“Take me out to the ball game, buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks and spend lots of money on a hotel room, food and beverages, shopping and more.” While that’s not how the song goes, these words have some truth.
Last year, baseball fans spent $69 million dollars in Lee County, where the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins play their spring training games. Considering that the two stadiums add over 1,000 jobs, spring training hits a home run for local coffers.
Charlotte County hosts the spring training operations of the Tampa Bay Rays.
– Stephanie Spell, C2 Communications