Akron RubberDucks in line for nearly $4 million in COVID relief money

The Akron RubberDucks are among eight minor league baseball and hockey teams splitting $30 million from the state to recover from losses suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ohio General Assembly appropriated the money, which came to the state from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The grants are being administered through the Ohio Department of Development.

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The RubberDucks' share is just under $3.87 million. Individual team grant amounts were awarded based on the teams’ 2019 gross revenue.

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RubberDucks General Manager Jim Pfander said the COVID-19 pandemic shut the sport down for the entire 2020 season and part of the 2021 schedule, when capacity at Canal Park was limited for a period of time.

He said the grant will make up a substantial part of revenue lost when games could not be played due to the 2020 shutdown. Although he wouldn't put a figure on the lost revenue, he said $3.87 million "is in the ballpark" for what the organization earned in 2019.

"The way that we generate revenue is through playing games and then, I always like to tell people the analogy of the squirrel and acorns, right?

"You know you play your 70-home-game season and you kind of store all those acorns in the hollow tree, and that's what gets you through October, November, December, January, February and March. Then you get to April and you get to the baseball season again."

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Pfander said the team still hasn't fully recovered as far as attendance, which averaged around 5,000 per game in 2019, ended up around 3,600 per game in 2021 and was only up to 3,900 last year.

While players are paid by the Cleveland Guardians organization, the RubberDucks staff consists of around 30 full-time employees, who were kept on board during the pandemic, and around 150 part-time workers, who attend to the crowds and who saw limited work as the stadium was only open for a few special events.

"You know, we're still not back in 2019 revenue levels," Pfander said. Referring to the grant, he added "attendance levels aren't back to 2019 yet. I mean, I think we're slowly creeping back up, but I think this is really going to help us as we as we move forward."

Other minor league baseball teams receiving grants include:

• Dayton Dragons – $6.2 million
• Lake County Captains – $1.6 million.
• Lake Erie Crushers – $1 million
• Mahoning Valley Scrappers – $927,000
• Toledo Mud Hens – $7.4 million

Minor league hockey teams include:

• Cincinnati Cyclones – $3.6 million
• Toledo Walleye – $5.3 million

“Ohio is the heart of excitement, and there’s nothing more exciting than the roar of a crowd rooting for the home team,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Department of Development. “With this funding we’re supporting more than just these teams; we’re supporting beloved members of our communities. Whether it’s with a hat trick or a home run, these teams bring generations of fans together and give them something to cheer for. We’re proud to invest in that.”

Eric Marotta can be reached at emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottqaEric.