City reaches agreement with Shuckers, Overtime

Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich says the city, the Biloxi Shuckers and Overtime Sports Management have reached agreements regarding terms of use of MGM Park and are all ready to move forward to get on with the business of baseball.

The three parties have cooperated to iron out certain issues that had prompted the city to file a lawsuit against Overtime Sports Management, which sponsors non-professional games in MGM Park, and Biloxi Baseball, the owners of the Biloxi Shuckers, the Double-A baseball team that began playing in the stadium in 2015.

The City Council voted unanimously this week to approve terms with Overtime Sports, and the Gilich Administration will ask the City Council at its next meeting to approve a similar resolution with Biloxi Baseball.

“My goal since becoming mayor was first to get the stadium open for play and bring a better accountability to the operations at MGM Park,” Gilich said. “Now, we are focusing on working together to maximize the opportunities we have with the park, especially with the opening of the Shuckers’ third season and the upcoming Conference USA baseball tournament, which will attract thousands of visitors to our community and bring national attention to Biloxi and south Mississippi.  The city appreciates the efforts of Biloxi Baseball and Overtime to work out our issues for the benefit of the public and our many baseball fans.  We look forward to an exciting baseball season.” 

Under terms of the agreement between the city and Overtime Sports, the management firm will pay the city a larger share of ticket revenue from the Conference USA baseball tournament, and will increase the city’s per-ticket revenue from other events until $23,000 in past due payments are brought current. The city will also receive a share of revenue from ads on the video screen outside the park at U.S. 90.  This video screen is operated by Overtime Sports.

The owners of the team, meantime, have agreed to pay the city $50,000 from video screen advertising within the park during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.  The parties will request that a chancellor decide whether additional rent of $53,000 is still due for the inaugural season.  The team and the city have a dispute over whether the team was allowed to prorate the rent for the inaugural season for when the team did not occupy the stadium.  Each side believes its position is supported by the contract and have agreed to let a judge decide.

Also, the field naming rights have been returned to the city, and the Shuckers and Overtime Sports have agreed to help maximize revenue from that endeavor, which could offer the sponsoring firm valuable marketing exposure with the upcoming nationally televised Conference USA tournament. The city has published a request for proposals to name the field, with proposals due on March 22.
Interested in the field naming rights proposal?
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