Jamestown is losing its minor league baseball franchise to a bigger market. Owner Rich Baseball Operations is moving the team to Morgantown, West Virginia.
The excitement of Jamestown Jammers baseball will come to an end in the coming days. Jamestown has had a franchise in the Single A New York Penn League for decades -- the last 20 years as the Jammers. But attendance at Russell Diethrick Park has dropped to under 800 per game.
The league has expanded in recent years into larger markets with teams now in Staten Island and Brooklyn. And with a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium beckoning in Morgantown, even Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi acknowledged in an interview with Time Warner Cable News that a small market like his couldn't compete.
The Morgantown franchise will play in a stadium now under construction for West Virginia's baseball program which plays in the prestigious Big 12.
Another factor in the relocation is Morgantown's proximity to the parent Pittsburgh Pirates -- about 70 miles away.
Teresi said the loss of the Jamestown Jammers will have a significant impact. He said the team generated $3.5 million in revenue for the city. But Teresi said the city will look at other leagues in hopes of returning minor league baseball to Jamestown.