There Goes Another ...

In my earlier blog posting about new independent leagues, I failed to mention the New York State League, which planned to have all four member teams playing at Munrane Field in Utica, NY. Well the league didn't last long. After just two weeks of play, the league has folded. This league seemed ill conceived from the start. Utica has never been a "hotbed" of professional sports, especially recently when the local economy has really been hurting. And it's not like other leagues have been clamoring to get into Utica recently. I'm really not sure what Jay Acton, who founded the league, was expecting. Even if they were losing money (apparently upwards of $10k per day), he should have had enough capital to get them through the 2 month season. If he didn't, then he never should have started the league.

Acton should have know better. Some 20 years ago (in 1987) he tried a similar experiment on Long Island with the Empire State League. That also failed after just one season. Did he think that was an idea ahead of its time ? Who knows, but this latest failed experiment has only accomplished one thing - to poison the Utica market even further. The citizens there have been through many failed pro franchises in the past, but this may be the last. Jay Acton can blame the people all he wants for not coming out, but ultimately he's responsible for the failure of the league. Shame on him.