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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders took a brief respite from his presidential campaign in late November to address a topic outside the scope of traditional politics: Minor League Baseball contraction.
Sen. Sanders began his fight against the potential contraction of 42 minor league teams on Nov. 25, sending a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. The 78-year-old senator then met with Manfred on Dec. 2, further urging the MLB “not to eliminate any of the 42 Minor League Baseball clubs that have been put on the chopping block,” per Sanders.
Sports Illustrated spoke with Sanders–who grew up as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan–about his battle to stop the contraction of 42 teams across the United States.