A public rejection of the concept has caused Major League Baseball to reverse course on potentially hosting a game at Grand Teton National Park, a letter from commissioner Rob Manfred revealed on Thursday.
The Athletic acquired the letter, which stated in part, “It has become clear the local community does not want us to continue evaluating Grand Teton National Park as a potential site.”
Manfred went on to write, “We obviously would not bring a game to a community that has concerns about the venue, and will not continue to evaluate Grand Teton National Park as a potential site.”
The Washington Post originally reported that MLB was exploring the possibility of playing a game at a national park and had surveyed three possible sites.
In recent years, MLB has held neutral-site games at locations such as the “Field of Dreams” movie site in Dyersville, Iowa; the site of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.; Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee; and Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.
“One that I would like to do again, to tell you the truth, is Rickwood,” Manfred said in August. “I thought Rickwood was fantastic. It’s an important part of the history of the Negro Leagues and baseball, generally, and we’d like to be back there.”
