CT Could Host Major Leagues

Could the Nutmeg state play in the big leagues? Economists at UConn say Connecticut has all the tools to host a major league baseball team, but they warn it might not be the dinger some might hope.  WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports.

Inspired by the recent rumors that southern Connecticut is being eyed as a possible new home by the Tampa Bay Rays, University of Connecticut economist Steven Lanza took a look at the demographics of bringing a team to the state.

"It seemed like one of the wackiest ideas I had heard in a long time, so that just sort of inspired me to see whether or not that could possibly make any kind of sense, and the really surprising result was the Stamford-Bridgeport metro area has a high predicted probability of fielding a baseball team."

But many teams expect some support from their home state, usually in the form of building a brand new stadium – likely price tag $600 million. Lanza says using public funds could put Connecticut in a pickle.

"So on the one hand the model says geez, we’ve got the people and the income to make this thing a possibility, but the other question is does it really make economic sense?"

Lanza says past studies of other ball parks have shown that after an initial economic boost in the form of job creation and spending, the impact fades, and playing host to the major leagues may not always be a walk off homer.

For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.