MLB abandons possibility of hosting baseball game in Grand Teton National Park

JACKSON, WYO. (KIFI) — Following overwhelming community opposition and public concern, Major League Baseball has officially abandoned the possibility of hosting a special regular-season game inside Grand Teton National Park.

In a letter sent to the Teton County, Wyoming Board of Commissioners, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred assured the board members that the league has no active plans to move forward with the venue.

"It has become clear the local community does not want us to continue evaluating Grand Teton National Park as a potential site," Manfred wrote. "We obviously would not bring a game to a community that has concerns about the venue, and will not continue to evaluate Grand Teton National Park as a potential site."

Initial Talks and Potential Sites

The proposal was first reported by The Washington Post, which revealed that MLB officials and members of the Trump administration had explored potential locations within the park. According to sources familiar with the matter, three separate sites inside Grand Teton were visited as possible sites for a temporary baseball stadium.

The White House, however, noted that no decisions had been made and that the National Park Service had not issued any permits.

In his letter, Manfred emphasized that the league's preliminary site visits were standard procedure and the league had "no formal plan to play a game in Grand Teton National Park."

"Our team was conducting initial due diligence on many potential sites when this story was reported, and we had made no decision on the feasibility of staging a game in Grand Teton National Park," wrote Manfred. "We also had not reached the stage in our due diligence in which we evaluated environmental impact or spoke to members of the community to solicit their views—steps that would have certainly been part of any process should it have moved forward."

MLB's Special Events Strategy

The Grand Teton proposal was part of MLB's broader effort to hold regular-season games in parts of the country without access to a traditional Major League Stadium—similar to the league's "Field of Dreams" games in Iowa, the "Little League Classic" this year, played inside the Bristol Motor Speedway, and a recent game held at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2024.

Manfred pointed to these past events as proof of the league's commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement. "I believe this track record demonstrates the care in which we approach these events and alleviates any concern that MLB would pursue a project that could damage or diminish a National Park," Manfred added.

Although no concrete plans were in place, local resistance to the proposal in the surrounding Jackson Hole and Teton County communities was immediate.

Wyoming State Senator Mike Gierau strongly criticized the proposal, stating in a text to Seattle Sports that the idea was "abhorrent," and "a national park is to be protected for its undeveloped and scenic values.”

Tiernan Sittenfeld, President and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, urged the Department of the Interior to reject the idea publicly and ensure no baseball stadium is built in Grand Teton now or in the future.

Faced with strong opposition, MLB opted to abandon the possibility before developing a solid plan or environmental studies for hosting a baseball game inside Grand Teton National Park.

A full copy of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's letter is available below.