Major League Baseball has asked the Trump administration about the possibility of playing a regular-season or specialty game inside a national park, with Grand Teton in northwest Wyoming surfacing as a potential host, according to Washington Post reporting. The White House, however, is pushing back on how the idea came together and whether it has any momentum.
The league’s interest follows a run of successful stand-alone events that have taken MLB out of its usual ballparks, including the recurring Field of Dreams game played in an Iowa cornfield made famous by the 1989 Kevin Costner film. An MLB official told the Post that the league reached out to the administration after those events drew attention, and that a national park game is just one of several concepts under consideration.
White House Pushes Back on Scouting Reports
The Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that National Park Service Deputy Director Frank Lands had examined three possible locations for a baseball diamond within Grand Teton. The White House disputed that characterization, saying it was “incorrect” that the administration dispatched officials to scout sites. According to the White House, MLB “happened to schedule their trip to Grand Teton at the same time” Lands was in the area.
In a statement, the White House said the idea is “not being driven by the Department of Interior” and added, “This is not a White House or Administration priority.” The administration also noted that MLB has made no decisions and that the Park Service has not issued any permits for such an event.
According to the Post’s sources, one of the sites Lands reportedly visited is land that has already been disturbed rather than pristine parkland. Many national parks set aside such areas to store equipment and materials, which could make them less controversial than building on untouched ground.
A Long History of Novel Venues
MLB has spent the past decade experimenting with unusual settings. The league staged a game at a historic Negro League ballpark in Birmingham, Alabama, and another at a NASCAR racetrack in Tennessee. It has played three times at the Dyersville, Iowa, cornfield tied to “Field of Dreams.” Each of those events was designed as a spectacle that could draw national television audiences and casual fans.
A national park would be a different kind of stage. Grand Teton borders Yellowstone and ranks among the most-visited national parks in the country. National parks are also among the most heavily protected federal lands, and the Post noted that constructing a sports facility there could set a new precedent for how those lands are used.
Timing is another obstacle. The Post reported that MLB’s 2027 schedule is already locked in, meaning no specialty game at Grand Teton could take place before 2028 at the earliest.
Conservationists and Economists Object
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from conservation advocates and at least one economist. Betsy Buffington, a regional director with the National Parks Conservation Association, told the Post the idea is “ludicrous,” “crazy,” and “ridiculous.”
“It is irreplaceable,” she said. “There is no other Grand Teton that is home to bears and wolves and bison, elk and pronghorn.”
Teton County Commissioner Luther Propst told the Post that a ballpark would be “a radical departure from the tradition of national parks.”
Economist J.C. Bradbury was more blunt, calling it “a uniquely terrible idea.” He estimated that the cost would exceed the more than $50 million spent expanding the Field of Dreams venue in Iowa. Bradbury also argued that visitors arriving for a baseball game would displace other tourists in a park where hotels are already full — a concern that could intensify depending on the season chosen for any event.
For now, the proposal remains in the exploratory stage. MLB has not announced a site, a date, or a formal plan. The White House has distanced itself from the effort. And the Park Service has granted no permits, leaving the prospect of a major-league game beneath the Tetons as an idea that is being talked about — not one that is scheduled.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/take-me-out-to-the-national-park-mlb-explores-an-unusual-venue