Economics

Baseball's Spring Training Towns Are Missing Out on Fans—and Their Cash

Pandemic robbed revenue from cities that rely on training
Capacity limits blunt their Christmas-in-March tourism boost

A worker cleans seats taped off for social distancing ahead of a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels at Scottsdale Stadium on Feb. 26.Photographer: Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

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By Anastasia Bergeron

March 4, 2021 at 12:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Spring training is like Christmas for cities in South Florida and Arizona that every March host baseball’s most committed fans. But strict capacity limits at ballparks will cut into the cash haul that local businesses rely on for a major chunk of their annual profits.

Snowbirds from around the country pack bars, restaurants and hotels to see the sport’s biggest stars up close in the Grapefruit (Florida) and Cactus (Arizona) Leagues. The outbreak of Covid-19 shut down spring training halfway through the monthlong preseason.