Night Baseball for High Schools

NIGHT BASEBALL AT THE

HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL- IS IT TIME?

                                                By John Leon

            Has the time come for the high schools to bring night time baseball to the fore front? It may be and I know what the argument will be and it’s about the cost, and rightly so. But the time may be right for this idea to come to fruition.

            After all, we have night games for football and basketball, so why not baseball, track, soccer and whatever else? It could easily be used as a revenue sport thereby offsetting some of the costs associated with lights and electricity. No one seems to argue about paying for football and basketball games and the cost could be the same at $3 per person, just like in the other sports.

            There are going to be at least 5 games this season played under the lights and I personally think it’s great. Just imagine what the possibilities would be if most of the schools had lights on the fields. Revenue, concessions, excitement, attendance and let’s be honest, the games would be played at a higher level in my opinion, because the athletes actually like playing at night.

            Add in the fact that local radio may be involved and revenues for the stations and schools would be greater. Middle Township and Wildwood Catholic are playing some games under the lights; while there will be Egg Harbor Township vs. Mainland and Holy Spirit vs. Atlantic City played at Bernie Robbins Stadium in Atlantic City. If you don’t think that this can work, ask any of the almost 800 fans that packed the Stadium last season to watch Mainland/Spirit. Of course, the pitching matchup was tremendous as A.J. Holland bested Charlie Law in a 3-0 gem, but the fact that so many people had interest in the game should tell you something.

            The stadium had a concession stand open that night and I know for a fact that money was made, and I would expect games played there to be at least as good.

            So we return to the initial question, is it time for night time baseball for the local high schools, or does it make more sense to just have key matchups under the lights? Would the novelty wear off or can this be a realistic proposition?

            The cost factor would have to be considered as many of the schools are being crunched by the State of New Jersey and funds are scarce, but again, I offer the scenario of the revenue possibility. Remember it was not that long ago that football games at night were just a pipe dream and look now. 95% of the schools play their games on Friday nights and it has flourished as a way for alumni to get together and for the school to gain revenue, as it is an inexpensive and fun night out for most families in this time of tight budgets.

            So what would be the difference? Most of the games are played now at 4PM so there is enough daylight to be able to finish the contests, but if you look around; there maybe are 50 people or so. Consider a nice evening with 300 or so, concessions booming (just look to any Little League field for an example) and some good baseball played.

            Ponder the thought as I bring you the argument that it would be a good idea, and it just may be time to explore the option. It’s just a matter of finding a way to make it happen.