Field of Schemes
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Friday roundup: Manfred’s funny Rays poll numbers, Chiefs sales tax fight, MLS wants even more Big O money
You probably noticed, but it’s Friday! Which brings us, with no further ado, to the rest of the week’s news: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said that he’s “hopeful” that a Tampa Bay Rays stadium in Tampa will win final approval, given that “we think the polling runs about 60-40 in favor of the stadium.” Actual […]
Stars owners announce move to Plano as soon as city agrees to pay $700m for new arena
This has been quite a week already for Dallas sports franchises announcing arena plans without quite committing to them: On Monday, the Mavericks owners declared that they had “entered into option agreements” to maybe purchase 104 acres at the former Valley View Mall site in north Dallas to use for a new arena. (The total […]
KC mayor says new sales taxes will help pay off Royals stadium, but he can’t say how much or he’ll have to kill you
And in the latest sign that George Orwell is our national showrunner this season: Mayor Quinton Lucas told reporters that the city has projections for how much tax revenue a new stadium could generate based on what Kauffman Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex produces now — which city officials say is roughly $5 million […]
The Bears are right back where they started, and is that really so bad?
The Chicago Bears stadium bill saga is all over (for now) but the shouting, and there is So. Much. Shouting. Take your pick of the takes: Illinois legislators are to blame for fumbling the ball into the Bears’ hands. The Bears leadership is to blame for toying with Chicago’s affections. It takes a big pony […]
Illinois legislature adjourns without passing Bears bill, team to “finalize evaluation” of Arlington Heights, Hammond by summer
The clock ran out on the Illinois state legislative session last night at midnight, but the decision on whether to pass legislation for a Chicago Bears stadium remained alive until this morning, when the Illinois house finally stuck a fork in it by adjourning without a vote. After the collapse of the team’s preferred megaprojects tax […]
Friday roundup: Rays stadium could get vote in July maybe, Sacramento offers $1B in tax money for MLB expansion team
Lots of state legislative sessions are wrapping up this week, but it’s been oddly quiet around actual stadium news, leaving room for lots of spin doctoring and other questionable takes: Turns out today’s conclusion of the Florida legislature’s special budget session won’t be a deadline for a Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal, as everything appears […]
What the hell is up with the Bears stadium bill? (updating, maybe)
With four days left before the end of the Illinois legislative session, Crain’s Chicago Business reports (citing no specific sources) that state senators are “considering dramatically scaling back a sweeping megaproject incentive bill” to cut out everything except tax breaks for a Bears stadium in Arlington Heights. The idea here is to avoid debate on […]
Bucs want $667m in renovation money from Tampa, could set up battle with Rays for tax dollars
Into the simmering Tampa Bay Rays stadium controversy, the Buccaneers owners the Glazer family have flung a significant bomb, telling the Tampa Sports Authority they want a $1 billion renovation of their stadium (original cost: $168.5 million in 1998), with the public covering two-thirds of the price. And sports authority members are already questioning whether Tampa should […]
Rays CEO to unhappy legislators: Like our stadium deal the way it is, or lump it
Negotiating is a funny business: You simultaneously want to hold the line in hopes of getting the best deal for your side, while also offering concessions as an enticement to get a deal done. It’s a tricky dance, and requires knowing when to bluster and when to accede, in the hopes of vanquishing your enemy […]
How many billions of tax dollars would a Bears megaproject bill cost Illinois? The Cook County treasurer investimagates
The Cook County treasurer’s office released a report this morning on the fiscal impact of the proposed “megaprojects” tax break bill that Chicago Bears execs are pushing for, and concluding: “The benefits for the Bears and other megaproject developers are clear, while the benefits for Illinois residents are murky.” there are a bunch of interesting tidbits […]
Friday roundup: Rays stadium gets a yes vote that’s actually a no, Bears tax break talks get weird
If any of you were wondering what happened to this year’s sports economics conference at University of Maryland Baltimore County, it moved from April to June, so it hasn’t happened yet. I just booked my trip, so FoS readers can expect a liveblog on the day of stadium-related papers, at least. And if you’ll be […]
County gives “conditional yes” to yet-to-be-finalized Rays stadium deal, city likely to follow suit today
As expected, the Hillsborough County Commission voted yesterday to approve the nonbinding MOU put forward last week for a $2.3 billion Tampa Bay Rays stadium (and unspecified other development) on what is currently Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry Campus. The final tally was 5-2, with the two sure no votes, Donna Cameron Cepeda and Joshua Wostal, in […]
Goodell says Bears stadium “process is going on,” offers no details where it’ll end up
Chicago Bears execs presented the NFL with a stadium update yesterday, and what did they say, commissioner Roger Goodell? “There was a specific update on the Bears on the two sites that are viable in the Bears’ mind,” he said. “That process is going on.”… “I’ve spoken to the governor [of Illinois] recently and there’s […]
Rays advocates call $2B Tampa stadium subsidy deal “city building,” critics call it “pie in the sky”
The Hillsborough County commission and Tampa city council look set to vote tomorrow and Thursday, respectively, on a nonbinding MOU for a Tampa Bay Rays stadium project requiring about $976 million in city and county tax dollars plus $839 million in property tax breaks and at least $250 million in free land for the stadium […]
Blazers owner says he’s not threatening to move team to Nashville, Austin, Kalamazoo, or Greensboro, media ignores him
Portland Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon gave a long podcast interview on Friday in which he mostly talked about how he’s not a cheapskate, he just genuinely thought towels were a cooler giveaway than t-shirts because that’s how he thought it worked at hockey games. But he also said this: “When I bought the Hurricanes, […]
Friday roundup: Rays execs propose “squishy” MOU to unlock stadium vote; Bears tax hike proponent crushed in reelection bid
Now that the Tampa Bay Rays stadium push has been pushed back to beyond the end of this legislative session, maybe we can get on with looking at some of the week’s news from other cities. Though wait: Could the Rays actually be on the verge of agreeing to an actual MOU with the city of […]
Florida senate won’t act on Rays stadium until city and county do, could raiding higher-ed fund be next?
If Tampa Bay Rays owner Patrick Zalupski’s Plan B now that the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County won’t vote on stadium subsidies by the end of this legislative session is to go get state money first and figure out the rest later, uh, he may need a Plan C: Sen. Ed Hooper, a Clearwater Republican […]
DC considers new bus line to get Commanders fans to games, could push public cost back over $7B
When the Washington Commanders‘ record-shattering stadium deal that could end up costing D.C. $6.6 billion or more in cash, land, and tax breaks was approved last summer, one of the many unanswered questions was how to get 65,000 people in and out of the former RFK Stadium site on game days. The district’s Metro transit agency […]
Portland council president says he won’t be “held hostage” to Blazers arena deal, sports columnist insists he will too
I don’t want to make too big a deal about this trend of elected officials taking their time before voting on sports subsidy deals — looking stadium and arena demands in the mouth is literally doing their minimum job — but add Portland, Oregon to Tampa and the state of Illinois as local governments doing […]
Bears stadium tax break could cost Illinois billions more in other development subsidies
Two weeks after megaprojects property tax break bill lead sponsor Bill Cunningham said that the Illinois state senate was “going to take our time with this” and “getting it right is more important than getting it done quickly,” the senate is continuing to (tries to think of football metaphor) run down the clock (nailed it!): […]
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