WORCESTER - The Boston Red Sox's Triple A affiliate, recently deemed to be the Woo Sox, are going to play their minor league baseball games at Polar Park, beginning in 2021. Polar Park, sponsored by Polar Beverages, is the new stadium that has already been in construction in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is slated to open thirteen months from now when the Triple A team officially leaves Pawtucket, Rhode Island to transition from the PawSox to the Woo Sox.

However, the stadium recently received a major boost from the city council of Worcester, when the board approved a $30 million dollar funding plan to help offset the additional construction and development costs that came about for Polar Park unexpectedly, as shared by CBS Local. Even though construction was already underway, this $30 million dollar approval was the final development needed to ensure that Polar Park is coming no matter what. There's no turning back now!

The decision is something of a gamble for Edward Augustus, the city manager of Worcester. The city government has already put up more than their expected share to foot the bill of the ballpark and they are doubling down on their commitment to making the Woo Sox a prominent fixture in the central Massachusetts city.

After all, teams like the Worcester Tornadoes and Worcester Sharks have been present in the city before and have been met with a response on the spectrum of disinterest to outright carelessness. Worcester is betting that a Triple A baseball team will finally be the one that breaks through the local sports interest barrier.

The additional funds allocated to the Woo Sox were said to be the final bit of assistance from the Worcester government, per the response of Augustus. He stated, "Anything beyond that, that would be the team’s responsibility." To accommodate for these extra funds, parking costs and a private development-sourced tax income method are slated to be implemented in the city. Is this worth a baseball team and a new stadium? There is certainly an argument to be made for distaste, but maybe Worcester residents will just be happy to get rid of Kelley Square.

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