Someone at Major League Baseball came to their senses, as a proposal for a Grand Teton National Park exhibition game was officially withdrawn by officials.
In late September it was reported that MLB had approached the Trump Administration about staging a regular-season game — likely in 2028 — in a U.S. national park. In response, National Park Service deputy director Frank Lands visited Grand Teton National Park to scout out three potential locations for a 20,000-capacity ballpark and accompanying facilities (clubhouses, production spaces, concession spaces, offices). Curiously, the Trump Administration issued lukewarm enthusiasm for the prospect of a national park game.
When the potential game was reported, the public feedback was very negative. MLB has traditionally used neutral-site games as a way to broaden the sport’s popularity in recent years, both internationally and within the United States, but there have been clear ties to baseball history for most of them. The Little League Classic and Field of Dreams games are now annual contests at the Little League World Series and Dyersville, Iowa Field of Dreams site, while other one-offs have included a Fort Bragg game in 2016, a Rickwood Field (Birmingham) game in 2024 and Bristol Motor Speedway extravaganza in 2025. The Bristol event was not universally regarded as a big success in the industry — ratings were meh, and the fan experience was pretty lousy, with concessions running out of food and seating sightlines pretty terrible — and in the end the event didn’t lead to facility upgrades or new facilities as they did in Iowa, Fort Bragg or Williamsport.
In a letter sent to Teton County officials and obtained by The Athletic, commissioner Rob Manfred explained the league was conducting “due diligence” on several sites that could host an MLB game, though it had not yet evaluated the environmental impact or solicited community input about the idea.
“That said, since the story was reported, it has become clear the local community does not want us to continue evaluating Grand Teton National Park as a potential site,” Manfred wrote. “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.”
We fully expect MLB to bring back a signature event in 2028; look for a return to Rickwood Field in coming years.
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