Kaohsiung mayor urges La New Bears not to move

Speaking at the opening of a baseball championship in the southern port city, Chen said that several days ago she visited Liu Pao-you, owner of the La New Bears, to urge him to keep his team in Kaohsiung and to promise more help to solve the team's problems.

The mayor said that Liu complained to her about the poor box office returns at the Chengcing Lake field despite the team's six-year run in Kaohsiung County, and said the problems worsened even more after a recent game-rigging scandal involving many of the players in the Chinese Professional Baseball League that has effectively killed much of the interest remaining among former fans.

Chen said the city government is trying to revive local enthusiasm for the sport and has earmarked NT$11.8 million (US$36,479) to promote the sport in elementary schools throughout the city.

Former Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien, who also gave a speech at the opening of the championship, said moving the La New Bears would deal a hard blow to baseball in southern Taiwan, and said the Kaohsiung city and county governments should work together to keep the team from leaving.

It was earlier reported that La New Bears, which has seen attendances dip to only about 2,000 per game at its home stadium, will move to Chingpu Baseball Stadium in Taoyuan County, which boasts the country's highest attendance figures of about 8,000 people per game.

The reports said Liu has been disappointed that he has been unable to muster local support for his team and that people in the area have remained indifferent, despite La New Bears having made Kaohsiung County its home for six years.

La New Bears is one of four teams in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, which was on the brink of collapse in February when 24 players from the league were indicted in the game-throwing scandal.

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