Yankees and Rays Play at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports

 by Ray Keating

Photos by Jonathan Keating

Lifestyle

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 1, 2023

 

A Major League Baseball Spring Training game was played at The Stadium at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Walt Disney World yesterday (February 28). That was the first such game at The Stadium since the Atlanta Braves last held Spring Training at the complex in 2019.

 

The Rays took down the Yankees 12-0 yesterday, with the Rays often seeming to be hitting batting practice. But Spring Training is about getting ready for the regular season, and evaluating and developing talent, so the outcome of spring games isn’t really the point. 

 

Also, the scoreboard didn’t work for the first few innings. Whoops. 

 

But any day that I can get to the ballpark – Spring Training or the regular season – ranks as a good day. And checking out a game at The Stadium for the first time in many years was enjoyable.

 

What follows is a kind of photo essay from the Yankees-Rays game of February 28 courtesy of Jonathan Keating…

 

 

By the way, the Rays played three regular season games at The Stadium in 2007 and 2008. Hmmm. Not a bad idea, given that Tropicana Field is the worst stadium in all of Major League Baseball.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, and the Alliance of Saint Michael novels; and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right? 

 

Consider books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks at RayKeatingOnline.com or paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel. Signed paperbacks and/or paperbacks, hardcovers and the Kindle edition at Amazon. 

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. The latest in the series is Persecution: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel. Get the signed books here, or paperbacks and Kindle editions right here.

 

• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.

 

• Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  –  signed books  or at  Amazon.

 

•  Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know is available at  Amazon  in paperback or for the Kindle edition, and signed books at  www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney World Hosts the Tampa Bay Rays

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

February 15, 2023

 

Pitchers and catchers have their first workout of Spring Training today (February 15) at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The first full squad workouts will be on Monday, February 20.

 

Morning workouts begin at 9:30, with fans having free access to the backfields (though the stadium will not be open to fans), according to the Tampa Bay Times.

 

Courtesy of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex website

The Major League Spring Training camp for the Rays will be at the Disney World facility until March 1. It will then shift to the Rays regular season stadium, Tropicana Field. However, the team’s Minor League Spring Training will remain at the ESPN Complex through March.

 

For good measure, the Rays first home Spring Training game will be against the New York Yankees on February 28 at Disney. But that will be the only preseason game at the ESPN Complex.

 

After being damaged by Hurricane Ian, the Rays’ normal Spring Training home, the Charlotte Sports Park complex, will not be available until next year.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, and the Alliance of Saint Michael novels; and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right? 

 

Consider books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks at RayKeatingOnline.com or paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel. Signed paperbacks and/or paperbacks, hardcovers and the Kindle edition at Amazon. 

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. The latest in the series is Persecution: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel. Get the signed books here, or paperbacks and Kindle editions right here.

 

• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.

 

• Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  –  signed books  or at  Amazon.

 

•  Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know is available at  Amazon  in paperback or for the Kindle edition, and signed books at  www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training 2023 Starts at Walt Disney World

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 21, 2022

 

It might be the first day of winter, but there’s never a bad time to talk baseball. And baseball news is in the air relating to Walt Disney World.

 

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that due to damage related to Hurricane Ian, the Charlotte Sports Park complex will not be available for Spring Training 2023. As a result, the team will open spring training at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Courtesy of the ESPN Wide World of Sports website

Pitchers and catchers are set to report for the Rays on February 14, as well as early arrivals scheduled for February 6. Spring training workouts will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, along with the first spring training game on February 28. 

 

The Major League Spring Training camp will be at Disney World until March 1, after which it will be moved to the Rays regular season stadium, Tropicana Field.

 

However, the Rays Minor League Spring Training camp will remain at the ESPN complex.

 

The Rays and Charlotte County plan to move the Rays Spring Training activities back to the Charlotte Sports Park complex in 2024.

 

The Disney complex had served as the Spring Training home of the Atlanta Braves for 22 seasons, most recently in 2019. For good measure, the Rays have played there in the past, as noted in the team’s statement: “The Rays also have history at ‘The Stadium,’ formerly known as Champion Stadium. Tampa Bay previously hosted six regular-season games at the Disney ballpark, sweeping a series against the Rangers in May 2007 then winning three games against the Blue Jays in April 2008.”

 

Faron Kelley, vice president of Disney Sports, said, “We are thrilled to be bringing Major League Baseball back to Walt Disney World Resort. We’re always looking for top-tier events, like the Rays’ Spring Training, for our guests to enjoy at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.”

 

On a personal note, as a baseball fan who has absolutely no appreciation for the warehouse-like, soulless Tropicana Field, it’s a shame that the Rays full Spring Training schedule in 2023 won’t be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, and the Alliance of Saint Michael novels; and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right? 

 

Consider books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks at RayKeatingOnline.com or paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel. Signed paperbacks and/or paperbacks, hardcovers and the Kindle edition at Amazon. 

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. The latest in the series is Persecution: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel. Get the signed books here, or paperbacks and Kindle editions right here.

 

• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.

 

• Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  –  signed books  or at  Amazon.

 

•  Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know is available at  Amazon  in paperback or for the Kindle edition, and signed books at  www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney Welcomes 2021 Dept. of Defense Warrior Games to ESPN Complex

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 22, 2020

 

From Shades of Green, the Department of Defense resort on Disney property, to daily Flag Retreat ceremonies in the Town Square at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, The Walt Disney Company has had a long history of supporting military families and veterans.  In 2021, they’ll be extending that relationship by hosting the annual Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command announced that the games will be held in Florida in September 2021, inviting hundreds of competitors from across the United States Armed Forces and ally nations to participate through adaptive sporting events, including wheelchair basketball, cycling, indoor rowing, wheelchair rugby and more.

 

According to Cappy Surette, Manager, Executive Communications, Walt Disney World Resort and Co-chair, Disney SALUTE Veteran Business Employee Resource Group, Disney will be donating the venue and services for the event.  

 

“These games truly embody and celebrate the resiliency and dedication of wounded, ill, and injured active duty and veteran military service members,” noted Surette. “And this event provides an opportunity for families, friends and supporters like you to see these incredible wounded warriors shine as they display their true warrior spirit through competitive sports.”

 

This continuing support for military families would no doubt please Walt Disney himself, who had a deep appreciation for the freedoms enjoyed in America, and protected by our military. Walt, for example, once said, “I thank God and America for the right to live and raise my family under the flag of tolerance, democracy, and freedom.”

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Major League Soccer Returns; Disney to Host July Games

by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 11, 2020

One of the things that has been missing from our household in the past few months has been major league sports. It took me awhile to realize that the quietness in the house was due to the lack of background crowd noise from the consistency of professional sports on the TV.  With the dearth of new games, one son has even taken to watching decades old Yankees games to fill the void.  As states begin to reopen, and sports trickles back into the American landscape, Disney has stepped in to play a major – no pun intended – role in making it happen.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Last week, the NBA announced it would resume its abbreviated season at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (See DisneyBizJournal’s report.) While the basketball deal had been rumored for weeks, it really didn’t come as a surprise to most people when the deal was finally inked. Disney has a prior relationship with the NBA (if in doubt, check out the NBA Experience at Disney Springs  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/disney-springs/nba-experience/), and the ideally suited ESPN complex, already preset for media needs and multiple games, was uniquely suited to hosting, housing and training the professional players and staffs. 

Now, Disney and MLS have announced that professional soccer is coming to the Disney complex as well. The “MLS is Back Tournament” will begin on July 8th, relaunching Major League Soccer’s 2020 season, which also happens to be its 25^thseason. 

All of MLS’s 26 teams will compete in a continuous schedule of 54 total matches, with three matches each day at 9 am, 8 pm, and 10:30 pm.  According to the Disney Parks Blog, the tournament winner will also earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.

The tournament’s opening game will feature Orlando City SC vs. Inter Miami CF as they face off for the first time. The rest of the tournament continues on July 8^th when group stage begins, followed by a round of 16 from July 25^th-28^th. Quarterfinals are set to begin July 30^th-August 1^st, with semi-finals on August 5^th-6^th. The final game will take place August 11^th.

Broadcasts of the games will take place on MLS partner networks, and will feature interactive fan elements.  Soccer enthusiasts can also sign up for daily updates from the tournament at https://www.mlssoccer.com/mls-is-back-tournament. Specific details on competition format and draws to determine the group placings for the tournament are also available there.

Interestingly, this is not the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex’s first run at professional soccer. The facility also hosted the 1998 MLS preseason, as well as events for the 1998 and 2019 MLS All-Star Games.

During the tournament, players will be subject to daily testing for COVID-19, and specific medical protocols and a comprehensive testing plan developed by infectious disease experts will be in effect. As is the case with the NBA games, the tournament will take place without fans present.

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See related...

“The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World”

See recent...

“Disneyland in California Reopening Announced”

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 4, 2020

“Hey, NBA owners, you just voted to get the season restarted. Where are you headed?”

“We’re going to Walt Disney World.”

Well, that’s basically the story according to the Associated Press. AP is reporting that owners voted to approve 22 teams – each team in a playoff position before the coronavirus shut down the season, plus six teams within six games of the playoffs – to get the season going at the ESPN Wide World of Sports facility at Walt Disney World. That leaves eight teams out for the season.

AP noted, “The format calls for each team playing eight games to determine playoff seeding plus the possible utilization of a play-in tournament for the final spot in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference postseason fields, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the league had not yet revealed the vote result publicly.”

It is expected that players would be arriving at the Disney complex in mid-July, with an NBA champion to be crowned in October.

It’s been widely reported, including by Keith Smith of YahooSports, that Disney and the NBA have agreed that Disney World’s Coronado Springs would serve as the primary resort hotel for the NBA.

The NBA’s plan to reopen in July would follow on NASCAR, which restarted racing late last month and the PGA Tour’s plan to restart on June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The NHL is working on getting back on the ice, while baseball’s owners and players seem bent on squabbling.

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See recent...

“Disney and Its Brand Face Increasing Uncertainty in China”

“A Little Something to Distract You From the Disney News Bomb”

“Disney World Gets Official Go Ahead to Open, But Disney Has Cancelled Your Dining Plans and More”

“Disney Announces Reopening Dates for Walt Disney World”

“Return of My Guilty Pleasure: National Treasure”

“PRESS CLUB C Podcast with Ray Keating – Episode #10: Streaming Fueling the Nerd, Including the Disney Nerd”

See notable...

“Theme Parks: Pandemic, Disney and the Little Guys”

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.