This is our first true, no connection with MLB at all, independent league, and it is a weird one. I guess maybe this isn't as weird as it could be with the current USFL setup, but this is a four team league where all the games are held at one stadium in Michigan. The league started in 2016, and the Utica Unicorns have won four of the six championships so far. The Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers won in 2017 and 2018, and they are the only other champions. How these teams have geographical names when they all share the same stadium is beyond me. Despite all the weirdness here, this league had produced a Major Leaguer: Randy Dobnak, who played for the Unicorns in 2017. You'll note that was not one of the championships years. Since there is only one park, I'll just tell you the teams are the Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers, the Eastside Diamond Hoppers, the Utica Unicorns, and the Westside Wooly Mammoths. And here is Jimmy John's Field. This stadium is in Utica, MI, and has 2,000 seats with various suites and terraces that bring the full capacity to 4,500. It opened in 2016. It is 315 feet down the left field line, 320 down right, and 395 feet to center field.
Wikipedia tells me they average around 3,000 fans a game. The players make somewhere between $600 to $800 a month, and they utilize host families to shelter the players. From what I saw on their opening day link, tickets range from $20 to $6. I really can't think of much else to add at this point. I stretched this out as much as I could with the one stadium. If this slightly ridiculous league has captured your attention, it appears you can watch all the games for free on their YouTube channel this summer. Comments are closed.
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