MLB (Major League Baseball) exerts a $6.1 million economic impact on Alabama

Events centered on the June 20^th MLB game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants has a total economic impact of nearly $6.1 million on the State of Alabama with approximately 73% or $4.5 million captured by the City of Birmingham.

The game, which MLB called “A Tribute to the Negro Leagues,” was meant to honor the legacy of Willie Mays and other Black baseball greats who left an enduring mark on the sport. The game was played at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field (circa 1910) – the home of the Birmingham Black Barons, which is the oldest professional baseball stadium in the U.S.  More three dozen (primarily local) minority owned businesses were contracted to provide goods and services for the MLB event, thus much of the economic impact from the event was from minority participation (hospitality, concessions, event planning, construction, HBCU tours, entertainment, and artistic design).