WILLIAMSPORT, PA — Little League Baseball announced today that the Little League World Series will leave bucolic South Williamsport, PA, in 2019 for a proposed $400 million “Little League cathedral” in downtown Los Angeles.
“We are excited about this move and see it as a natural progression in the growth of Little League baseball,” read a statement for Little League Baseball. “Williamsport has served us well for decades, but it’s time to move on.”
The Little League World Series has been held at the Little League’s South Williamsport complex every August since 1947, but thanks to a huge bid by a team of investors in California, the 2018 LLWS will be the last one in the Central Pennsylvania town.
The new complex will feature a main stadium with a retractable dome, 26 secondary fields with synthetic turf and a 217,000-square foot concession, gift shop and concert complex dubbed the “Mall of Little League.” Pitbull and Ke$ha are tentatively scheduled to perform before the 2017 opener.
Little League also announced it will begin displaying advertising on player jerseys in 2018.
“This is about creating new revenue streams to grow the game,” said a Little League spokesman. “Unfortunately, with the players’ small bodies, we can’t fit very many corporate logos on their uniforms.”
