2.5 billion dollars is a lot of money.

That’s the cost for a  brand new, Major League Baseball (MLB)  stadium, planned for the waterfront. According to supporters, this stadium could potentially boost Portland’s economy and employment, and revive Portland’s rich baseball history.

Two sophomores here at Lincoln, Chase Cohen and Alex Haddon, are both fans of baseball and players of the game.

Alex has played baseball since he was five,  but recently quit to focus on his academics.

“I loved baseball,” said Haddon. “It was very fun to use a bat when I was younger, but as I got older I started to better understand the complexity of the game.”

While Haddon believes that this stadium will “ increase traffic nearby my neighborhood,” he also said that “having a baseball team in Portland would definitely be good as the schedules for the NBA and MLB don’t exactly overlap and the MLB teams play lots and lots of games so there are many opportunities to go watch them. The Timbers don’t play as often during the summer.”

Haddon enjoys the atmosphere of the games and is excited for a “super cool, baseball stadium.”

Chase Cohen is another sophomore baseball player at Lincoln.

Cohen has played baseball for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Philadelphia, where they have a major league team, he grew up going to games and cheering on the Phillies.

“I have heard of the Portland Diamond Project and am all for it,” said Cohen. “I would love a baseball stadium here in Portland.”

“I think having a professional baseball team here would be amazing alongside the Timbers. It Could impact our community a lot, for instance bringing in  jobs, or boosting the economy,” said Cohen.

These are  opinions of two baseball loving boys, however according to morning consult.com, “52% of Generation Z prefer the National Football League or Major League Baseball, compared with 68% of all adults.”

This statistic shows how baseball is not as popular among the younger generation as other generations, but baseball lovers like Haddon and Cohen believe that a new baseball stadium in Portland would help to keep this historic game alive.