Field of Schemes
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Friday roundup: Rays stadium displaces students to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, Stars outspending arena opponents 77-to-1
The roundup covers three major sports‑facility stories. Tampa Bay Rays’ new stadium will force Hillsborough College students to attend classes at a USF building or a distant office park, with shuttle buses promised despite uncertainty over routes. In Texas, voters consider a $700 million bond for a Dallas Stars arena, where ownership outspends opponents 77‑to‑1 on the campaign. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s “Project Marvel” trims a $1 billion Alamodome renovation to $125 million and delays the Spurs arena, while Chicago lawmakers eye tax breaks for a new Bears stadium. The piece also notes Buffalo Sabres owners’ political donations and a scheduling clash that forced the Atlanta Dream to play a WNBA Finals game on a Thursday.
Chicago architects draw Bears stadium at White Sox site, this is a “plan” now apparently
Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill unveiled renderings of a possible Bears stadium on the White Sox's South Side site, sparking a media frenzy. While no official proposal exists and the White Sox ownership remains unsettled, the Sun‑Times touts a “glitzy new domed stadium” with a mixed‑use district and tax‑free land. Major hurdles include relocating an Amtrak yard, moving the Wentworth Gardens housing complex, and securing up to $1.5 billion in public funding. Governor Jim Justice is weighing options to keep the Bears in Illinois without burdening taxpayers.
DC United owner demands $300m for roof to keep women’s soccer team that doesn’t want one
Washington D.C. city council is set to consider councilmember Phil Mendelson’s $300 million bill to add a roof and more seats to Audi Field, sparking "stadium fatigue" after recent large projects for the Commanders, Wizards and Capitals. D.C. United owner Jason Levien argues the roof is essential for the MLS winter schedule and to retain the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, whose lease expires next year. However, Spirit CEO Kim Stone says the women’s team is neutral on the proposal, fearing added events could disrupt their schedule and preferring a dedicated locker room over a costly enclosure. The debate highlights the tension between men’s and women’s soccer needs in D.C.
Road to $650m Panthers stadium subsidy was paved by owner joining exclusive golf club
Two years after securing a record $650 million public renovation subsidy for the Charlotte Panthers’ stadium, owner David Tepper reveals the behind‑the‑scenes networking that helped seal the deal. Tepper, who spent about $117 million on upgrades and contributed $25 million for the new MLS side Charlotte FC, says joining the exclusive Quail Hollow golf club’s “Table of Knowledge” was essential to gaining local influence. He notes that even wealthy owners must pay a $150,000 initiation fee to access the power brokers who can sway municipal funding. The piece highlights how elite social clubs can drive stadium subsidies.
Friday roundup: Sacramento, Raleigh, Quebec weigh stadium subsidies for teams that don’t exist yet
The roundup spotlights a wave of stadium subsidy debates. California lawmakers approve a $1 billion tax‑increment financing plan for a future MLB expansion team in Sacramento, while Minnesota’s gubernatorial hopefuls—Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Republican Lisa Demuth—openly consider state aid for new or upgraded venues for the Timberwolves, Lynx, Wild and Vikings, urging caution to protect taxpayers. In contrast, three Wake County senate candidates oppose public money for an MLB stadium in Raleigh. Meanwhile, the CFL conditions approval of a 10th franchise in Quebec City, pending a C$350 million stadium funding plan from provincial and federal sources. The piece also notes the Tampa Bay Rays’ World Series push amid low attendance at Tropicana Field and the Milwaukee Brewers’ mishandled “timeless tickets.”
Blazers owner “went crazy,” canceled arena meetings, when told of Portland lease demands
The Portland Trail Blazers’ owner Tom Dundon has halted all arena negotiations after the city council demanded he fund most of a $120 million renovation, despite his $365 million state bond and other public subsidies. Dundon is now focused on a lease clause that forces him to keep the arena “first‑class,” demanding a buyout price that the city estimated at over $1 billion, prompting a source to say he “went crazy.” With league‑mediated talks canceled and his state‑bond deadline looming, Dundon faces a public backlash—only 7% of Oregon voters view him positively—while the council holds firm, leaving the team’s future in Portland uncertain.
Pritzker says he hopes to complete Bears deal that could cost $1.5B in tax money but not at taxpayer expense, somehow
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker tells voters he can close a deal to keep the Chicago Bears in the state, but vows not to burden taxpayers—even as proposals could shift $1.5 billion in tax breaks to a new stadium in Chicago or Arlington Heights. The governor’s comments come after Republican rival Darren Bailey warned he won’t be remembered as the ‘governor that lost the Bears.’ Pritzker promises a November breakthrough, while emphasizing the Bears will decide the site. Critics note the plan relies on property‑tax and sales‑tax incentives that could ultimately cost Illinois residents billions, and the final terms will be debated in a post‑election legislative session.
Monday roundup: Royals issue fresh vaportecture, LA sues Olympic committee for financial documents
The Kansas City Royals unveil bold new stadium renderings, sparking debate over luxury tier heights and demolition plans. Los Angeles controller Kenneth Mejia subpoenas LA28 for missing financial paperwork amid concerns over a dubious legacy fund. Meanwhile, Chicago White Sox heir Justin Ishbia warns that community pushback on a downtown railyard stadium could derail the project, echoing the Bears’ stadium saga. Tampa’s city council narrowly approves Rays stadium bonds after a last‑minute vote, keeping the April 2029 opening on track despite a delayed groundbreaking. Long Beach explores a waterfront arena—possibly for women’s volleyball—and transport options like water taxis to improve access.
Final Chiefs STAR district retains 293 square miles that will divert $3.1B in taxes to NFL stadium
The final STAR district boundaries are in for where state sales tax revenues will be handed over to Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt to help pay for a new stadium, and they look pretty much like the initial boundaries: OLD: NEW: There are a few carveouts to exclude the University of Kansas Medical Center […]
Plano approves taking $250m from schools to give to Dallas Stars owner for arena
The Plano, Texas school district has agreed to provide up to $250 million in property taxes over 25 years to the Dallas Stars for a new arena, but don’t worry, local school would be getting something for their money: The agreement would allow Plano ISD to host graduation ceremonies and other events at the arena. Well […]
Monday roundup: Royals stadium could cut into KC police budget, leave old site “blighted”
Like I promised you, posts at unexpected times! Let’s kick off the week with the news of last week, extended: The Kansas City council has approved plans to use sales tax money for a new Royals stadium that would normally be set aside for public safety expenses, which could end up cutting into avaible public […]
D.C. to spend $410m on Nats stadium upgrades because “teams rely on happy players”
The Washington Nationals‘ stadium won’t even turn 19 years old until next spring, but the D.C. city council already approved spending tax money two years ago for renovations, including such important upgrades as “wrapping the exterior of the parking in a more visually appealing material.” And we’re now finding out how much it will cost Washingtonians […]
New clown document claims Royals stadium will generate $1.4B in vapordollars
Kansas City released a consulting report it commissioned on a new Royals stadium yesterday, with the intent of showing how it will pay off about $1.4 billion in taxpayer costs while team owner John Sherman is on the hook for less than $600 million. Let’s see how it compares to the typical clown documents: Questionable […]
New Seahawks owner says “never say never” on moving team, blames media for accurately reporting what he said
Vinod Khosla, who bought the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion last month, was asked by Axios last week if he would “formally commit” to “keeping the team in Seattle long-term,” and while there were lots of fan brownie points to be earned by saying “yes” or at least “that’s our plan,” the venture capitalist billionaire decided […]
Bears reportedly seeking $1.5B+ in tax money from Illinois
Crain’s Chicago Business has some (rumored) details of what NFL and Bears execs talked with Illinois officials about last week, and it’s a new way to give the team a heaping helping of tax breaks: The Chicago Bears’ potential path to building a new stadium in Arlington Heights is veering toward a model that would leave […]
Friday roundup: Goodell meets with IL leaders on Bears, KC okays public vote it says won’t apply to Royals
Slow news week, busy Friday roundup, as the saying goes. (I didn’t say it was an old saying.) Roger Goodell and a Chicago Bears minority owner met this week with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and state legislative officials, and if you want to take that as a sign that the league and team want a better […]
Blazers exec declares Dundon “committed to Portland” but won’t commit to accepting arena deal
There are, when it comes down to it, really only two ways to conduct a campaign for public money for a sports facility: good cop, and bad cop. You can work to field a winning team, and then argue that it deserves a stadium to match; or you can field a terrible one, and warn […]
Royals mega-TIF district to divert taxes from much of downtown KC to pay for stadium
Kansas City has revealed the dimensions of the mega-TIF district where all increases in sales and income tax receipts, and half of all increases in hotel tax receipts, would be siphoned off and given to Royals owner John Sherman to pay off a new stadium, and it looks like this: The city didn’t provide an […]
Friday roundup: Rays stadium sticks Tampa students in trailers, Wyden wants Blazers owner to accept arena money or else
After a summer where the owners of the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays each landed, in quick succession, about $2 billion apiece in public stadium funding despite widespread public opposition, I’ve been thinking even more than usual about what this site is hoping to accomplish. To report on and analyze sports subsidy shenanigans, […]
T-Wolves exec, Minneapolis mayor float using public money to replace one downtown arena with another
Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have been muttering since buying the teams in 2021 about wanting a new arena, and team officials just started muttering louder and indicating whether they’ll be seeking public money, three guesses what the answer is: CEO Matt Caldwell did not promise to keep the venue […]
BREAKING: $700m Stars arena subsidy is endorsed by advocates, opposed by critics
Is there any journalism trope more tiresome than bothsidesing? Ducking the hard task of investigating the facts by just throwing up your hands and saying “different people disagree” is so plainly egregious that even the dictionary calls it out as reprehensible, and yet it’s still a staple of our daily news coverage. Here it is […]
Tax district to fund Browns upgrades could push public stadium cost to $2B
I mentioned briefly here the week before last that Brook Park had designated the land around a planned new Cleveland Browns stadium to be “blighted,” which Mayor Edward Orcutt said “gives us the opportunity to be able to maintain this site in the future.” It’s now becoming clearer where that maintenance money would come from, and […]
Friday roundup: Cleveland, Nashville keep throwing good stadium money after bad
Running late today, let’s do a speed round: Upkeep costs for the Cleveland Guardians stadium and Cavaliers arena continue to climb, with one estimate placing them at $261 million, and the county-run Gateway Economic Development Corp. still doesn’t have money identified to pay for them. “We need to figure this out,” said Gateway board chair Virginia “GiGi” […]
KCUR gets Royals stadium math all wrong (again)
Kansas City NPR station KCUR, which has a pretty bad record of trying to explain stadium financing, set out to do an explainer today on the city’s plan to spend $600 million toward a new Royals stadium, and how’d that go? The plan to pay the $600 million Kansas City plans to borrow for or […]
No, the 2028 Olympics won’t be a $20B boon to the SoCal economy
Speaking of bad math, an economic analysis of the impact of the 2028 Olympics on Los Angeles, conducted by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. on behalf of the city’s Olympic organizing committee, concludes that the 2028 Summer Games could result in between $20.5 billion and $40.6 billion of “increased output” in Southern California: […]
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