Return of MLB spring training brings tourism boom to Arizona, Florida
MLB spring training brings an influx of visitors to Arizona and Florida as fans see their favorite teams and players prep for the season ahead
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Major League Baseball's spring training has returned to Arizona and Florida with the first preseason games taking place in the last few days and baseball fans from around the country flocking to sunny locales to see their favorite teams get ready for the season ahead.
Each year before the regular season begins, MLB teams head to Arizona and Florida for more than a month to prepare for the season ahead with each state hosting 15 MLB squads. Teams that hold their preseason camps in Arizona play each other in the Cactus League, while those based in Florida compete in the Grapefruit League.
Last year marked the first time in three seasons that fans were able to fully partake in spring training. In 2020, the onset of COVID-19 compelled the cancelation of spring training about three weeks after it began, and MLB teams limited crowd sizes in 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. Then in 2022, spring training was delayed and then shortened due to a labor dispute between franchise owners and the MLB Players Association over their contract – making the 2023 season the first spring training in several years with full fan participation.
"We were thrilled to come back to a regular environment last season and we're just planning on continuing to ride that momentum and move in the right direction for the 2024 season," Bridget Binsbacher, executive director of the Cactus League, told FOX Business in an interview.
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The Los Angeles Angels take on the the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Cactus League during spring training at the Peoria Sports Complex on Feb. 24, 2024, in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Spring training games are played in smaller venues and offer fans a more laid-back, up-close look at their favorite MLB teams and players than regular season games offer.
That plus the warmer climates in the greater Phoenix area of Arizona and southern Florida, make spring training a compelling vacation option for baseball fans around the country and generates a tourism boom in communities where spring training games are played.
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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers takes batting practice as fans look on prior to a spring training game against the San Diego Padres at the Camelback Ranch on Feb. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images / Getty Images)
An economic analysis by Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business found that Arizona's Cactus League season in 2023 added $418.5 million to the state of Arizona's gross domestic product (GDP) and generated a total of $710.2 million in total economic activity or gross output.
The ASU study found that about six out of 10 fans who attended Cactus League games came from out-of-state – making up a significant portion of the 1,565,182 fans who attended the 216 games held last season, for an average attendance of 7,246 per game.
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Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox bats during a spring training Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins on February 23, 2024, at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the study, which surveyed 3,386 out-of-state visitors who came to Arizona to attend games at the 10 Cactus League ballparks, the median Cactus League visitor attends three games, stays four nights in Arizona and spends about $421 per day.
"It doesn't just impact the host cities where our facilities are located across the valley, it truly does impact all of Arizona so they're coming for spring training but we know from our economic impact study and the thousands of out-of-state fans that we survey that they're enjoying Arizona from Tombstone to the Grand Canyon so it's tremendous," Binsbacher added.
Florida's Grapefruit League brought in 1,425,259 fans in 237 games last season, with an average attendance of 6,014 fans per game.
Fans reach for a ball before a Spring Training Grapefruit League game between the Boston Red Sox and the Northeastern University on February 23, 2024, at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. | Getty Images
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Although figures for 2023 aren't available, a 2022 survey showed a total economic impact of $679.8 million on the Florida economy in the fiscal years of 2019-20 and 2020-21.