Found on page 14 of the 1976 yearbook of the Danville Dodgers, under the title given above:
Professional baseball today, in modern, comfortable, well-lighted parks, provides any community at any level with measurable and tangible benefits. A city can have few greater community assets.
Baseball is a proven deterrent to juvenile delinquency. It provides clean and wholesome recreation at moderate cost for the entire family. It provides live actors in dramatic combat, and escape from the hum-drum.
There’s also the dollar and cents value of a team to a community. While this is difficult to measure accurately, a team will leave a sizeable amount of money in a city during the five-month season.
It is the same as if an industry employing from 50 to 100 persons–ball players, concessionaires, grounds-keepers, ushers, park and clubhouse attendants and front office officials–operated seasonably every year.
This, of course, does not include the money spent by visitors who see the team play, nor does it include money brought in by the visiting teams.
And something that can’t be measured by money, the great advertising value of the city’s daily mention in the nation’s press and over broadcasting outlets.
Here’s a rough idea of what baseball spends in Danville during an average season:
The player payroll of the Danville Dodgers annually exceeds $70,000.00 and this money is funnelled into Danville from the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent here.
The payroll of the Danville Baseball Club itself exceeds $20,000.00 which is paid to citizens of Danville who spend here.
It costs the Club an additional $40,100,00 for operating expenses such as League Dues, Association Dues, Team travel, and Lodging, equipment purchases, and interest. [Odd capitalization as in the original.]
The Danville Baseball Club spends over $25,000.00 purchasing supplies in the Danville area.
Visiting teams bring in over $25,000.00 to Danville for lodging, meals, and expenses.
Approximately one-quarter of a million dollars is generated annually in Danville as a result of professional baseball.
Copied here largely because it gives just enough financial detail to be interesting, but there are other reasons to share it.