Major League Baseball reportedly approached the Trump administration about hosting a game in Grand Teton National Park, an idea that feels straight out of a movie but just ran into a bureaucratic brick wall. The Washington Post broke the news on Saturday, citing two anonymous sources who are familiar with the situation.
This wild concept was floated as a spiritual successor to those incredibly successful Field of Dreams games held in Iowa. Seriously, imagine watching a big league game with the Tetons looming in the background, instead of cornfields. The administration even went as far as scouting potential locations in the northwestern Wyoming park, looking for spots suitable for building a temporary ballpark to host an MLB game. An MLB official told the Post that the league pursued the administration after seeing how well other stand-alone MLB events have done.
But hold your horses, because the White House poured some cold water on the whole idea. In a statement to the Post, the White House confirmed that MLB asked “if it was possible to host a game at a national park, similar to the Field of Dreams game.” However, they quickly distanced themselves, stating, “This is not a Presidential directive, nor is it being directed by the White House. It’s also not being driven by the Department of Interior.” They wrapped it up by making it crystal clear: “Therefore, this is not a White House or Administration priority.” It sounds like the administration is basically saying, “Nice try, but no.” They also added that MLB hasn’t made any final decisions, and the National Park Service hasn’t issued any permits for this potential event. Given Grand Teton is the country’s eighth-most visited national park and ranks among the most protected federal lands, it was always going to be a tough ask.
So, what’s next for MLB’s national park dreams? Right now, it looks like they are on hold, if not completely dead in the water. With no permits issued and the White House explicitly stating it’s not a priority, it seems like we won’t be seeing a fastball thrown with the Tetons as the backdrop anytime soon.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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