Economic Foul Ball

The baseball strike took an economic toll on major league cities. Some facts and figures:

* The 24 U.S. cities that play host to the nation’s 26 major league teams (Chicago and New York have two teams each) lost $776 million because of the strike.

* In New York, the early end to the 1994 season meant estimated losses of more than $100 million for the local economy.

* On average, cities lost $1.16 million in stadium revenue, local taxes and local business for each canceled home game.

* 1,250 full- and part-time jobs, or 32,500 jobs nationally, were lost at each city’s ballpark.

* Major league baseball players’ and teams’ strike losses: $200 million and $700 million, respectively.

* 40% of the 1,600 Dodger Stadium employees depended on their baseball jobs for 100% of their income.

* The city of Anaheim collects $154 million yearly from California Angels home games, or $1.9 million a game. With 21 games canceled from last season, and nine canceled from the the upcoming shortened season, total strike losses for the city of Anaheim are $57 million, or 37% of a normal year’s total revenue from home games.

* Each year, the Dodgers’ 81 home games account for about $35 million in taxes and local business revenues, or about $450,000 a game. (Los Angeles gets less money than Anaheim because Anaheim owns the Anaheim Stadium.)

* With 26 home games canceled from last season because of the strike, and nine canceled from the upcoming shortened season, the city of Los Angeles lost $15.3 million in tax and local business revenue, 44% of a normal year’s total revenue from home games.

Note: Dodgers’ figures are estimates based on a study by the Los Angeles Sports Council.

Sources: U.S. Conference of Mayors, Los Angeles Sports Council, Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Comptroller’s Office, wire reports.