Adam Goldberg is the CEO of the Maine Mariners of the ECHL ice hockey league. Jesse Scaglion is the general manager of the Portland Sea Dogs of Minor League Baseball’s Eastern League.

Minor league sports are a cornerstone of Maine life. Mainers of all ages come to minor league games to have fun, spend time together and cheer on great athletes right here in Portland. Bringing a child or friend to their first game and watching them become a lifelong fan is a special moment that many Mainers know well.

As the leaders of two of Maine’s minor league teams — the Maine Mariners and the Portland Sea Dogs — we are proud to offer affordable entertainment and family-friendly events for our community. And we are also proud to provide jobs, support local businesses and nonprofits and bring in money for our state and local government.

However, minor league sports can be a tough business. Unlike major league teams, we do not have big television contracts or media deals. Our teams rely mostly on ticket sales and fan engagement. We run tight margins, and we compete locally with other forms of entertainment and regionally with other minor league teams. In order to stay in business, we have to continually build and grow our fan bases.

One important way we do that is through simple online advertising. This happens when someone sees an ad based on things they search for or watch online. For example, a Mainer looking up Red Sox highlights might see a banner ad letting her know that the Sea Dogs have a game next weekend. Parents searching for kids’ hockey gear might see a Maine Mariners ad in their sponsored search results. This is a cheap and effective way for us to get fans into our seats and it helps keep minor league sports alive in Maine.

But right now, the Legislature is threatening to get rid of this important tool. LD 1822,
the Maine Online Data Privacy Act, would impose some of the strictest online privacy
rules in the country, and severely limit our ability to reach prospective or even existing
fans.

If LD 1822 passes, we could only send ads or updates to people who had already signed up to receive them. That would put us at a disadvantage against our out-of-state competitors. The Mainer who looks up Red Sox highlights would not see a Sea Dogs ad unless she visited the Sea Dogs’ website first. But if she made the same search while driving through New Hampshire, she might see an ad for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

The parents buying hockey gear might only see ads for NHL games and not realize that Portland has its own hockey team. Small changes like this can have big effects. We may need to raise prices or spend more money on other types of advertising to make up the difference.

To be clear, we support protecting Mainers’ online privacy. Many other states, including New Hampshire, already have laws that protect personal information and let people opt out of unwanted ads and data collection. Following that approach would protect Mainers’ online privacy, while leveling the playing field for Maine businesses, and ensuring consistency across state lines.

But LD 1822 goes much further. It would put Maine far ahead of other states and would hurt small businesses like ours. We ask Mainers to help protect minor league sports. Please tell your lawmakers to reject LD 1822. Maine can protect online privacy without harming the teams that mean so much to our communities.