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Letter to Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball Commissioner - Representatives McKinley and Trahan Lead Bipartisan Call for Major League Baseball (MLB) to Abandon Harmful Reorganization Effort

Letter

By: Robert Aderholt, John Garamendi, Kevin McCarthy, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Cindy Axne, John Yarmuth, Anthony Brown, Elissa Slotkin, Mark Walker, Annie Kuster, Steven Horsford, Antonio Delgado, John Katko, Marcy Kaptur, Kevin Hern, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Kelly, Jr., Phil Roe, Veronica Escobar, Denver Riggleman III, Carol Miller, Rick Crawford, Jerry McNerney, Scott Tipton, Sanford Bishop, Jr., Lauren Underwood, Lori Trahan, Jamie Raskin, Betty McCollum, Alma Adams, Dina Titus, Max Rose, Elise Stefanik, Brian Higgins, Marcia Fudge, Suzanne Bonamici, Susan Wild, Joe Cunningham, Chuck Fleischmann, Lloyd Doggett II, Peter Welch, Mike Rogers, Steve Womack, T.J. Cox, Joe Courtney, Dave Loebsack, Brett Guthrie, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Moolenaar, David Price, Chris Pappas, Susie Lee, Sean Maloney, Tom Reed II, Joyce Beatty, Dave Joyce, Kurt Schrader, GT Thompson, Jr., Jim Clyburn, David Kustoff, Donald McEachin, Mark Pocan, Terri Sewell, Doris Matsui, Ken Calvert, Mike Waltz, Mike Simpson, Andy Barr, David Trone, Andy Levin, Richard Hudson, Jr., Chris Smith, Kathleen Rice, Paul Tonko, Joe Morelle, Mike Turner, Markwayne Mullin, Chrissy Houlahan, David Cicilline, Tim Burchett, Marc Veasey, Morgan Griffith, David McKinley, French Hill, Jimmy Panetta, Doug Lamborn, Abby Finkenauer, Jim Banks, Joe Kennedy III, Chellie Pingree, Greg Gianforte, Ted Budd, Mark Amodei, José Serrano, Anthony Brindisi, Brad Wenstrup, Tim Ryan, Peter DeFazio, Fred Keller, William Timmons, Mark Green, Rob Wittman, Suzan DelBene
Date: Nov. 19, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Arts, Entertainment, and History

Dear Commissioner Manfred,

We are writing to express our firm opposition to Major League Baseball's radical proposal to eliminate numerous Minor League Baseball clubs. If enacted, it would undermine the health of the minor league system that undergirds talent development and encourages fan loyalty. It would particularly be felt in areas far from a major league team or where tickets to a major league game are cost-prohibitive.

Tens of millions of fans attend Minor League Baseball games each season. These professional baseball clubs are vital components of our communities because they provide affordable, family-friendly entertainment to members of our communities, support scores of allied businesses, employ thousands of individuals, donate millions of dollars in charitable funds, and connect our communities to Major League Baseball. A number of these Minor League clubs operate at a loss but continue to persist due to strong fan support and club ownerships' commitment to their communities and America's Pastime.

The abandonment of Minor League clubs by Major League Baseball would devastate our communities, their bond purchasers, and other stakeholders affected by the potential loss of these clubs. We want you to fully understand the impact this could have not only on the communities we represent, but also on the long-term support that Congress has always afforded our national pastime on a wide variety of legislative initiatives.

For over a century, Congress has taken numerous actions specifically designed to protect, preserve, and sustain a system and structure for both Major and Minor League Baseball to flourish.

You are the most important steward of the great game of baseball and tasked with ensuring the popularity and love of it across the world. Reducing the number of Minor League Baseball clubs and overhauling a century-old system that has been consistently safeguarded by Congress is not in the best interest of the overall game of baseball, especially when Major League Baseball's revenues are at all-time highs.

As members of Congress who recognize the tremendous value of the Minor League system, we ask Major League Baseball to strongly reconsider its proposed course with Minor League Baseball and do all that it can to ensure the continuation of affiliated baseball in our communities.


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