Former Sea Dogs owners share profits from sale with staff

PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) - The now-former owners of the Portland Sea Dogs have shared their profits from the sale of the team with staff members.

The Burke family sold the Red Sox AA affiliate to Diamond Baseball Holdings in December 2022.

The family had owned the team for more than 30 years.

“The time is right for our family to move on,” said Bill Burke, Chairman of the Portland Sea Dogs in December. “We are very pleased to have found in DBH an ownership team with deep experience in minor league baseball and strong commitments to Portland, the Red Sox and, most importantly, Geoff Iacuessa and his remarkable front office staff. Going forward, the Sea Dogs will have all the resources in place to take this franchise to new heights for the greatest fans in minor league sports.”

Tuesday, the Burke family shared their sales profits with the 18 members of the full-time staff of the team.

The amount each person got was based on the number of years worked. That included a couple of people who have been with the team since it was founded in 1994.

A team spokesman said some of the bonuses were quite significant.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the family also paid all full-time and part-time staff members, even though the 2020 season was canceled.

The Sea Dogs set franchise records in 2022 for sales of tickets, merchandise, concessions, and sponsorships.

It sold out Hadlock Field sixteen times in 2022, the most sellouts since 2009.

Since the team started playing in 1994, over 10 million fans have watched Sea Dogs baseball at Hadlock Field.

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