The second of this three-part series examines how the $52 million new ballpark, Atrium Health Ballpark, scheduled to open in April 2020 was not only the critical component of the downtown Kannapolis $500 million revitalization project, but likely played a role in saving the team from contraction in the proposed restructuring of Minor League Baseball.
The city of Kannapolis
“Kannapolis is an old mill town, and the downtown area had started to fall apart,” Kannapolis Cannon Ballers general manager Matt Millward told FutureSox. “The city spent millions of dollars to upgrade infrastructure. It’s now a streetscape with a linear park attached to it. The downtown buildings have all been upfitted. A year ago, there were zero businesses in downtown Kannapolis. Until opening day, the city’s main focus was to bring business to the downtown area.“
While there were early signs that the Minor League Baseball season was in jeopardy, that didn’t lessen the impact when the news was made official on June 30.
“The writing was on the wall that the season was going to be canceled, but the news still hit hard,” said Trevor Wilt, Kannapolis radio broadcaster and baseball operations manager. “The reality set in. We are not going to be playing baseball this season at our brand new facility. There was so much hype coming in. It was going to revitalize the downtown Kannapolis area.”
Moving Forward
“Until opening day, the city’s main focus was to bring business to the downtown area,” Millward said. “A brewery opened across from our office. Six-to-eight other businesses were slated to open, but all of them were paused. Within the last month, we’ve had a bike shop open up. There are commitments for two restaurants, a barbershop, a hair salon, and a health/nutritional food store. All this was to happen in conjunction with opening day, and it’s starting to pick back up.”
Despite the lack of on-field action, the city of Kannapolis is still making use of the ballpark.
“On our side of the coin, city staff and the team had been in lockstep preparing for a public open house of the ballpark and then the opening game,” said Annette Privette Keller, Director of Communications for the City of Kannapolis, via email. “It was very disappointing to finally acknowledge that we would not have a minor league season. Our community was also very disappointed.
“A bright spot has been the fact that ballpark was built as a public park. We quietly opened the doors, and people have ‘discovered’ the ballpark. The concourse and restrooms are open to walkers, bicyclists, runners, and those who just want to sit in the stands and read a book.”
Fans have equally noted the positives in the experience.
“The ownership and the city fathers have done a fantastic job of making it worth going to,” booster club president Debby Smith said. “The concession stand, the fan stores, it’s a pleasure to be there. We’ll enjoy it a whole lot more when there are games on the field.”
The Big Picture
Since April, there have been ongoing discussions between MLB and MiLB about the possible elimination of as many as 42 teams beginning with the 2021 season. The current agreement is set to expire on September 30, 2020.
“With their new ballpark, I can’t imagine any scenario where they would not be part of the next agreement,” said Jeff Lantz, senior director, communications for Minor League Baseball commented via email.
While it is apparent a large number of teams will be contracted, nothing is final.
“If we were not in a new ballpark, I could bet that we would be in danger, so we are fortunate timing-wise,” Millward said. “The Minor League Baseball community is one big family. Having any teams cut impacts us all. We’ve got peers and co-workers and friends with those teams in those markets, in those communities (that are on the list). I can only imagine the impact on others. It has a lasting feel across the industry. For us, in particular, it’ll be interesting how it shakes out.”
The 2021 Season
With the details of the agreement still in flux, it’s more difficult for teams to move forward with future planning and creating revenue streams. Kannapolis isn’t even sure if it will stay in the Low-A South Atlantic League, which is currently comprised of 14 teams.
“I think there is going to be some realignment when it comes to different leagues,” Millward said. “The SAL league has two to three teams on that potential (contraction) list. It’s going to impact the teams that we play and affiliations. We don’t know what league we’re going to play in. We might not be in the South Atlantic League anymore. We don’t know how many teams will be in it. There is a lot to be questioned. It’s really difficult for our staff, our salespeople to even look ahead to next year when we don’t even know when we’ll get a fall schedule. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all unfolds.”
With no immediate end to the COVID threat in sight, 2021 and beyond is shaping up to be a different world for all of us. Minor league Baseball is no exception. In some ways, the only certainty is uncertainty.
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