Courtesy of MLB
As we have discussed in recent weeks: Not every youth sports asset that carries Cal Ripken Jr.’s name is controlled by Unrivaled Sports. But the youth sports platform is reportedly looking to bring one it does not own into its fold.
Unrivaled has expressed interest in buying Ripken Stadium — the city-owned minor league ballpark next to the Ripken Experience complex in Aberdeen, Maryland — and turn it into a youth sports complex.
It’s not officially a done deal, but Aberdeen Mayor Patrick McGrady talked like it was one at a public meeting, according to The Baltimore Sun. The acquisition would be part of an expansion project:
Stadium renovations
4 multi-purpose fields in parking lots
Entertainment and retail space
200-room hotel
Control taken via lease of 20-25 years
Unrivaled covers most costs, but city would seek some state funding
Projected 50% increase in youth sports tourism
Some backstory: Ripken and his brother, Billy, owned their hometown Aberdeen IronBirds — the Orioles’ High-A club — from 2002-2024. They sold majority control to Attain Sports Partners, who have since shifted the Orioles’ affiliation to another team they own (the Frederick Keys) and turned the IronBirds into an MLB Draft League club.
The IronBirds would still presumably play in the stadium; the building would also host concerts, festivals and other events.
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