This week we greeted Ryan Cannella of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball organization. Ryan joined the Pelicans as an Account Executive in 2015 before being promoted to Director of Sales in 2018 followed by a promotion to the AGM of Sales in 2020. He previously spent time with Goodyear Ballpark, Spring Training home of the Reds and the Indians. He is currently an ambassador for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of the Grand Strand.
The Pelicans are deeply embedded in the community of Myrtle Beach. This year there has been no baseball, so the Pelicans have developed other ways to be involved in the community – from COVID testing, to food drives, etc. An upcoming event will be “bleacher golf” – where frisbees are thrown around the stadium at target baskets. The support from the community has been overwhelming and the Pelicans have been able to return $2,000,000 to the community over the last 5 years.
The big news in the minor league baseball world is that Major League Baseball has decided that it will “cut” its support for 42 out of 160 minor league teams. Ryan believes that the MB Pelicans will not be “cut”. The new affiliation will make Major Leagues and the minor leagues ONE entity. This will give the minor league teams access to ticketing systems and sponsors of the Major Leagues and other benefits. For the 42 teams not joining the new organization, Ryan believes that new independent leagues will develop and that they will flourish. He pointed to the Savannah Bananas as an example where family entertainment and baseball are combined to make a very successful product.
Until next spring, we can’t wait to hear…….PLAY BALL!
Written by: Scott Burleson
