The Atlantic League this week approved Brandon Bellamy as the "majority owner of the league's new expansion club in Gastonia, N.C., which is set to begin play next spring," making him the "only Black majority owner in professional baseball," according to J.J. Cooper of BASEBALL AMERICA. Bellamy is the CEO of Maryland-based Velocity Companies LLC. There has not been a Black majority owner of any professional baseball club "since Tom Lewis owned the South Atlantic League's Savannah Cardinals from 1986-87." Bellamy's Velocity Companies is a real estate development corporation that has developed $500M in projects. Gastonia is a city of 75,000 that is 20 miles west of Charlotte. Bellamy's Velocity Companies "will run the ballpark, own the team and also develop the area surrounding the ballpark, which is dubbed the FUSE District" (BASEBALLAMERICA.com, 7/28). BALLPARK DIGEST's Kevin Richard noted the ballpark is slated to host the independent Atlantic League team starting in '21, while also being designed to "accommodate a variety of other events, including concerts, soccer, lacrosse, and football." Velocity Companies "will collaborate on economic development projects tied to the ballpark, which are expected to include residential, retail, hotel, and office space properties," a potential $100M investment opportunity for the city (BALLPARKDIGEST.com, 7/28).
