Thanks MLBPA

[JayFarrar]

My sister runs a youth sports league and the Major League Baseball Players Association just hooked her up with a grant for nearly $162,000 to build a new ballfield for the local high school team and the various summer league teams. Not bad for a small little town in flyover country with the nearest MLB team at least five hours away.
Not the nearest, but the most popular MLB team in the area is also going to have her and a couple people who will maintain the field up on an off day and the groundskeeper will teach them how to maintain the grass. The team is picking up the tab for the trip.
The grant is effectively twice that though, since the companies involved in the construction will now give her breaks. Like the lights, they were originally going to run around $150,000, but because of the grant, they submitted a new bid for around $80,000.
They'll also be having a ground-breaking ceremony and a ribbon cutting ceremony when it opens with various former and possible current players.
As near as I can tell it is pretty much strings free. It has to go to the ballfield, but it isn't like they have put up signs touting the MLBPA or anything.
During an NBA-MLB smackdown thread on here, someone said the MLB is dying since they don't have the grassroots support. I don't think that's the case. This is the kind of thing that helps maintain a league's popularity, especially in a place where the fans are kept going by the TV.
Just out of curiousity, for at least one person on this board, this will be a real question, but if you were the SE for the local paper, how would you cover this?
Maybe, like a brite for the grant and maybe a story if some players make an appearance?
Right now it hasn't gotten any coverage in either of the dailies that serve the area where she lives.
For shame, for shame.

 

[leo1]

sounds like the better story is about the grassroots angle. this is great but MLB needs hundreds more like it and a lot of patience if it wants to see this type of investment "pay off" in terms of more american born and bred prospects. but what the **** do i know?

 

[Angola!]

Do the newspapers know this happened?

 

[The Big Ragu]

The NFL and NFLPA have a large youth fund (they pooled the money--it used to be $150 million--and they share the glory) that they use for similar "grassroots" projects, including building fields--mostly in inner cities or down-and-out areas. The money is always without strings, but they ride it for as much publicity as they can get from it (I am not criticizing them).

 

[indiansnetwork]

That is great new, sure wish we had more feel good news like that. Unfortunately things of this nature very rarely get the pub it should because of (more Exciting?) news like murders, rapes and domestic abuse. Good for MLB also. Lets just hope that the place doesn't become a haven for steroid abuse like our major league parks.

 

[alleyallen]

I would most definitely cover it, but it may also be worth more than one story as the whole project progresses. And it certainly wouldn't be bad to foster some good will the other way by sending whatever stories are written to the paper(s) which cover the MLB team.

This is a neat story that really will benefit lots of kids, so I see no reason why a story or two shouldn't be done.

 

[JayFarrar]

Victor Conte got the deal to run the concession stand.
Is that bad?

 

[cranberry]

The MLBPA, through its charitable arm, the Players Trust, does a lot of these things pretty quietly. It's also been heavily involved in New Orleans recovery through its partnership with Volunteers of America.

There's a strong involvement by players in the Players Trust. It's run by a board of players and has a Trust rep on each team. Players typically direct the grant money to charities and programs with which they're involved. The Trust also has a program in which it provides matching grants when a player donates money to a charitable cause.