The recent news that the Cal Ripken World Series, which has been based in Aberdeen for 13 years, will not return next summer was disappointing, but not necessarily surprising.
Nor was the news that Cal Ripken Jr., and his brother, Bill, are looking for a "strategic partner" to buy controlling interest in the Aberdeen IronBirds, so they can concentrate on their youth baseball enterprises.
While the participation of teams from around the globe at the world series has remained, the support of the Aberdeen youth baseball international tournament has not.
Sports in the modern world, even youth sports, are all about the money. It was a simple business decision by Ripken Baseball to not spend another $100,000 to host the world series at its Aberdeen complex. Who can blame them? There's been little community support, other than from the host families, for the event.
That's not to say that losing the Cal Ripken World Series is not a gut punch to Aberdeen's prestige, because it is. It doesn't say much for a community – and in this case the community extends beyond Aberdeen's borders – that can't support such a big-time event in international youth sports.
Which also makes what Steve Johnson, who is active in the business community as well as economic development in Aberdeen, said about the potential sale of the IronBirds so important: Basically that Aberdeen needs to do whatever it takes to make sure the IronBirds don't follow the World Series out of town.
There are limits, for sure, to what a city the size of Aberdeen can do to support professional baseball at any level, even a short season Class A team like the IronBirds. The truth is that, if not for Cal and the other Ripken family members involved, Aberdeen would never have been on the pro baseball map. It's a small town with a big league ballpark – Ripken Stadium – thanks to the Ripken family.
If Aberdeen wants to keep its big league self-image, it can't be apathetic about the IronBirds. Losing the ball club would leave the city's gut vulnerable to another shot which might hurt more than just a little while.