The Newark Bears are no longer part of the Canadian American League, an independent league. As a result, their future is very much in question, writes David Giambusso of The Star-Ledger. The Bears have had problems for a while now, drawing fewer than 500 fans per game while putting together losing teams.
Due to the uncertainty, the Bears’ owners informed Commissioner Miles Wolff that they would not field a team for the 2014 season, a decision that Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo did not like:DiVincenzo, who has expressed frustration in the past with Bears’ ownership, said it did not matter what league the team plays in, provided there is something for fans to come see.
“I don’t care as long as we’re playing baseball,” DiVincenzo said. “I don’t want the stadium to go black.”
The team is so cash-strapped and mired in debt they “didn’t have the funds to invest in staff and marketing,” as co-owner Danielle Dronet put it. Dronet is hoping to find new investors to help breathe fresh life into the team. Additionally, they’ll have to change their marketing plan from beer pong for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and a fake Justin Bieber concert to something legitimate.