Criteria for MLB Expansion Cities Ultimately, there are three exceptionally important criteria for deciding a good candidate for an expansion team. The first criterion is that the stadium must be controlled or owned by the baseball team. The stadium is a crucial aspect because most of the team's revenue is generated in relation to the stadium. Stadium revenue includes ticket sales, parking, merchandise and concessions. Therefore, without a stadium, the team will not be able to generate a stable source of revenue. The second criterion is that local ownership must have strong roots within the community. Without community ties, fan participation may decline. This is because fans could ultimately perceive that the owners' only goal for the MLB franchise was to be profitable. The third criterion is that the city must have long-term political support in the community. It is vital to have political support to obtain financial support during the years of the team's existence, especially in taxpayer money. This is especially significant when the team experiences problems or clashes involving the stadium and the grounds around the stadium. If political support is lacking, expansion teams will not be able to get enough money to renovate or repair stadiums or to build new stadiums for the same team within the same city. This circumstance was evident when the New York Yankees used the tax revenue generated by the city of New York to finance the construction of their brand new stadium for the 2009 season. Therefore, the expansion committees believe it is necessary to confirm that future cities will have sufficient support political because this political factor will help stabilize and financially support the prosperous...... middle of paper ...... the pool is not adequate to recall enough players to fill two new expansion teams, while maintaining the same level gameplay in all aspects of the game. “The influx of inferior talent filling those new roster spots fundamentally altered the competitive environment: it allowed elite players, especially hitters, to excel” (Bradbury). Up until this point, major league baseball has continued to populate it with better quality baseball players by taking advantage of rapid population growth and racial integration. However, this growth trend was reversed due to the implementation of expansion in the 1990s. By filling expansion teams with subpar talent as opposed to the talent level of the major leagues, the dilution of player quality has been felt throughout the league and in all phases of the game, including pitching, hitting and defense..