Two weeks into the season, the league decided to shut down the San Francisco Bay Sox team, reducing the league to just four teams. The Bay Sox were cut in large part because San Francisco and San Jose had limited rosters. "What we were left with were two teams that could barely field a starting lineup," said league vice president Rob Schupp. "We decided it owuld be in the best interest to consolidate the teams." They also cut the schedule in half, reducing it form 60 games to 30, which meant the season only ran through August. "It does hurt to make this decision," said Schupp.
"In certain regards, things turned out better than expected," league president Mike Ribant stated. "Our biggest challenge will be improving the individual promotion of games to increase overall attendance."
After the season ended, Ribant was contemplating team expansions for the 1998 season, including maybe in Michigan or Florida, or adding more teams to California, such as in San Diego. To help with promotion, he planned a tour featuring 10 players from the Los Angeles Legends and San Jose Spitfires, plus 5 players from the other two teams. These All-Stars would tour cities after the LLB World Series ended, possibly heading to Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Rochester, Colorado, or Florida. And he hoped to sell franchises to local sponsors and increase league sponsorship.
The inagural best-of-five LLB World Series was held between the Los Angeles Legends and the San Jose Spitfires. The series began on September 4, 1997, and San Jose swept the Legends with three back-to-back-to-back wins.
