DEAR EDITOR:

Recently Major League Baseball owners met in Orlando to discuss a plan to eliminate up to 42 minor league affiliate teams. I believe that plan is misguided, and I’m joining dozens of mayors nationwide to stop it.

Baseball connects us to our communities, our neighbors and our heritage. In mid-sized markets like Youngstown and the Greater Mahoning Valley, the most direct connection to professional baseball is our local minor league team.

In these divisive times, we need baseball and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

An evening at Eastwood Field is affordable, entertaining and fun — increasingly rare qualities in our Valley.

Data proves the sustained popularity of evenings at the ballpark. Four of five Americans live in a city with a minor league team, according to a 2018 ESPN poll. Last year, attendance at ballparks just like (and including) Eastwood Field exceeded 40 million.

Employees of our team and ballpark and countless vendors, hotels and area businesses depend on minor league baseball for their livelihoods. The economic domino effect would be pronounced.

A number of state and local leaders agree. The Ohio General Assembly passed a resolution in support of the Scrappers and other MiLB teams. Gov. Mike DeWine invited MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to attend a game at Eastwood Field, and Anthony Cafaro Sr. offered to host such a visit. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan also wrote to Mr. Manfred. The team is important to all of Ohio.

This proposal and MLB’s apparent underlying outlook are problematic. The league claims it wants to invest in baseball nationwide, but it also wants to cut the number of minor league players and teams. Taking baseball away from everyday folks seems like an odd way to invest in America’s pastime.

Mayors and civic leaders nationwide want minor league baseball to thrive because we want our communities to thrive. We want more restaurants and activities around local ballparks. We want kids to play youth league baseball. We want entertainment that works for both young and old.

Nearly 100 mayors have come together on a task force to stop the contraction of minor league baseball. We’re all motivated by common concerns for the future of baseball and our cities. We stand united to support minor league baseball, and have expressed our displeasure to MLB executives. We hope our collective voice doesn’t fall on deaf ears.

For more than 100 years, minor league baseball has been part of the fabric of America. Ripping these teams from areas benefiting from them is downright cruel. The MLB wants to mortgage the heart of the Mahoning Valley for a few extra pennies. I hope they can be convinced otherwise.

JAMAEL TITO BROWN

mayor, city of Youngstown