mˈaɪnɚ lˈiːɡ bˈeɪsbɔːl wʌz ðˈɛn ɪn fɹˈiː fˈɔːl, æz spˈɑːɹs ɐtˈɛndəns, mˈeɪdʒɚ lˈiːɡ tˌiːvˈiː bɹˈɔːdkæsts, ɛkspˈænʃən ænd fɹˈæntʃaɪz ʃˈɪfts æt ðə mˈeɪdʒɚ lˈiːɡ lˈɛvəl, ænd ɹᵻtɹˈɛntʃmənt ɪn fˈɑːɹm sˈɪstəm səpˈoːɹt kˈɔːzd ðə kəntɹˈækʃən ʌv mˈɛni mˈaɪnɚ lˈiːɡ tˈiːmz, ænd ðə kəlˈæps ʌv ɛntˈaɪɚ lˈiːɡz.
Minor league baseball was then in free fall, as sparse attendance, major league TV broadcasts, expansion and franchise shifts at the major league level, and retrenchment in farm system support caused the contraction of many minor league teams, and the collapse of entire leagues.