Introduction
Major league baseball was introduced as a recreational event in the United States. The Cincinnati Red Stockings was the first professional baseball team founded in 1869. The National League was founded in 1876 with eight professional teams. The American League was formed in 1901, following the formation of the National League (Epner et al., 2022).
The original American League had eight teams as well. Beginning in 1903, the American League and the National League agreed to have their respective champions compete in the World Series (Epner et al., 2022). They have been playing this game ever since, and it is one of the most-watched sporting events. There have been numerous significant events in baseball history. One was during WWII when President Roosevelt agreed to allow baseball to continue because it was essential to the country.
Current State
Major league baseball has been renamed the American game due to its fast growth in the states. Through the expansion process, the sport is active in all American states apart from Cleveland and Miami (Epner et al., 2022). Increased pressure to keep the sport as the US national pastime, particularly in light of the growing popularity of professional football, was one of the driving forces behind the expansion. The American and National Leagues underwent reorganization as a result of the expansion.
Market Demographics and Psychographics
Bedford has a vast and diversified population. According to the findings of the 2020 census, the city’s total population was 63,074, and there were 16,951 dwellings with a density of 1,300 per square kilometer (Fort et al., 2019). There were 16,265 dwellings, with adults comprising 68% of the population and children under 18 occupying 2.5% (Fort et al., 2019).
The National Football League (NFL) and major league baseball are the two sports that Bedford people are most passionate about. Still, they have the slightest interest in professional soccer and boxing. A large number of baseball fans mentioned the formation of a competitive league in the city, which would pose a threat to the other established states.
Climatic Conditions
Bedford City experiences a temperate climate with frigid winters and humid summers. The city does not experience dry seasons, making the region strategic for sporting events. Regarding precipitation, Ohio State enjoys moderately distributed rainfall, with occasional ice and snowfalls. The lack of severity in temperature throughout the year necessitates basketball activities, making major league baseball an ideal sporting event. Tornadoes are a common threat in the area despite being outside of “Tornado Alley” in states to the west (Fort et al., 2019).
A wide range of extremes characterizes the local weather depending on seasons, with high and low temperatures recorded in summer and winter. Tornadoes and air masses often transpose in Bedford due to the relatively flat topography. Since the air masses pose a physical threat to commercial and residential areas, baseball activities should be scheduled during the autumn and summer.
Options and Rationale Behind the Choice of the Market
Various options occur since demographics, topographic, and psychographic factors are considered when determining the ideal region for the stadium in Ohio. Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton, the most populous cities in Ohio, stand as competition to Bedford (Kim et al., 2021). Cincinnati has a riverboat recreational Centre, which gives the zone a competitive advantage over Bedford. However, Bedford is the ideal expansion zone due to its prime location in Ohio. Due to its demographic, climatic, and psychographic characteristics, Major League Baseball should consider Bedford a different expansion zone.
Bedford has potential young supporters who can play on the team and support it despite the high proportion of persons in the 25–34 age group (Epner et al., 2022). Bedford’s psychographics suggest that the NFL and MLB have the most extensive fan base. Home and away fans may enjoy the stadium buffet, a covered private bar and eating area, beautiful Ohio River views, and the game. The Great American Ballpark in Bedford has a distinct section for cultural brewing, with various local craft brews at the customer’s disposal.
Proposed Stadium Financing
The stadium financing will combine public and private players, including county governments, private organizations, and individuals, to fund the proposed Bedford major league stadium project. Cuyahoga County will fund half of the stadium construction cost from funds generated through taxes and other revenue sources, while other stakeholders will cater for the remainder. The stadium’s anticipated value is $190 million, consisting of design, construction, permits, contingencies, testing, and inspection (Henderson et al., 2019). To make sure there is adequate room and prestige, it also employs a Design-Build delivery system.
The club stakeholders will pay for the Bedford baseball team’s property taxes, some parking money, and operations. Establishing a baseball stadium in Bedford City creates employment opportunities for locals and foreigners. Health practitioners, including physicians and psychiatrists, will be employed to attend to injured players. Drivers, security guards, and stadium conditioners will also be employed, making the stadium a job zone. Apart from hosting national and amateur baseball games, the proposed stadium will host annual talent shows and concerts in Bedford.
Team Advertisements
Bedford Major League Baseball team will use local channels to create awareness among its fans about its establishment. The sales of the availability of the tickets will be announced in the Ohio Weekly magazine and the media. The board of directors at Bedford will allocate thousands of dollars each year to the marketing department to guarantee a more extensive fan base and successful market expansion (Bleakley et al., 2022).
The marketing division will create eye-catching advertisements for all sporting events held in the community, increasing the commercial worth of big-league baseball in Bedford, Ohio. The marketing departments of MLB teams might benefit from being aware of any links between print advertisements and ticket sales (Bleakley et al., 2022). Elite and specialized marketing approaches will help tap the niche amongst the Bedford residents, improving attendance at sports events and increasing overall growth in significant league baseball.
Competing and Complementary Attractions
Basketball is more popular than major league baseball at Ohio State, located in Bedford City. Basketball has the highest following, making it the most prominent opponent to Bedford’s introduction of a baseball team, according to 2020 Psychographics (Henderson et al., 2019). The high level of competition is related to the widespread use of doping by major league baseball players.
Ohio’s largest collegiate esports facility has a console, PC, and virtual reality gaming hardware. KingsAmusement Park, located in Bedford, is an important recreational and tourist attraction facility that will increase the number of foreign baseball fans in Bedford Stadium. Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds are professional baseball teams that will impose a great come [petition on the Bedford City team.
Safety and Security of the Sports Events
At the Bedford City baseball stadium, security is paramount in the parking lot, entrance, and field stands during athletic events. Physical security and an emergency management plan will be implemented to safeguard the safety of the event, its attendees, and its stakeholders. Regarding the emergency management strategy, venue managers must prepare for inclement weather and natural disasters in advance (Bleakley et al., 2022). Every venue is required to develop a comprehensive emergency management program. The emergency management strategy must be a live document continuously revised in response to the specific occurrence.
Regarding physical security, facility access is always the first line of defense. Several youth sports grounds are public parks and facilities with minimal or no physical barriers to restrict access. Depending on the event’s nature and the venue’s size, there are numerous entrance options with thorough security checks. According to national security reports, Ohio’s property crime rate is 18.6 per 1000 persons (Bleakley et al., 2022). To counter theft during the events, the fans will use a single entrance and exit, which is password controlled, to ensure high safety and security.
Sponsorship for Local Corporation
Since the Bedford Major League is an enlargement of the current league, the team will also receive sponsorship from Coca-Cola and the county government. Bedford City League aims to increase its commercial value because sponsorship is a partnership between a provider of money, resources, or services and a person. The sponsors will provide the rights and associations that may be exploited for commercial advantage in exchange for the sponsorship expenditure to achieve economic viability (Henderson et al., 2019).
Major league sponsorship is only one of the several marketing avenues that companies and funders can invest in. The Bedford Major League will pursue sponsors as potential partners. To be effective, both the sports club and the county government sponsors must comprehend the motivations and goals of the other and support the accomplishment of their joint goals. Bedford Sports Organization is accountable for a commercial partnership’s success; therefore, its marketing department should be efficient.
Conclusion
Bedford City in Ohio provides a strategic expansion zone for major league baseball and the climate. Moreover, demographic factors, such as the city enjoying a flat topography, make setting up the accessible stadium affordable. Looking at the exponential growth of the baseball sporting event and the high number of potential fans provided in the psychographic report, Bedford City would become a competitive zone for baseball, removing the basketball monopoly that is currently dominant.
References
Bleakley, A., Ellithorpe, M. E., Jordan, A. B., Hennessy, M., & Stevens, R. (2022). A content analysis of sports and energy drink advertising. Appetite, p. 174. Web.
Epner, E., Hedt, C., Jack II, R. A., Lambert, B., McCulloch, P. C., & Lintner, D. M. (2022). The career trajectory of Major League Baseball draftees with a history of spondylolysis or lumbar disc herniation. Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 38(1), 75–82. Web.
Fort, R., Lee, Y. H., & Oh, T. (2019). Quantile insights on market structure and worker salaries: The case of Major League Baseball. Journal of Sports Economics, 20(8), 1066–1087. Web.
Henderson, C. M., Mazodier, M., & Sundar, A. (2019). The color of support: The effect of sponsor–team visual congruence on sponsorship performance. Journal of Marketing, 83(3), 50-71. Web.
Kim, M., Choi, K. H., & Leopkey, B. (2021). The influence of tourist risk perceptions on travel intention to mega sporting event destinations with different levels of risk. Tourism Economics, 27(3), 419–435. Web.