Major League Baseball is considering one of its most unusual showcase ideas yet. The league is looking into hosting a game inside Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
The concept has drawn backlash from park advocates and officials, who argue that turning protected land into a ballpark would put spectacle ahead of conservation.
Here's what to know
According to The Washington Post, MLB reached out to the Trump administration to ask whether a game at a national park could be possible. National Park Service Deputy Director Frank Lands later toured Grand Teton and examined three locations inside the park as possible sites for a baseball venue, per the paper.
No permits have been granted, the White House said, and MLB has not made any decisions. The administration said in a statement to the Post that the league asked "if it was possible to host a game at a national park, similar to the Field of Dreams game." The statement noted the idea was not being driven by the government.
Grand Teton is among the busiest national parks in the country and one of its most recognizable protected landscapes. One of the sites under consideration is already disturbed land, according to the paper. Still, staging an event there could open the door to more commercial uses of public land valued for recreation, peacefulness, and wildlife habitat.
More background
The NPS is already under major strain, as the Post detailed. Since January 2025, the Trump administration's government cuts have left the service with about 25% less staff, causing closures, scaled-back tours, and other problems.
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Park advocates say that makes the Grand Teton proposal even more concerning. Betsy Buffington, Northern Rockies regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, pushed back on the idea in an interview with the publication.
"It is irreplaceable," Buffington said. "There is no other Grand Teton that is home to bears and wolves and bison, elk and pronghorn. So the idea that we would put a baseball stadium in Grand Teton National Park is just — what would the word be? — ludicrous."
The Post also noted that the administration was weighing a proposal involving a small section of Yosemite National Park and a private developer, highlighting fears that conservation priorities are being pushed aside.
What's being done?
The Trump administration's statement shifted accountability elsewhere.
"This is not a Presidential directive, nor is it being directed by the White House," it read, according to the paper. "It's also not being driven by the Department of Interior."
Luther Propst, who serves on the Teton County Board of Commissioners, told the Post that the federal government had not sought the county's input.
MLB has a history of destination games, including events at Fort Bragg, Rickwood Field, Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Field of Dreams site in Iowa. Its 2027 schedule is already set, featuring the Field of Dreams game and Little League Classic, so any specialty game in a national park would have to wait until 2028, the paper noted.
For critics, the issue goes well beyond baseball and would be a step too far.
"Grand Teton National Park is about wild America, wildlife, opportunity for solitude, not for more amusement," Propst said.
Where can I learn more?
Questions about what belongs on public land show up in fights over crowded parks and sports-related development.
• In San Francisco, a $45 million park proposal set off a fight over artificial turf.
• Yosemite joined parks requiring reservations from visitors as crowding pressures intensified.
• In Los Angeles, a massive building project near Dodger Stadium drew renewed land-use criticism.
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