A Texas-based company that is partnered with MLB’s Rangers went Duck hunting and got itself a ballclub on Long Island.
REV Entertainment, the official sports and entertainment company of the big league team, announced the purchase of the Long Island Ducks on Wednesday. The move ends Frank Boulton’s tenure as owner, a position he had held since the team’s inception in 2000.
Boulton, who founded the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and has served as league chairman since the first season in 1998, will remain with the Ducks in an advisory role to REV Entertainment.
“I have always viewed my ownership of the Long Island Ducks as a public trust, and any successor had to be in lockstep with that belief,” Boulton said in a statement. “REV Entertainment has that commitment and is the right organization to guide the Ducks into the future and keep QuackerJack dancing on the dugout tops for many years to come. I am grateful to the fans, friends, sponsors and entire Long Island community for their support for 25 incredible seasons of Ducks baseball and am confident it will only get better as we enter the next 25!”
Ducks president and chief business officer Michael Pfaff will stay on in his role leading the front office, and REV Entertainment’s sports management division will run the business operations, “with a focus on preserving the club’s unique identity, deepening community relationships, and creating new opportunities for growth and innovation,” according to a release by the club.
“We’re proud to welcome the Long Island Ducks into the REV family,” Sean Decker, President of REV Entertainment, said in a statement. “Frank Boulton has built something truly special on Long Island. Our responsibility is to honor that legacy, build upon the foundation he established, and continue delivering an affordable, family-friendly experience while positioning the Ducks for long-term success.”
REV Entertainment operates several independent baseball teams across the country, and in addition to its acquisition of the Ducks, the company announced it also purchased the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League.
Before Wednesday’s announcement, there had been no indication that the Long Island baseball team was up for sale.
The Ducks have been one of the flagship teams of the Atlantic League, becoming the winningest ballclub in league history, taking four titles over their first 19 years of existence.
The Ducks also own the distinction of being the Atlantic League’s all-time leader in attendance, selling out 721 games.
Boulton has long been heralded for his leadership in helping create the Atlantic League and the Ducks, who play in Central Islip.
The longtime baseball owner was part of an attempt to bring a second Atlantic League to Long Island in Nassau County in the failed referendum to rebuild the Nassau Coliseum in 2011. Boulton would have brought a new minor baseball league team to play in a 6,000-seat stadium near the arena.
Boulton seemed to signal a winding down of his stewardship of the Atlantic League late last year.
The league announced in November that Boulton would transition from his role as Atlantic League chair and CEO to member-at-large of the executive committee, effective Jan. 1.
York Revolution owner Bill Shipley was selected to succeed Boulton in that role.
