The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues announced Tuesday that minor league seasons in 2020 have been canceled because of the coronoavirus pandemic., and the head of the governing body said more than half of the 160 teams are in danger of failing without government assistance or private equity injections.
Pat O’Conner, association president, said the minor leagues cannot exist without fans, since they do not have TV revenue like MLB. O’Conner estimated that 85-90% of revenue is related to ticket money, concessions, parking and ballpark advertising. The minors drew 41.5 million fans last year for 176 teams in 15 leagues, averaging 4,044 fans per game.
