introduce our next witness.
▶ 0:55:26Uh thank you, Representative Jack, and I'm excited to welcome Mr. Reed Ryan, my friend, who is the owner and chief executive officer of Ryan Sanders Baseball in Round Rock, Texas. Now, just a real quick story I want to tell you about baseball history. Uh, this may never happen again, but uh, it's a quick story. You may know who his dad is, Nolan Ryan. Well, 1992, was this right, Reed? 1992, Reed was pitching for the Texas Longhorns playing an exhibition game against the Houston A or against the Texas Rangers.
▶ 0:55:56Well, he was pitching for the uh for the Longhorns and his opposing pitcher was his 44 year old father. Pretty good. I don't know who won the game, though. Who won it? They did. They did. Okay. Okay. But anyway, that's a unique part of history that you may never see again. Father against father. Two great men. Uh Reed along with his dad Nolan, his brother Ree, and former Astros minority owner Don Sanders formed Ryan Sanders Baseball in 1998. Ryan Sanders Baseball founded two minor league teams.
▶ 0:56:26The Round Rock Express in 2000 and Corpus Christie Hooks in 2005. Mr. Ryan was drafted by the Texas Rangers during the 1994 Major League Baseball draft and served as president of the Houston Astros from May 2013 through May 2019. Mr. Ryan also serves on the board of trustees for Major League Baseball as a graduate of Texas Christian University. Go Frogs. So, we're excited to have you, my friend, and uh we look forward to having a conversation today. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 0:56:56I now recognize the ranking member from Michigan, Miss Sculton, to briefly introduce the last witness appearing before us today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, it is my honor to introduce my constituent, Mr. Joe Chamberlain. He joined the West Michigan White Caps in 2013, serving in several roles prior to becoming CEO and managing partner in 2018. Mr.
▶ 0:57:17Chamberlain has a longer history with the team, however, since his father Lou Chamberlain has been a proud co-owner of the White Caps for over 30 years, a family business. Beyond White Caps baseball, Mr. Chamberlain and his team operate one of the largest distributors of Dip and Dots ice cream in the United States. And in 2018, he founded the Traverse City Pit Spitters baseball team and led the acquisition of Turtle Creek Stadium up north in Michigan. Mr.
▶ 0:57:47Chamberlain is a member of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce CEO Council and currently serves as a board member with the White Caps Community Foundation and St. Mary's Foundation. He earned his uh master's degree in labor relations in human resources at Michigan State University and received his bachelor's degree from the College of Worcester. Mr. Chamberlain, welcome. Thank you for making the trip and thank you for appearing before this subcommittee today. I yield back. Before recognizing the witnesses, I would like to remind each of you that your spoken testimony is restricted to 5 minutes in length.
▶ 0:58:17If you see the light turn red in front of you, it means your five minutes have concluded and you should finish your testimony. I now recognize Mr. Battle for his fiveminut opening remarks. Thank you, Chairman Jack, Ranking Member Scton, Chairman Williams, and distinguished members of the committee for inviting me to testify today about the importance of minor league baseball and helping drive economic growth across the country. My name is Pat Battle. I'm executive chairman of Diamond Baseball Holdings.
▶ 0:58:43And DBH is an organization that owns 44 affiliated minor league baseball clubs, all of which are run as independent organizations by a passionate group of employees in each of the 44 communities that we serve. I recently visited one club which has 30 time 31 full-time employees. 26 of them having started their careers as interns with the team. Minor League Baseball exemplifies the best in America.
▶ 0:59:11It is community focused, rooted in deep tradition, and representative of the broad cultures and customs across our country. Most people wouldn't know that minor league baseball is the second most attended sport in the US, welcoming more than 30 million fans through its turn styles each season.
▶ 0:59:28which is why I am grateful to this committee for shining the spotlight on minor league baseball today and why I'm proud to share with you our mission along with my colleagues on the table at the table um our mission to protect and to preserve and to enhance minor league baseball and through that to fuel small business economic development and growth for generations to come.
▶ 0:59:52Minor League Baseball reaches many different constituencies and represents something uniquely special to each group. For Major League Baseball and the 30 big league clubs, the minor league serve as a training ground for developing its future stars. The second group are the professional baseball players themselves. where minor league baseball represents their opportunity to achieve lifelong dreams as the path to make it to the show.
▶ 1:00:18DBH relishes its role in supporting those dreams through close collaboration with Major League Baseball and our local municipal partners. The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame is full of great players who got their start in the minor league system. Willie Mays played in historic Rick Woodfield in Birmingham, Alabama. David Ortiz in Apple, Wisconsin. Aaron Judge and Scranton, PA.
▶ 1:00:43I could go on and on about the number and the thousands of Major League Baseball players that begin their professional journey in the minor leagues. A third group impacted by minor league baseball are the 120 communities who host affiliated minor league baseball teams. The stadiums in which the teams play serve as centers of energy in these communities and represent an important and vibrant gathering spot for its local citizens.
▶ 1:01:08At DBH, it is our desire for these stadiums, in addition to hosting roughly 70 professional baseball games a year, to also host many events such as concerts, high school state championships, graduations, weddings, corporate outings, and the list goes on and on. In April, I was proud to attend the opening of the new minor league stadium in Columbus, Georgia. Columbus has welcomed, as Chairman Jack said, more than 100,000 fans to the ballpark in just two months.
▶ 1:01:37And importantly, we anticipate that Senovas Park will create more than $10 million in annual economic impact. And the community impact extends beyond just what happens inside the stadium. We are proud of our planned $250 million mixeduse development in Congressman McGarvey's district in Louisville, Kentucky. In close partnership with Mayor Craig Greenberg and the Louisville Metro government, the project will revitalize downtown and create more than 1,000 jobs for the local economy.
▶ 1:02:08The fourth constituency impacted by minor league baseball are the fans. At DBH, we believe we are in the memory making business, and we strive to do that in a fun, affordable way for families, friends, and colleagues. Affordability and accessibility are a top priority in minor league baseball with the average ticket price to a game still under $15. That's one five.
▶ 1:02:31Our approach is to execute in a hyper local manner, celebrating the nuances which make each of our communities special and unique. And last, but certainly not is what minor league baseball represents to the more than 1,000 small businesses who partner with our teams in a variety of ways. Whether through advertising, sponsorship, vending, and more. These partnerships broaden their relationship with fans, with other businesses, and with the community as a whole.
▶ 1:03:01I hope I've given you a sense today of why we are so passionate about minor league baseball and its wide-reaching impact in bringing communities together. Mr. Chairman, thank you for engaging in this important conversation and for recognizing what minor league baseball means to your constituents. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. Champy for his fiveminute opening remarks. Try that again.
▶ 1:03:26Thank you to all the members of the committee and especially uh to Mr. Rob Breznahan for inviting me here today. It's greatly appreciated. My name is Lou Champy Jr. I'm the president of Independent Graphics. We are a familyowned and operated printing and direct mail company located in northeastern PA. This year we proudly celebrate our 45th year in business.
▶ 1:03:53The company was founded by my late father Lou Champy Senior and Reed. If it's any consolation, he always won too. It is now owned by my brother Jim and me. I joined the company full-time in January of 1986 as sales manager, and I've since assumed the role of president.
▶ 1:04:18Over those years, we've grown from five employees to 35 full-time employees, and we run two We have been honored to work with the Scranton Wils Bear Rail Riders since During this partnership, we've completed numerous interesting and time-sensitive projects that have helped shape our company's reputation and capabilities.
▶ 1:04:48One of the earliest and most memorable projects involved Roger Clemens. In 2008, Roger came down to TripleA for a rehab assignment. When he threw out the first pitch, a photo was taken. The photo was emailed to Independent.
▶ 1:05:09We produced 15 top quality posters, which we then ran up to the ballpark so Roger could sign before he left that day, creating instant memorabilia. And no, my friend John Stevenson at the ballpark did not give me one of these collector's items. So, thank you, John.
▶ 1:05:33In 2012, the ballpark underwent major And opening night of the 2013 season was a milestone event. Once again, in the first inning, a photo was emailed to Independent Graphics.
▶ 1:05:53This time we produced 5,000 photo quality prints which we printed, threw in the car and ran up to the in time to hand out to the fans as they left the field that night. same night. A true rush job.
▶ 1:06:21When we were introduced to the rail riders, they were owned by Mandalay Entertainment. I had the great pleasure of meeting Mr. John's Spolstra who was the architect of the playball program books. The playball pro program books were unique for each game. So game one of the season was played. After the game, the updated statistics would be emailed to independent graphics.
▶ 1:06:52We would print unique program books overnight and deliver the next day for the game. Today, speed to market is more than a motto. It's our standard. And the Rail Raiders partnership help us define it. Beyond business, the relationship has held deep personal meaning for our family. We are both a vendor and a sponsor.
▶ 1:07:22Our signage has proudly been displayed at the ballpark and we've rented a suite for half the home games each season. Sundays at the park became a cherished tradition for the entire Champion family. My father, a passionate Yankees fan, especially Yogi Barra being his favorite, relished every visit.
▶ 1:07:47We've had the pleasure of meeting legends like Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, and Reggie Jackson. Memories that will last a lifetime. This Saturday, June 14th, we will celebrate Independent Graphics 45th anniversary in the Left Field Party Box at PNC Field. What a party it's going to be.
▶ 1:08:15Thank you so much for your time and allowing me to share our story. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. Ryan for his fiveminut opening remarks. All right. Thank you, Chairman Jack, Chairman Williams, Ranking Member Schultton, and the committee. Uh, hello. My name is Reed Ryan, and I'm the CEO of Ryan Sanders Baseball, and I'm honored to be here today to discuss the positive impact that Minor League Baseball has had on communities across the country. Uh, baseball has been a lifelong passion for me.
▶ 1:08:45Uh, as Roger said, my my father, Nolan Ryan, is Major League Baseball's all-time strikeout leader, an all-time no hit leader, and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. When I was born, he was pitching for the New York Mets. And shortly after that, we he got traded to the Angels and we spent time in California and with the Houston Astros and with the Texas Rangers.
▶ 1:09:05Um, after playing college baseball at the University of Texas and then at TCU, I was fortunate enough to get drafted by the Texas Rangers and assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades in Pikipsy, New York, a team that Mr. Battle owns today. That experience marked my very first minor league game. Having grown up in the big leagues, I was amazed at the fun, familyfriendly environment that minor league baseball offered. I couldn't believe that this type of entertainment existed all over the country.
▶ 1:09:35And yet, I had never experienced it until I played in my very first game. Over the next two years, I played in the New York Pen League, the South Atlantic League, and the California League. Traveling across the country, I got to witness the same thing in every single market from the East Coast to the West Coast. families and communities coming together around the game of baseball. And it wasn't just about the sport, as many people mentioned here today. It was about affordable family fun, community pride, and a sense of belonging.
▶ 1:10:05And so when my playing career ended, I set my sights on becoming an owner of a minor league team. And in 1998, at 26 years old, I discovered a Houston Astros club in Jackson, Mississippi that was for sale. They were playing in an aging ballpark and they needed to be closer to Houston, Texas. And so I assembled a group. I secured a loan and I purchased the ball club. Little did I know my efforts would help spark a renaissance in minor league baseball in the game of baseball in our industry.
▶ 1:10:34So in 2000, we opened the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. Um we built a major league quality stadium on a minor league scale. It was one of the first times this had had ever happened to the game. And then since then, I've owned and operated several clubs across the country, including the Corpus Christie Hooks, the San Antonio Missions, and the Fagatville Woodpeckers. Along the way, I've spent time in the major leagues, working uh with the league on various committees and serving as president of the Houston Astros, as Roger Williams discussed.
▶ 1:11:04Um I share all this to illustrate that I have seen this game literally from every angle. And I always return to my love of minor league baseball. There's just something truly special about the fans and the communities we serve that makes our game such a cherished part of Minor League Baseball at its core is a hyper local small business. Our games are played in front of fans at the ballpark and not for people on TV.
▶ 1:11:32The fans, the sponsors, the staff, they're all deeply involved in the local community. And the ballpark often becomes the front porch of these towns. It's the place where folks go to watch baseball, but more importantly, visit with their neighbors, connect with friends and loved ones. So throughout my career, I've been fortunate to build new stadiums in four different markets around the country. And I'm currently working on my fifth right now in San Antonio, Texas.
▶ 1:11:58And in every one of these cases, uh, the local community has benefited. In Round Rock, the ballpark spurred development of restaurants, hotels, and businesses. And in fact, we have one of the world's largest indoor water parks, Kalahari, across the street. Now in Corpus Christi, another water park was built, a concert venue and a restaurant opened. And in Fagatville, North Carolina, we had downtown living and a hotel emerge adjacent to the stadium.
▶ 1:12:24Um, and in San Antonio, we're in the process right now of working with the city and county on a tours that will include downtown living and hotels as part of the project. In every instance, the ballpark has revitalized or spurred growth in the surrounding areas. And so, one of my favorite sayings has always been from the former first lady, Ladybird Johnson, and it's derived from the Bible. To whom much is given, much is expected. That's how I feel about my role in minor league baseball.
▶ 1:12:53And I'll close by saying that it's been my goal and my family's goal to always uh leave the game in our communities better than we found it. And by investing in minor league baseball and the areas around our stadiums, we've improved the quality of life in our local communities and we've helped many small businesses grow. Thank you very much. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. Chamberlain for his fiveminute opening remarks. All right, Chairman Jack, Ranking Member Scolton, and members of the subcommittee.
▶ 1:13:21I'm honored to be before you today to share my story and most importantly to talk a little bit of baseball. This was certainly an exciting, albeit unexpected, invite for me to receive. And when I received it, my wife Dana insisted that I make sure you all had the right guy. Here's to our spouses keeping us humble. Uh my name is Joe Chamberlain and I'm the CEO and managing partner of two baseball franchises that call the great state of Michigan home. The West Michigan White Caps and the Traverse City Pit Spitters.
▶ 1:13:48Both Traverse City and West Michigan are incredible communities and incredible sports markets. For me, baseball has become the family business. The White Caps were founded by my dad Lou Chamberlain and his business partner Denny Baxter in 1994. Lou was the quintessential entrepreneur and with the help of many along the way, he spent the better part of 10 years on a journey to make his dream a reality for his West Michigan community.
▶ 1:14:12That day came in 1994 and out of the gate, the White Caps broke every single Aendance record in minor league baseball, consistently drawing over 500,000 fans a year. Because of our entrepreneurial origin story, we have always operated a little differently than most teams. Lou was the idea guy, not the capital guy. And based on a strong business plan and proven success in another market, he formed a partnership and raised the capital needed to purchase a team and build our ballpark.
▶ 1:14:39And because of that history, we own our privately funded stadium and can proudly say that no taxpayer dollars were used for its construction in 1994 or for upkeep since. It's unique for a club to be actively run by its entrepreneurial founding family and we have always taken pride in being sports owners who are actively involved at every level of our team success. The success of the White Caps in the early 90s proved that our community could support professional sports teams and vibrant stadiums.
▶ 1:15:06And in the years following our inaugural season season, Grand Rapids has been lucky to see other teams and amenities added to our city's roster. The collective impact of all these teams saw Grand Rapids recognized as the best minor league sports market in the country in 2019. And we are extremely proud that the White Caps proved the thesis that sports centric infrastructure investment and economic development works in West Michigan.
▶ 1:15:29Today, both the White Caps and the Pit Spitters are hyper local small to medium-siz companies that have incredibly symbiotic relationships with their communities. If you want a barometer on the health of a community's small businesses, look no further than its stadiums. Our outfield walls are filled with sponsorship inventory and those are filled with small businesses advertising what they do. Our hospitality areas are filled with businesses entertaining employees and their families. And on game days, our stadiums are full of local employees of all ages earning competitive wages.
▶ 1:16:00Our organizations employ over a thousand seasonal staff members between the White Caps and the Pits bidders each summer in additional to the 65 full-time front office staff members we have year round. In total, we estimate the local economic impact of the pit spitter exceeds $10 million a year, while the white caps contribute over $40 million annual to the West Michigan community. While there has been a lot of success, as you all know, running a small business is hard and our industry has felt that pressure over the last few years.
▶ 1:16:29Although specific policy issues are not on my agenda today, I do think it's worth stating a few observations. First, uncertainty is the enemy of near nearly every small business out there. To the extent that legislators at both the state and federal levels can steer a steady ship, allowing businesses like mine to have predictable inputs and consistent regulatory environments, I can assure you that people like me will thank you and work hard every day to create more jobs, invest in communities, and spur economic development.
▶ 1:16:57On the topic of economic development, which I'm working very hard on at the state level, I think it's also important to recognize how truly transformational a sports team can be for its community when done right. As opportunities arise, please continue to consider practical and pragmatic policies and programs that help keep minor league baseball teams thriving across the country. The returns on those kinds of initiatives are significant in so many ways. And in closing, I want to thank the committee for this opportunity and for highlight highlighting our incredible industry.
▶ 1:17:28As a family business owner, I tend to take the long-term view and seek sustainability where I can find it. That philos philosophy has served us very well in an industry with such a rich history that has proven for generations to be one of the best forms of affordable family-friendly entertainment out there. Who knows if either of my sons, Crawford or Becker, will ever have an interest in this wonderful world of minor league baseball.
▶ 1:17:52But for the foreseeable future, my job is to ensure these franchises remain vibrant for the next generation of White Caps and Pit Spitters fans, and to ensure that we keep all the fun minor league baseball can offer thriving in our communities for decades to come. Thank you. We will now move to the member questions under the five-minute rule. I recognize myself for five minutes. Mr. Battle, thank you for testifying today.
▶ 1:18:18The team you have assembled, especially my friend Henry Shepard, represents Diamond Baseball holdings incredibly well. With your acquisition of the Fredericksburg Nationals this week, your portfolio now includes 44 minor league baseball teams. How is Diamond Baseball Holdings providing affordable experiences to fans across each market? Uh, thank you, Chairman Jack, for that question and and and thank you for the comment on Henry. Henry and and the team that we have assembled at DBH.
▶ 1:18:46um we are very proud of and and they represent um our teams and and the sport very well. You know, I think that everybody's talked about um you know, providing affordable entertainment. You know, I mentioned in my opening remarks that uh the average ticket price to a minor league baseball game is under $15. Uh minor league is probably the only professional sport that you can attend, a family of four can attend for under $100. Uh and I think that that's very important.
▶ 1:19:14Um, and when when we think about our teams and the 44 clubs that that we own that, as I said, operate as independent um clubs in each of their communities, they each have the same mission, and it's to provide fun, affordable, family entertainment to its local fans. Um, and every community is different. Every community is special. Every community has its own nuances.
▶ 1:19:40But providing that fun, affordable family entertainment experience to the fans is what we're all about and that's how we win. And so I think that uh as we think about that mission, fun and affordable uh are the first two words that we use and think of. Thank you, Mr. Battle. Mr. Ryan, thank you for testifying today. I'm working closely with your former colleague, Derek Schiller, on an issue. Since you both won a World Series ring, I will not ask who is the better team president, but as with Mr. battle.
▶ 1:20:06I will ask, how is uh Ryan Sanders baseball approaching affordability and creating memorable experiences for folks across the ballparks you operate? Yeah, so uh you know, we're very blessed um to be in two very large cities in San Antonio and Austin, Texas market. Between the two, you're talking two of the top 20 population cities in the country.
▶ 1:20:30So I think in that situation for us there's a lane that we need to stay in which a lot of people are priced out by some of the other you know things that have come into the market at the major league level. And so we try to make sure that we continue to be affordable for folks when they come in.
▶ 1:20:46But also, we know that being at AAA and double A that the travel schedule is a little bit different than Aval because we're flying people around the country and we play a few more games and so it's a balancing act, but we continue to work hard at it because it is the lifeblood of this industry. Thank you. And thank you, Mr. Chamberlain, for testifying today. The Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball. Many of their players today started their careers in Comtock Park, Michigan.
▶ 1:21:12Terk Scooel won Major League Baseball Sai Young award last year but in 2018 I understand he was pitching for your West Michigan White Caps. How are you approaching affordability with respect to fans in the area? Thank you chairman. Uh as a minor league baseball club I think affordability is um paramount to what we do.
▶ 1:21:31Um, as some of the other uh folks have mentioned, it's very easy to uh lose focus on it and start chasing uh high dollar ticket prices um or increasing food and beverage costs. For us, it's keeping the northstar, which is can a family of four get in and out of the ballpark for a very reasonable price. So, as a business, it's certainly a push and pull. You have to create inventory and you have to do things that keep you moving forward.
▶ 1:21:57I think in our business um we're a little bit unique in that we know we cannot lose sight of that family of four and price them out. So, it's definitely something that we're aware of and that we work very hard to maintain on a year-over-year basis. Thank you. My last question, Mr. Battle, although today's hearing concentrates, of course, on the economic impact of minor league baseball, could you illuminate for this panel how the facilities at which minor league baseball teams play serve their communities outside of baseball?
▶ 1:22:26Yeah, it's a great question and it's a you know it's a it's a goal that we have um at DBH we operate um you know basically run 70 roughly 70 professional baseball games a year uh but these stadiums are the centers of energy in in most of these communities and so we are actively involved and and ranking member Sculton talked about several of the things that happen uh in minor league baseball stadiums but with concerts with movie nights with um just all of the
▶ 1:22:56things with weddings and graduations and corporate outings and you know having the opportunity to amplify and to highlight our stadiums 365 days a year in Charlotte, North Carolina. Uh it's the Charlotte Knights AAA White Socks. Uh there's a 30-day winter wonderland that takes place from December 1st through January the 1st. And last year um you know tens of thousands of citizens in Charlotte came into the stadium. It was lit up. There was an ice rink in Centerfield.
▶ 1:23:25That's one example of the many ways that we're working beyond baseball to create these special memories for the citizens and in the community. I now recognize the ranking member for five minutes of questions. Thank you, uh, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chamberlain, uh, my first question is for you. The White Caps are a privatelyowned team with a three decade history in our community and I know that the team is planning to continue being a part of that community uh for decades to come. We certainly hope so.
▶ 1:23:56What lessons could other communities take from the White Cap's experience that might be good practices for maintaining strong long-term partnerships with local small businesses around them? Thanks for the question.
▶ 1:24:10Um I think it it starts from the top and and as an owner um it's our responsibility first to ensure that that is uh part of the organization uh and it needs to trickle down to the staff um and and everyone needs to believe in the importance of a club being committed to being locally integrated. Uh for the white caps and the pit spitters um I think that process starts for us.
▶ 1:24:32We have a diverse group of minority owners in both markets who are community members and um you know are so proud to be affiliated with our organization that they uh that they help us achieve that local integration. Uh I think you also have to know the community that that you operate in and operate in a way that encourages collaboration. Um, so many of these items have been listed here today, but uh, even doing the kinds of events outside of baseball that allow fans to come into our ball ballparks, experience them, uh, in a different way.
▶ 1:25:02In 2014, we had a fire at our ballpark and half of it burned down. Uh, the first few people to arrive uh, at the ballpark were seasoned ticket holders who just wanted to be there to help uh, in rebuilding the ballpark. Um, and you know, that's one of those moments where you know you you're impacting the community. Uh, and finally, I think the pricing in uh the pricing structure that we've talked about a little bit is also an important factor in both West Michigan and Traverse City. You look at our outfield uh boards and you see everybody in the community.
▶ 1:25:32So, we intentionally have a way for everyone in our small business community to play in our ballparks. Uh, and that helps us achieve that local integration. Thank you. Uh sticking with you briefly, uh minor league team affiliations uh with their major league partners help pay for players and coaches, but the teams still need to cover costs, including uh costs for the fields, equipment, uniforms, travel.
▶ 1:25:58You started getting to know the business side of the White Caps as a college student and have seen that business grow and diversify. I'm wondering if you can share any strategies or tips for ensuring minor league teams are profitable and sustainable as a business. Oh, uh, thank you for the question. Um, we have some great, uh, owners and operators up here, so I won't, uh, I won't preach to the choir. Um, I think every market is a little bit different. Uh, but at the end of the day, one of the things that I love most about Minor League Baseball is that our business model is relatively straightforward.
▶ 1:26:29Um, we create value by creating a brand that our fans love interacting with. Uh, and and the more engaging we can be, the better. Uh, we also create value by inviting fans into our ballparks to enjoy baseball games. and the more fans we can invite in invite in the better. Uh on both of those fronts I think the number one thing that has uh been a positive factor for us as a business over the years has been uh having great people um doing great work.
▶ 1:26:54So just like a lot of businesses out there uh our success is based on uh the success of our staff and the White Caps have been incredibly lucky over the course of 30 years to have one of the best staffs in minor league baseball um helping us be a fantastic franchise. Thank you.
▶ 1:27:10And and that was a great leadin uh because my followup is to open the question up to the rest of the panel uh and share some of your insights um and and particularly how we as a small business committee and and legislators uh more generally can both uh help in that uh extent even uh and and most often uh it is oftentimes staying out of the way.
▶ 1:27:32Uh so uh what can we do as as legislators to help Um, I I I would simply say what you're doing today um is extremely important. Shining the spotlight on minor league baseball and everything that you, Chairman Jack, Chairman Williams have talked about, Reed, Joe, Lou have talked about. Um, it's what makes the sport great. Um, the impact that it has on communities.
▶ 1:28:01And I think that the opportunity, I mean, we are, we like to partner with the local municipality, with local businesses to create that great experience for the fans that we've talked about. And when communities win, we all win. And and that's really what we're about.
▶ 1:28:19And so, um, I'm very thankful to you and Chairman Jack and Chairman Williams for shining the spotlight because I think that educating businesses and municipalities about the important impact that minor league baseball is having and will continue to have is extremely important. So, thank you. Thank you. I yield back. Thank you, Miss Colton. I now recognize Chairman Williams from the great state of Texas for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:28:46Uh, and again, I'm very excited that Representative Jack and Sculton are holding this subcommittee hearing. And as a former player and uh, an owner, I've have a passion at hand, and a lot of people know that about baseball. The opportunities that professional sports provide for small local business growth are vital for the communities throughout the country. So, Mr. Battle, your organization owns 40 minor league teams across the country. So, could you please explain how your work with these 40 teams to develop and revitalize each one of those communities? Uh, it's a great question, Chairman Williams.
▶ 1:29:16Thank you for that. Um, and you know, ultimately we see our role as one of support. Um, we do own 44 teams. As I said earlier, they they operate as independent. You know, we we own teams from Portland, Maine to Pasco, Washington down to Rancho Cukamonga, California, all the way across to Spartanberg, South Carolina. And those four cities that I mentioned, you can imagine how different and unique that they are.
▶ 1:29:42And our role, we see it as providing to our teams on the ground, to the 25 to 35 employees that we have on the ground that live there every day. How can we provide them with the resources that they need to um to accomplish the mission, which is to provide that fun, affordable family entertainment experience to their fans.
▶ 1:30:03And so we work very closely with our teams to amplify best practices across the portfolio to provide advanced technologies um including common point of sale systems in food and beverage and and our merchandising that allow customers to go through lines quicker and to make it easier. So those are examples of the things that we can provide to our teams to help make them more successful in achieving their mission. Thank you.
▶ 1:30:27I think one of the most important aspects of minor league baseball is it makes our nation's pastime available to more people in communities outside of the few cities that host major league teams. So, Mr. Ryan, you were the CEO and founder of both the Corpus Christie Hooks and the Round Rock Express minor league franchise, which you talked about. Both teams brought baseball to communities that lacked easy access to to sports.
▶ 1:30:49So, how have these communities changed now that the minor league team has been established in them and is part of the Yeah. Um, you know, I think people don't realize what they're missing until they get a team in their community and it's really about quality of life. And I think, you know, as Pat was saying, every market is is very different. And so in Corpus Christi, they had never been able to sort of get something that could bring the community together.
▶ 1:31:18And unfortunately in a divided, you know, society today, in a lot of ways, there are few things that do bring everyone together. Sports teams do that. Teams win a championship and everybody's high-fiving and hugging each other on the street. And that's really what we saw in Corpus Christi is first and foremost, it brought the community together in a way that had never been been done before. And then uh it it was fun to see the development around the stadium.
▶ 1:31:43the city really jumped on the ballpark and created a C district which was sports, entertainment, and arts. And they've now clustered all of their amenities into one area of town and really created a unique destination. Um the city was known for being sort of a regional summertime uh vacation place, but they lacked anything really to do at night. People would go to the beach or go to the aquarium, the USS Lexington, but then at night they didn't really have anything to do.
▶ 1:32:10And now you're seeing that with a concert venue and the stadium and some other stuff in Round Rock um which is 15 miles from downtown Austin. It was a bedroom community, you know, very much like here in DC that a lot of people have to live outside of the city. And so people were wanting amenities for kids and families in their community because folks would go downtown, go to work, they'd fight traffic back home and then if they wanted to go back to, you know, a game at UT or something, they were fighting traffic again and they were spending hours in the car.
▶ 1:32:40And so for the city of Round Rock, this was a way to anchor people to their community to have a quality of life aspect that they had missed. And what came out of that was an ima, you know, a big growth with the water park and with concert venues and with their own Old Settlers Park. So, it's been fun to watch. We've done a great job.
▶ 1:33:00And in my last time I've got here, in addition to the community renovation that often occurs around minor league stadiums, minor league teams also strive to build meaningful relationships with local small businesses like yours, Mr. Champy. So, you've been real quick. Have you been successfully with the Scranton Wilsbar rail riders for now over a decade? How's working with Rare Riders grown your business? And also, you talked about 5,000 printing 5,000. Uh, you never told us who that was.
▶ 1:33:25Was that Jim Sunberg that you The photo was just a photo of the ballpark. So, no, it wasn't Mr. Sunberg. Uh, being a part of the Rail Riders and and it is a family. Uh, it's become such a large part of our brand.
▶ 1:33:46Uh we were celebrating our 45th anniversary and I had one of our layout people do a little brochure and and almost kind of to my surprise, one full page is dedicated to stuff that happened up at PNC Field. So it it just brings nothing but good vibes for the champion. Thank you. My time is up. I yield back. Thank you, Chairman Williams. I now recognize Mr. Oeski from Maryland for five minutes. Thank you very much.
▶ 1:34:15uh Chairman Jack and to ranking member Scolton for convening this. Uh I want to thank all of our witnesses as well for being here today. Been in training myself for my first uh congressional baseball game. I have uh my friend and colleague uh Representative McGarvey to thank for that. He's a recruiter in addition to being one heck of a catcher and team player on uh on the Democrat side. So looking forward to being part of the tradition here uh on Capitol Hill and excited to be part of this conversation on minor league baseball.
▶ 1:34:46Uh Mr. Chairman, uh Chairman Williams, I w I wish you luck tomorrow. I'm really hoping that you're going to need it, though. So uh Oh, I I think my bat's going to be a little bigger than that, my friend. So uh we are proud in Maryland, uh which I'm lucky enough to represent, to have three minor league baseball teams. We have the Chesapeake Bay Socks. We have the Aberdine Ironbirds. And we have the Delm Marva Shorebirds. All of which are affiliates of of my hometown team, the Baltimore Orioles.
▶ 1:35:14Uh we're excited about the ways in which our teams generate tourism revenue and boost our local economy outside of Camden Yards and at a better, more convenient price point for a lot of our families as well. This partnership supports Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region as one of the most economically vibrant and budget-friendly regions in the US. Uh we know that you all are not strangers to America's pastime, nor the opportunity that's created when we make Baseball more accessible for all to enjoy.
▶ 1:35:44The teams that you help manage and help develop uh provide a large cultural and economic benefit to the communities they call home. So, I want to thank you again for your work in this space and for supporting supporting small businesses. Um, I will see many of you on the field tomorrow. Go Dems, go O's. Uh, I do have two quick questions and I don't want to be redundant. So, uh, just building on some of the points earlier, uh, Mr. Ryan, you mentioned C districts and regards to community revitalization and infrastructure building around the stadium.
▶ 1:36:11There was also some conversation about how these are, uh, meeting grounds of bringing the community together, particularly in these divided times. Just wanted to give any of you the opportunity to speak a little bit more about what actions you take to specifically help cultivate um maybe specific programs or or outreach efforts to build that sense of community um in your spaces and then also if there are any other like-minded uh development or infrastructure projects like the C district that you mentioned. I'd love to hear about that. Yeah. Well, I I'll take that one to start.
▶ 1:36:39Um you know, as I said in my opening statement, you know, we look at our role in the community. um is the community betting on us and our expertise to come in and and you know be the people that are entrusted in this great game of baseball. We all own teams, but really we don't own anything. You can't own the game of baseball. You're just entrusted with it for a time period. And one of the things we try to do is make sure that everyone in the community gets to use the stadium. So in Corpus Christie, we played a lot of high school baseball games there.
▶ 1:37:09In fact, we drew 21,000 fans to see two teams from each side of the town who's going to go to the state championship. We had a local business, Myra Sports, uh, who played a high school tournament every year. Um, you know, in Round Rock, Texas, we have the state high school championships there, but we've also worked with the Austin Rodeo to do Bulls in the Ballpark where we do bull riding.
▶ 1:37:30And so I think it's making the facility available to everyone in the community um helps because everyone supported the community, especially in our state where uh we're a property tax heavy state. And so having a municipal partner makes the affordability aspect like a must if you don't have a partner. If you if you did what Joe did, um it would be really hard to keep prices affordable. And so we owe it to the constituents that we have to make sure that the venue is available for them for all kinds of things.
▶ 1:38:02One one of the things uh that the Rail Riders do uh on Sunday mornings before the game, they'll host Challengers baseball in right field like special needs children. And I used to bring up my little league team to volunteer and to be umpires and run the bases with the kids.
▶ 1:38:22And for for me, the whole time we've been there, I I think that was about the most special community thing I've seen and and it's a a testament to the kind of outfit they're uh running up there in Scranton. Yeah, I'll uh re reiterate something that Reed said, and that is just it truly is a mantra of our organization to make sure that our stadium and our ballpark is a place where everyone in the West Michigan community feels comfortable coming.
▶ 1:38:47uh that is not always the case in uh in society today and I think it's a common theme of all the 120 clubs that that is uh that's something at the front of of how they operate things and and really important in our communities. I appreciate that all very much and thanks again to our chair and ranking member for this great uh conversation. Thanks again for your great work and I yield back. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. Breahan from the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for five minutes. Well, thank you Mr. Chairman, Mr.
▶ 1:39:15chairman and to the ranking member and to our witnesses. Uh it means a lot that you were able to sacrifice a day in the middle of June with uh warming temperatures and all of the scuttlebutt relating to baseball. So, thank you all for being here and uh I'm especially grateful for Lou Champy to come out here. Not only is Lou a constituent, uh we have similar backgrounds. We both come from multigenerational family businesses.
▶ 1:39:42And going back to the Rail Riders, some of the most meaningful moments that I ever spent with my grandfather was going to a baseball game or catching a double header. And it really was uh very instrumental into my upbringing and determining who I am today. So I appreciate the investment that you make into small communities like ours. Not every different media market has the opportunity to attract a major league baseball team. uh specifically in northeastern Pennsylvania.
▶ 1:40:10Uh we really are proud of our our AAA baseball teams and it's something that really binds us together even if we went from a Phillies organization to a New York Yankees organization over the duration of time. But um I guess my first question, Lou, you recently mentioned that you are celebrating uh your 45th anniversary at PNC Park. Can you speak more about the partnership uh with the team and what it means to independent graphics?
▶ 1:40:40So, you know, I I don't uh want to be redundant, but as I said before, uh the Scranton Wilsar rail riders are very much a part of the independent graphics uh brand to be able to go out on a sales call and say, "We are a proud partner of the New York Yankees, like them or not like them, triple AAA team." It it's a certainly a conversation
▶ 1:41:11starter. Some of the unbelievable memories up there, one in particular, uh the day that we met Reggie Jackson. Now, I've heard that some days are are not so great to meet Mr. Jackson, but on this particular day, we caught him on a good day. And the vision of Reggie and my old man shaking hands like they're two old army buddies, that's never going to leave me.
▶ 1:41:40That is never going to leave me. Where does a company uh started 45 years ago by one man get the chance to go up to the ballpark and meet all of our baseball heroes? So, I mean, that's coming straight from the heart. That's one of the biggest things for me about the ballpark. They're they're part of our family. So, thank you. Uh, Mr.
▶ 1:42:07Battle, I'd like to kind of invert the question and ask why. I mean, I think I know the answer, but I don't want to speculate, but why is it so important for organizations like Independent Graphics to partner with organizations like Well, it, you know, we As we've talked about, we are, you know, we're operating, you know, not in the 30 major markets. And this is small and middle town America and and there are thousands of small businesses that we work with.
▶ 1:42:36And minor league baseball wouldn't work without the partnership with small businesses like LSE and and and what they're doing for the community. And and it really is a partnership to create that win-win uh situation. And we take a lot of pride in every community in working with companies like Lou. And and as Lou said, he's he's not just an advertiser, but he's a vendor in the ballpark. And we find that over and over and over again. Um and it's uh it's just part of the lifeblood of minor league baseball.
▶ 1:43:05And and it's the only way that it can work. And it, you know, it it it allows these businesses to connect with the community in a way that would probably otherwise be impossible. Uh, and so I think that it um, you know, it's very important and uh, and we're very excited to be part of it.
▶ 1:43:24Well, perhaps you don't hear this enough, but thank you for investing into Northeastern Pennsylvania and taking a chance on our community and we are very excited to have you interwoven into the fabric of of who we are. Uh my last question, Lou, we we've seen devastating flooding in 2011, which ultimately, like you just said before, put 6 feet of water on the first floor of your building.
▶ 1:43:47What does it mean to have the continuity and the promise of the relationship with the rail riders, so you were able to bounce back from that devastating experience. So, uh it it was a great coincidence. We got flooded at the end of the season in 11 and uh during 2012 the ballpark was renovated. So no home games.
▶ 1:44:12So we were in no great shape to be producing program books in 2013 and it it was kind of a tough time for us and you know it was a little tenuous with the ballpark and our business model and everything. And then that fourth of July, Derek Jeter came down for a rehab visit and we print those program books and Derek Jeter's on the cover. I wanted to run out onto the field and slide into home plate.
▶ 1:44:42So I don't know, Rob, if that answers your question. Absolutely. With that, I yield my time. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. President. I now recognize Mr. from McGarvey from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Champion, you've got me fired up. I'm ready to go out there myself right now. I love it. Well, it is baseball and look, I'm from Louisville, Kentucky, and Louisville's a baseball town. Uh whether it's the stars of today, like Will Smith, the catcher for the Dodgers, won the World Series last year.
▶ 1:45:12Whether it's the stars of our game, Peewee Ree, his hometown is Louisville, Kentucky, and we all know what he did on the field in particular with his play, but it's what he did with his leadership. the moment when he went up to Jackie Robinson and didn't just tell Jackie Robinson it was okay, but told the whole country it was okay. You know, I got to know Peewee a little bit when I was a pool guard uh for a summer in high school and he was doing exercises in the pool and he'd come out and talk to me about all things. He wouldn't know what I was doing in school. I wanted to know what spring training was like in Dodger Town.
▶ 1:45:40And uh he gave me that picture of of him with his arm around Jackie Robinson in the locker room and he signed it to me. I keep it in my office to this day because it says it's always the right time to do the right thing and baseball can teach us those types of lessons. Of course, we have more than stars. Baseball is is key to Louisville and our identity. One of the most iconic things about baseball is the Louisville slugger. And Mr.
▶ 1:46:04Chairman, I brought these Louisville Slugger bats here today for everybody, not to show what the Democrats would use in this game, but what I hope the Republicans will use in this game. uh you guys could score a few dozen fewer runs and the game would still be competitive. So, we're hoping uh there's the torpedo bat. Maybe you'll use the this one for bat speed. Uh but baseball's important to who we are, but we haven't had a major league team in Louisville since 1891.
▶ 1:46:32We have filled that gap with minor league baseball. And what a wonderful thing minor league baseball is. When I was a kid going to Red Birds games at the old Cardinal Stadium when we could load up the family station wagon with our three kids and whatever neighbors jumped in and not break the bank and go out there, see who could throw the fastest pitch in the little thing outside the alleyway. Uh, go watch the games. Maybe you got something lucky in a Cracker Jackack box. Of course, not only did you get to experience baseball, did you get to see the guys who would go up and play in the show and see them in those close confines.
▶ 1:47:02It's where so many of us not just got to experience baseball. It's where we saw our first concerts. It's where it's where we went with our families. It has those great memories. And now the minor league baseball in Louisville is continuing. And I will tell you that when we moved from Cardinal Stadium to the Bats new stadium in a blighted part of Louisville, it reignited that area of downtown Louisville in a way that people didn't think was possible. It was an act of faith to go to this area and build a a top-notch baseball facility.
▶ 1:47:30Uh but it sort of proved the baseball adage true. If you build it, they will come. Uh so and fans did come and better yet they're still coming. Uh Mr. Battle, I I know you're you're here with us from the Louisville Bats. Uh the Bats are already an anchor for our downtown and our local economy and I know you're working with the city and state to grow that footprint even more. How will DBH's planned investment in Louisville help grow our local economy and benefit small businesses in the city?
▶ 1:47:59Uh thank you for that question and and you are a baseball town. Congratulations also on the College World World Series apparently. All right, Louisville Cardinal. Louisville Cardinal going to the College World Series and Murray State down in Western Kentucky going very impressive. Um, yes, thank you for the question. And you know, when we announced the acquisition of the Louisville Bats probably 18 months ago, uh, Mayor Greenberg pulled us aside at the press conference.
▶ 1:48:22In fact, he pulled Henry Shepard, who Chairman Jack mentioned earlier, aside and said, uh, we've been waiting on DBH to acquire the team. Um, the city owns eight acres of land adjacent to the stadium and we would like to sit down as quickly as possible and and figure out how we can partner to help to continue to revitalize that part of u of Louisville. And so we have done that. Um, we have partnered very closely with the Louisville Metro government as you know, Congressman McGarvey.
▶ 1:48:52Um, you know, we've talked about a $250 million investment in building condominium, hotel, entertainment district. um all of the things that we think will continue to energize that part of Louisville and and we couldn't be more excited to do that and you know Reed has done it Pete said in four times and now is working in San Antonio and those kinds of projects are really important the stadium and the team is one thing but how you can continue to invest in the community in order to have that kind of impact on the
▶ 1:49:22citizens is extremely important and so and it takes public private partnership and I can think of no better partnership than we've had since I've been with DBH than we've had with the city of Louisville. Thank you. We we love going to those games. I love taking my own kids. Very quickly, in the time I've got left, one thing that makes me worried is what happens when baseball goes away? And a few years ago, contraction significantly reduce the number of affiliated minor league teams down all the way to 120. Mr.
▶ 1:49:47Chamberlain, um do you see any good reason for MLB to further contract when the PDLs expire? Well, um I uh I don't think I'll necessarily uh have the answer on that one. I think it was it was a tough it was a tough time for our industry when we experienced that contraction from 160 uh down to 120 and um you know, one of the hardest parts of it was seeing uh affiliated baseball leave 40 markets.
▶ 1:50:17There were certainly some reasons for who stayed and who didn't go. I the way I would answer your question, even in those markets that lost baseball, um what you see is that baseball is coming back in some way, shape, or form. And I think that's a testament to what this sport can do. Uh it will find a way, and that's a great thing for communities just to keep it in some way, shape, or form. Mr. Chairman, my time is expired. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. McGarvey. I now recognize Mr. Weed from the great state of Wisconsin for five minutes.
▶ 1:50:46Thank you, Chairman Jack, and to all of the witnesses for testifying before us today. When many of us think of baseball, we think of playing at the local sand lot as kids or of our major league favorite Major League player. However, for tens of millions of Americans, minor league baseball is the most accessible way to watch professional baseball. Families can watch professional athletes play America's pastime at a more affordable price in their local community without having to drive several hours to a major city.
▶ 1:51:15My district, I'm honored to represent Wisconsin's eighth congressional district, is home to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. During the minor league baseball season, thousands of fans gather to watch the Timber Rattlers play at their home stadium in Apple. This creates an environment for small businesses to thrive. Whether a local restaurant or landscaping company, a facility maintenance company, or even the team itself, minor league teams across our nation foster hundreds of millions of dollars of investment for their local economy. So, Mr. battle.
▶ 1:51:44Earlier this year, your company, Diamond Sports Holding, purchased the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from my good friend Craig Dickman. Uh, thank you very much for investing and believing in Northeast Wisconsin. What does your company take into consideration when making decisions to add another team to its portfolio? Yeah, great great question. Thank you for that. And um, we are very excited uh to be in Apple and to uh to now be the proud owner of the Timber Rattlers. Um, I was recently there.
▶ 1:52:12I'm sorry that I missed you, but I was there two weeks ago and sat with Craig Dickman and we talked about, you know, through the game all the way through the fireworks show at the end of the game. Um, just what a great job that they did as the previous owners. Uh, the investment that they made in the stadium, uh, the investment that they made in the locker room that have have made um, you know, this. So, so when we look at a team, we're looking at the community. We're looking at the team that runs. We're we're looking at the the team on the ground, the general manager and the staff.
▶ 1:52:42Uh we're looking at the support uh of the fans in the community and the opportunity to grow. So, we look at all of those factors. But, you know, we we are I mean, when we started this four years ago, I never thought that we would own 44 baseball teams. It has just happened a lot faster than we ever imagined that it could. And you know, I would also say that, you know, with with Reed and Joe, we're all in this together.
▶ 1:53:12Um, you know, Reed owns his team, Joe owns his teams, we own our teams, but we celebrate each other. And minor league baseball is about, you know, how do we work together? How do we share best practices? If Reed or Joe are doing something that work, you can bet that the next game we're going to copy it and we're going to be looking at that as well. And so, uh, we look at every community, but we also work together across all of the ownership groups to make sure that we can, uh, take and learn and and apply best practices.
▶ 1:53:41One of the other things that that pe everyone notices is your, you know, the community partnerships that you all do. uh developing that and and helping out in the community is is so invaluable for for for our town for sure. Uh what what efforts has your company undertaken to support um you know its minor league team. I mean of of Appleton area and the development with the community. Well, we we've only owned the Timber Rattlers for about a month. So um you know more more to come on that.
▶ 1:54:09Uh but you know as as we think about investing in the communities whether it's through advanced technology you know what one of the things that we're trying to do is to provide a major league experience to minor league fans and as you think about you know when you go to a big league ballpark and the graband go and all of the technology that exists if we can invest in that infrastructure and provide that to our teams to our stadiums and to our fans um it only enhances
▶ 1:54:39the experience. And so that those are the kinds of in addition to the investment in infrastructure and real estate and stadium improvements uh that we make, but how can we invest in technology and other things that only enhance the experience of the fans? Thank you. Uh Mr. Champy, it's great to see businesses being, you know, a part of of the minor league baseball and and obviously I love your passion. I was ready to go play some baseball after listening to you there.
▶ 1:55:07But how does having a minor league team in your in your hometown, how does that impact your business in the community at large from your your perspective? The another good example of way the way that the Scranton Wilsburg Rail Riders impacts the business is that they do a lot of things for the youth groups.
▶ 1:55:26So the little leaguers will come up and they'll go position by position and when the rail riders get announced they run onto the field with the players to their position. What could be better than that? And like I alluded to before, bringing the kids up there to volunteer to help to help the community a little bit uh the people a little less fortunate than them. That's what that's what I love about minor league baseball. Very good.
▶ 1:55:56Again, thank you all and I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Weed. I now recognize Miss MacGyver from New Jersey for five minutes. Thank you so much, chairman and ranking member for convening this hearing and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. Minor league baseball teams play a critical role in connecting communities, supporting local businesses, and preserving the cultural fabric of cities across America.
▶ 1:56:20Minor league teams such as New Jersey's own Sussex County Miners, Somerset Patriots, and the Jersey Shore Blue Clauss, just to name a few, have played just a just and just as important a role in families developing long lifelong memories at their games as their major league counterparts. It's essential that federal policies create an environment where these teams and the small businesses that rely on them can thrive.
▶ 1:56:48These teams and the bustling small businesses that grow around them represent jobs and community pride. They deserve our support and partnership. With that being said, I have one question to the entire panel. We've seen that smaller independent and affiliated minor league teams often struggle with access to capital, particularly when compared to their major league counterparts. What traditional financing strategies do minor league teams currently use for funding?
▶ 1:57:17and how can these funding streams be improved? I I'll jump on that. Um, so we've always had a uh a portion of private money that has been part of our municipal deal with the with the local municipality and in our portion of the capital and we've always used a local bank, just community banks, and we've carried bank debt, you know, as any other business would, uh, on our teams.
▶ 1:57:44And so I think as everyone here has said, you know, whether it is Value Bank in Corpus Christi or our bank in Round Rock, we always try to find a local banking partner to be affiliated with and to actually keep the money in the community. Thank you so much for Yeah, I would agree with that. In uh in West Michigan, uh our naming rights partner is Lake Michigan Credit Union and they also happen to be our lending partner. We're a little bit unique in that uh we own the team in addition to owning the ballpark in the real estate.
▶ 1:58:13Uh so in a way uh we own our own house and have always been able to leverage that house to help get projects done. Uh we're at a unique place right now where we're 30 some years in and working on an infra infrastructure project that could be upwards of $65 million uh when all is said and done. And uh so I'm working on very pragmatic and practical economic development solutions at the state level to help privately owned venues get those sorts of projects done especially if they spur uh value add economic development.
▶ 1:58:43So I think it's a really important topic and thank you for the question. Thank you. Thank you so much for that. Anybody else care to chime in? No. Well, I just want to thank each of you for being here and I will say this has been one of in my time in Congress, one of the most joyful committee hearings that I've been in since I've been here. So, thank you all so much for coming here and being with us today. With that, I yield. Thank you, Miss MacGyver. I now recognize Mr. Patronis from the great state of Florida for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:59:12Um, and and you know, Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for doing this. Um, thank you to the Clemstones for breaking the Wahoo's 11day 11game losing streak. Nine to two. A little bit of bragging rights for the Wahoos. Um, but you know, this is uh this isn't about me. This isn't uh this is this is about this guy on the front row, my son Theo. I was a horrible athlete in school.
▶ 1:59:39I never I never understood what coordination was, but now my life is controlled by his baseball and where we go and what we do and our schedule and he's eat up with it and however you're communicating to this generation, you know, he's he's definitely he's an excited part and consumer of the sport, the products, the support, the fanfare. Um, and it keeps them out of trouble. It keeps them out of trouble.
▶ 2:00:08So, I really appreciate, you know, coach, you giving the the flexibility to to uh the ranking member that I mean the the chairman in order to the subchairman to be able to pull this off and to be able to let us have this opportunity to kind of just talk about something that's not as really much of a partisan issue, but it's a great way to put aside our differences and uh and and talk about what I think is the exciting part is the economic development.
▶ 2:00:33So I that's I'm a I'm a hospitality guy at heart and you know and then you get those fights. I'm I'm it's kind of like an open question. We get in those fights in our community. Years ago we try to recruit the SandNats to my my hometown. And so then you get the fingerpoint because there's bed tax dollars. There's all these different ways you have the way to bring in resources to bring this in for a landing. And so now I'm in Congress. The Wahoos is is part of my district over in Pensacola. And I'm excited.
▶ 2:00:59But, you know, again, being able to take that opportunity of that investment, that commitment to be in other suggestions how we take it to the next level in order to um to encourage more economic opportunity. We try to be versatile with the facility to do other things with it. But, you know, I got a bunch of experts sitting the room. I'd love to hear what else I should be, you know, advocating for in this position to help my sport at home. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 2:01:27I I'll jump in there because uh our company, one of the things I didn't mention is uh we also do uh strategic hospitality for several teams around the country including Bo and Pensacola with Quint Stutter. And so I'll be in Pensacola in a couple of weeks and we've done uh as you know Quint's very involved. He's the owner of the the Wahoos along with Bubba Watson and they're very involved in local community.
▶ 2:01:49So, we cater a lot of events out of that stadium and then we had the football team playing there until they got their new stadium, but he does a lot of stuff with uh you know, concerts in in the facility. In fact, he put artificial turf in because he was running so many community events on the field. And so, our staff there works 365 for Quinton, the local ownership group to service the community. So, I'll jump in with a story. Surprise.
▶ 2:02:18Uh, you know, my wife never wants to go to a game and I'm not sure if she doesn't like baseball or she doesn't want to go with me. So, one night you bunch of years ago, you know, we're in Scranton and they had the office party up uh at PNC Field and you know, I I had access to the suite, but you know, I figured my wife wouldn't want to go. Well, let me tell you, she wanted to go and I was in big trouble when she found out that night.
▶ 2:02:46So, you could uh arrange some events like an office party up at your uh field. Uh the wives are going to want to go. So, Mr. Chairman, thank you for indulging us to allow us to have this open dialogue. Again, just um I think you're all sensitive to it. Um but there's young guys like go ahead and stand up there. Everybody see you. He was text me want to know if he could get pictures of the mascots. I told him of course he could.
▶ 2:03:15So, uh, anyway, I just going to let the mascots know he's going to want to get some selfies before he takes off. And anyway, it's just really cool. Thank you'all for doing this. Thank you, Mr. Petronis. I now recognize my colleague, Miss Simon from California, for five minutes. We have smiled more in this hearing than I I've seen smiles in the last five months that I've been in Congress. Thank you all so much for being here.
▶ 2:03:38And if you would have told me two years ago that I would be in the small business committee in Congress or talking about baseball with a big old smile, um I would not have believed you. But but I am from the city of Oakland. And you know who I'm going to talk about. I'm going to talk about the Oakland Ballers. I'm sure you're familiar. And if you're not, I actually want to tell you a little bit about the origin story. Three guys I met less than two years ago. One from tech, one from show business. The other guy's just a smart business nerd.
▶ 2:04:07They used their own money. They did town and gown. They called folks in government, community organizers, folks from culture, and they said, "We have this idea that we want to bring minor league baseball to West Oakland, which is a black community that has been underresourced, and now we have an exhilarating community that is just, it's so incredible. The Oakland Ballers is more than a sports team. They've literally become a catalyst.
▶ 2:04:36They are community builders much like you all. Um, and it's so exciting to actually talk about something that we can all say yes to. America and baseball and apple pie and literally some good politics. In their first season, the Ballers brought nearly a 100,000 fans to Ramandi Park, a baseball field that was literally in disrepair. No one could practice or even go on the field.
▶ 2:05:04They spent literally tens of thousands of dollars in the first six months engaging community and figuring out a way forward like many of you have done going to city council meetings and talking to planning commissions and again figuring what's in your savings and drawing down from your Baller founders, we we see you. The park is now used for little league championships, high school tournaments, and movie nights which none of us could have thought possible.
▶ 2:05:32This kind of community investment breathed new life into neighborhoods. It's created opportunities for local swam businesses and has built something that my city so desperately has needed, community pride. The team is now communitydriven and fanowned. Like we've talked about today, they have raised $3 million from over $4,000 fan investors, including Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day.
▶ 2:06:01Go Green Day and hiphop and Oakland native superstar too short. You wouldn't have thought about that, right? This communitydriven model, its ownership model continues to challenge the notion that communities can't come together, particularly to support minor baseball in Oakland. We have we're giving fans an opportunity to have real voice and community entrepreneurship, but also just a good old time.
▶ 2:06:27I know very little about baseball, but I love to dance with the mascots, eat hot dogs. Modern League baseball games, if you haven't been, it's some of the best times that you'll ever have. Right. Exactly. Good music, good people. And again, folks, regardless if you're red or blue, we come and we want our teams to win. And it's just an amazing experience. Oakland's past is rich with championship teams, as you all know. But in recent years, we have seen professional teams move away from our community.
▶ 2:06:56the ballers, those three guys, 4,000 sub owners came in together to preserve baseball and provide a safe and affordable and fun gathering space for residents. I can talk on and on about the Ballers because you can tell that I'm so blessed that we have again the entrepreneurship spirit here that we're seeing on this panel in our community. But I've learned a lot, you know, watching the ballers work, watching them work with communities. And Mr. Chamberlain, I have a just a quick question for you.
▶ 2:07:27You talked about uh again the innovation opportunities in communities when minor league baseball comes into to town to community. What are some of the lessons that folks can take away from this community centered model of minor league baseball and how they can better support small businesses? You talked a little bit about this today, but couple of lessons that we can take on.
▶ 2:07:51Yeah, I would thank you for the question and uh I don't know a lot about the ballers, but I've read a little bit and it is it's an incredibly cool story and is a great example of organic baseball finding a way to survive in a market um that is truly an incredible baseball market for us uh being a very community ccentric team. Um I I think it starts with truly just being a place where everyone wants to be. Um we don't view LMCU ballpark as all our ballpark. We view it as the community's ballpark.
▶ 2:08:22Um, and again, I I don't want to re go back to the same story I already told, but you know, when you have a tragedy like the fire that we had in 2014, uh, and literally have season ticket holders coming to donate to the rebuild, um, you know that you've struck a cord in a community.
▶ 2:08:38And and if I would offer any uh advice to uh to your district and to Oakland, it would be, hey, they've struck fire and let's help them be successful because they've proven um that uh that they've got something that can work and with some community support, uh it's going to be an incredible thing. Thank you. My time is up, but I yield back. Thank you all for being here today. Well, thank you, Miss Simon. And I appreciate you mentioning the Ballers. They play in the Pioneer League, which features quite a few teams from the great state of Montana. So, I now recognize Mr. Downing from the great state of Montana for five minutes.
▶ 2:09:08Uh thank you uh Chairman Jack, you know, and thank you to the witnesses uh being here today. I just want to say I'm looking forward tomorrow to participating in uh this nation's great pastime as we see uh the congressional baseball team once again uh dominate uh you know on the Republican side with the leadership of Skipper I mean uh Chairman Williams here. So looking forward to that.
▶ 2:09:31And uh just uh uh one thing I want to you know uh suggest to the um witnesses uh if you have uh any scouts pay close attention. If you're looking for a new short stop, you know, give me a call. So um back so back in my home district of central and eastern Montana, uh we have uh no local uh major league baseball sports teams. for context to the nearest major league major league baseball stadium. The Colorado Rockies course field is 550 miles away from Billings.
▶ 2:10:01Uh minor league baseball is our only only opportunity to take our families out to the ballpark to watch a professional baseball game. Um I'm going to start with uh Mr. Battle. Your company Diamond Baseball Holdings operates over 40 teams across the country including in small cities in middle America like De Moines, Omaha, Witchah. Can you speak to the important role that minor league baseball plays in bringing professional sports to locations in middle America that are overlooked by uh major uh major sports leagues?
▶ 2:10:32No, it's a it's a great question and um and I think that that is you know one one of the you know the the the real benefits of minor league baseball is is to bring life uh to those communities. We talk about the centers of energy that those stadiums represent. Um, and I I can't remember if Reed or Joe talked about it. You know, we we represent affiliated minor league baseball teams, and there are 120 of those, but there are so many different leagues like the ballers that we just talked about.
▶ 2:11:00So many different leagues and so many different minor league professional teams that are playing in communities around the country, and they are equally important in terms of the impact that they have uh on their communities and uh in bringing the communities together. Well, can you speak to that? How do um minor league teams that you operate engage with local schools, with youth baseball teams uh to promote the sport? Yeah, it again great great question.
▶ 2:11:24Um and you know, I I can't say that this is across the board, but you know, if you go to a typical minor league baseball game, there's probably a youth group from a local church or a local school that's singing the national anthem. Um there are, you know, every night teachers are honored, veterans are honored, and the the opportunity to bring the stadium to the community and the community to the stadium is extremely important.
▶ 2:11:50And you know, I think that in in many cases they're one and the same and and they really do work together and and that's how you know, our teams are trying to promote that in each local market. And and so how do you you know not just entrench u each team in their local communities but build out the relationships with you know local businesses with fans what how are you doing that?
▶ 2:12:10Yeah, we we have um you know great staffs on the ground that I talked about uh in many cases I I mentioned the example earlier uh in you know one of our communities that uh of the 31 full-time employees 26 started as interns and there's just a passion you know one of the things that I've always loved even even in the time that I spent in the college space um I've always loved the passion of the employees in minor league baseball it's just different um you know it it's not easy.
▶ 2:12:40You know, if you're in the pro leagues, there are a lot of inbound calls. In the minor leagues, you have to go out into the community. You're going into the local businesses, into the schools, into the churches, and you're engaging the local citizens. And and that's what it's all about. And so, in in all of our teams, we have a general manager, we have a ticket seller, we have sponsorship sellers, we have people that operate the park. Um, one of the other things about minor league baseball employees that's so amazing is that they in many cases wear four or five hats.
▶ 2:13:08They could be selling tickets during the day and pulling tarp at night when it rains or behind the concession stand. And there's just no spree decor in minor baseball that is uh very special. Before I run out of uh time, I've got to change hats, too. So, uh yeah, here we go. So, uh Montana is home and I I've got got a little swag here. The Billings Mustangs. Montana's home to uh five minor league baseball teams, including the Billings Mustangs in my home district.
▶ 2:13:34Uh, Mustangs provide affordable, family-friendly entertainment throughout the summer, attracting over 105,000 fans annually to Dealer Park. So, Mr. Battle Battle or Mr. Ryan, uh, in your respective roles, uh, you've experienced running minor league teams in smaller media markets, what have you found works best for keeping fans engaged and bringing them back to the ballpark throughout the season? Um, I'll start with Mr. Ryan.
▶ 2:13:59Yeah, I think uh the promotions that were talked about early is always fun to have uh those things, but also uh it's knowing the history of the club. I think you know so many people in Billings, they were Red's affiliate forever, have had so many of those guys go to the major league, start their pro career in Billings, and people build deep relationships with those players and they keep them for a lifetime. And so I think just the game itself is uh is and will always be the draw because it brings people together. Outstanding.
▶ 2:14:29Unfortunately, I've run out of time, so um uh we'll we'll we'll get back to you. And uh Mr. Chairman, I I yield. Thank you very much. And I now recognize my good friend, Mr. Addison McDow from North Carolina for five minutes. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and and thank you also to the witnesses for being here today.
▶ 2:14:49Uh, I want to talk a little bit about what um what minor league baseball meant to me as someone that grew up right around the Winston Salem Wthogs, which has since become the Winston Salem Dash uh that is owned by Diamond Baseball Holdings. And I some of my most favorite memories with my dad uh are going to watch the Wthogs as a kid.
▶ 2:15:17And I have uh passed the the Winston Salem Dash Stadium every day after church. And my two-year-old uh I ask her every Sunday, would you like to go see a baseball game with daddy? And she says no every single week. But eventually she's going to say yes. I'm going to uh carry that tradition on with with my children. And so I'm grateful to each of you for the role that you play in in in minor and major league baseball and baseball in general.
▶ 2:15:46Uh because what you do doesn't just spur economic growth. Uh it spurs memories with with fathers and sons and fathers and daughters and mothers and sons and mothers and daughters. And that's a great thing. And that's exactly why we've seen today in this committee. Uh folks say things like this is the, you know, the happiest committee I've been in in Congress. And it's not just because there's mascots sitting in here, which is a first for me.
▶ 2:16:09Um but it's because sports bring people together uh in a way uh that that very few if anything's do. And so I I'm just I wanted to to begin with that that I'm grateful for uh for what you all do and creating memories with families. It means a lot. But um Mr. battle.
▶ 2:16:28Uh, how would you say that that um, you know, you you touched on with the Charlotte Knights, which I've actually been to the Winter Wonderland in Charlotte with my family, but uh, what are some of outside of that, what are some of the more creative promotional campaigns that you've seen, you know, these teams do in um, small to mediumsiz cities and towns that that have really uh, fostered community engagement? Yeah, it's a great question and and and I'm sure the others can answer that as well.
▶ 2:16:57And and hopefully one of the great promotions that we will run soon is your daughter can either sing the national anthem at a game or throw out the first pitch. Um we we we would love to have that at the uh at the dash game. May maybe that will entice her to go. Um but but yes, as as we've talked about a lot today, um you know, there are so many promotions that are fun.
▶ 2:17:18And what you know, one one of the things that um that I've just seen recently that that I love and want to amplify across, you know, so many of our communities is in Dayton, Ohio, the Dayton Dragons, which is one of the the great stories in minor league baseball, they have a campaign called Celebrate Dayton.
▶ 2:17:35and you know three or four times a week they are celebrating again teachers, veterans, um kids K through five that make good grades, whatever gives them a reason to celebrate the community and you know a lot of people have touched on this today. I mean this is this is the opportunity that that we have and what minor league baseball represents. It's the opportunity to bring citizens together um and businesses together and and to make it work.
▶ 2:18:04And so, um, you know, there are so many, one, one of the things I love about minor league baseball, to your point, is that there are so many crazy promotions that you couldn't run in the pro leagues. Um, you know, what, whatever it is, um, ranking member Sculton talked about, uh, some of the, you know, the funny promotions that are running every night in a minor league ballpark. Um, those are happening and everybody enjoys it and it's fun and what's it's one of the things that makes minor league baseball so unique and special. Well, thank you.
▶ 2:18:34Uh, Mr. Ryan, I you were um you were with the the Astros when when uh you secured the the major league affiliate for the Fateville Woodpeckers and and I touched on my dad there earlier. My dad was actually the the PA announcer for the Woodpeckers when uh when they came to Fateville um which is not in my district, but it is in my home state.
▶ 2:18:59And I'm curious, can you touch on how having the backing of a major league team impacts both the success of a team and then by extension the the economic development in the surrounding community? Yeah. So, um, one of the things that happened was that Major League Baseball, um, put a mandate out that we had to bring all of these facilities up to a certain standard, which was a really good thing.
▶ 2:19:26And that forced uh operators like those at the table, especially Diamond Baseball because they have so many teams, but also the Major League affiliates to make decisions on where they wanted their longterm home to be and finding out could they partner with the community. And so I went all over North Carolina. We wanted to be in that league. Uh we really fell in love with the Fagville area because, you know, once again, there wasn't anything to do at night.
▶ 2:19:51We heard a lot of the guys on base got in trouble and that the local community wanted something not just for the families but for them as well. And it's been a big success and uh you know it's been neat to see that part of downtown which has so much history actually develop and get people down there and they have the the special forces museum and everything right there.
▶ 2:20:11So, yeah, if it wouldn't have been for the Astros ownership and the Texas Rangers because they now are in one of the new Diamond Baseball uh facilities in in the Southeast um as well buying those clubs and making that move, it would have never happened. So, it was basically from the top to the bottom. You got it. Well, Mr. Chairman, my time's expired. Well, thank you very much, Mr. McDow. Again, thank you for waving on today. I will now recognize our ranking member, Miss Sculton, for brief closing remarks.
▶ 2:20:40Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and uh briefly just to to conclude and thank you to all of our witnesses for coming here today uh to to elevate the importance of minor league baseball. Um your work in our community uh really serves to strengthen the small business economies that surround them and bring our communities together. Play ball. Thank you very much. And I'll now recognize the chairman of our full committee, Chairman Roger Williams, for a brief closing remarks. Well, I want to thank all of you for being here. This is this has been great.
▶ 2:21:11Um, you know, we talk about stories. Baseball is one of the is the only sport actually that has stories. I I would venture to say you could ask anybody in this room and everybody will have a baseball story. Not everybody's going to have a football story or basketball story, but they got a baseball story and we've heard that and that that's what makes it special. Also, uh, I'm always remembered that uh, you know, you go back and the time well right now we got we see what's happening in Los Angeles today. It's it's a mess. But we're also talking about the congressional baseball game tomorrow.
▶ 2:21:42You go back to World War I. Baseball drew us out of World War I. Uh baseball kept going at World War II. Uh baseball and President Bush kept us going in 911. So that's the kind of sport it is. It is the American sport and uh it's it it's it uh it it no other sport has got that. And then the other thing I always remind people, baseball is the only sport that has a play in it called sacrifice. And that's what America's about.
▶ 2:22:11So I'm glad to have all of you here. See my friends. Uh baseball is the greatest game. It's the hardest thing to do is of course your dad's in the Hall of Fame. He was a pitcher. But to go in the Hall of Fame, you got to fail 70% of the time, don't you? Huh? What other business allows you to fail 70% of the time and go to the Hall of Fame? That's because hitting a round ball with a round bat and hit it square is the hardest thing to do. So anyway, I want to thank you all for being here. It's been a great hearing and we may you may be in trouble. We make this we may make this an annual event.
▶ 2:22:41Without objection. Um thank you to ranking member Skolton, Chairman Williams, and each member of this subcommittee for your questions. And thank you to our witnesses for your testimony today. Without objection, members have five legislative days to submit additional materials and written questions for the witnesses to the chairman, which will be forwarded to the witnesses. I ask the witnesses to please respond promptly. 30 minutes after we adjourn, we will host a reception in this room honoring America's pastime. The reception will feature three beloved mascots in costume.
▶ 2:23:10Behind you today, Fuzzy from the Columbus, Buddy Bat from the Louisville Bats, and Gus from the Fredericksburg Nationals. The reception will also feature autograph stations with former Major League players Jim Sunberg and Larry Hardy. Baseball coach Donnie Watson and our chairman Roger Williams. Baseball souvenirs and ballpark food will be provided and all are welcome to attend. Thank you to our incredible staff led by staff director Lauren Holmes for helping produce today's hearing and reception. We hope to see all of you at the congressional baseball game tomorrow night.
▶ 2:23:39If there's no further business, without objection, this subcommittee is adjourned. Good