BIG DEBATE OVER TAX MONEY GRAB!

(Associated Press, Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gannett)

(National Center for policy analysis, Outside the Beltway, Frazer Chronicle)

 

Wrigley Field, formerly known as Weeghamn Park and Cubs Field is entrenched in baseball lore, has been at the corner of 1060 West Addison Street since 1914. The original construction cost was $250,000, $5.73 million in 2013 dollars, and took almost two years to complete.

 

The Bradley Center, or BMO Harris Bradley Center opened in October of 1988, is located at 1001 North Fourth Street in Milwaukee. The original cost of the arena was $91 million dollars, $177 million in 2013 dollars, and took two years to erect.

 

Although both took about the same construction timeline, and both were privately financed, the similarities pretty much end at that point. Wrigley Field, from 1914 to today, April 15, 2013 entertains baseball fans who hope for a baseball pennant and world championship.

 

BMO Harris Bradley Center is home to the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team, the indoor football Milwaukee Mustangs, the hockey Milwaukee Admirals and the University of Marquette Golden Eagles. In addition the arena has been the host to the NCAA finals of the Frozen Four hockey tournament, hosted NCAA men’s basketball tournament games, also has hosted numerous entertainment events.

 

Wrigley Field in addition to being the home grounds of the Chicago Cubs baseball club has also hosted the Federal League’s baseball Chicago Whales, 1914-1915, the APFA, (American Professional Football Association Chicago Tigers, National Football Leagues Chicago Bears, 1921-1970, and the NASL, (North American Soccer League’s Chicago Sting.

 

In an interesting sidelight, the Chicago Tigers, members of the APFA, a forerunner of the National Football League played their games at Cub Park, and although whenever the Chicago Tigers are discussed in historical circles, they are said to be members of the APFA, they actually were never members of the organization.

 

The Tigers did play 7 games against American Professional Football Association teams, and sported a 1 win, 5 loss, and one tie record. The twist to history came about when George Halas and his Decatur Staleys played the winner take all game to determine which team would represent the city of Chicago as its football team. Needless to say the Staleys won the game by a 10-0 score, and began representing the city of Chicago, and state Illinois as the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

 

CHICAGO RENOVATION…..$5 MILLION DOLLARS

Wrigley Field renovation is not a new idea, the ball park has went through extensive renovations two different times, 1937 and 1938, and seating has been expanded and rearranged three times, in 1922, 1927, and 2006.

 

For years Wrigley Field hosted only daytime games as there weren’t any lights for night baseball. It kept the history of early day baseball alive, and held out from installing a lighting system until 1988. Today like the rest of professional baseball, the majority of Cubs baseball is played at night.

 

 

But who will pay for the half billion dollar project…..the owners of the Chicago Cubs that’s who, and it’s the way sporting arenas and outdoor venues should be financed. Unless you figure its okay for somebody to come into town, say they are going to let your city host a professional sports team  and oh, by the way, I need the tax payers to pony up the do-ray-me to put up a playing facility.

 

The Chicago Cubs will give Wrigley Field a facelift that will include its first electronic outfield video board which will be situated in left field. In addition, a huge advertising sign will go up in right field to take advantage of the area of the captive audience(s) the enjoy Americans game.

 

Believe it or not the placement of the video and advertising boards have been, and will continue to be an ongoing thorn in the owners of the Cubs, and the owners of the buildings across the street from Wrigley Field. In an agreement that goes way back, the owners of the buildings have been offering seats on their rooftops for years to watch the ball games.

 

Chicago’s Major, Rahm Emanuel yesterday announced a tentative agreement with the Ricketts family, owners of the Cubs to allow the installation of both the video and advertising sign. In effect what Emanuel was saying was that he, on behalf of the city of Chicago, accepted a half billion dollars from a private sector businessman…..what a coup.

 

Make no mistake, the Ricketts family, Peter, Tom, Laura, Todd and both parents are business people first and foremost. Included in the agreement is the proviso to allow the Rickette family to build a 175 room luxury hotel adjacent to Wrigley Field. The deal to buy the Cubs by the Ricketts family and now this half billion dollar renovation project is not for the beautification of Chicago, rather it is to make money…..the good old Capitalistic way.

 

PUBLIC FUNDING AND MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

Wisconsin is no stranger to public funding, absolutely not, Wisconsinites have bankrolled all sorts of additions, renovations and outright construction of their sporting venues. Miller Park, home to the Milwaukee Brewers opened in 2001, and has been an attendance success story from the very first day of play.

 

The cost of Wisconsin’s only retractable roofed sporting facility was $400 million at the time of construction, November of 1996, in today’s dollar bills, it would be more than a quarter more, $519 billion.

 

Miller Park was, and is one of the largest construction projects in the state’s history, and also was the site of a deadly Crain collapse that took the lives of 3 workers. Of the $400 million dollar price tag, $290 million is coming from a 1% sales tax that began January 1, 1996 and is scheduled for retirement somewhere around 2017…..of course, have you ever seen a tax eliminated or go down!

 

Also of interest is probably a little known fact…..Wisconsin and Milwaukee, and County Stadium was the first baseball park in the United States to be completely funded with public funds. So for all out of towners who are complaining about taxpayer funded sports arenas and outdoor stadiums, whenever you visit the great Badger state, you can complain at the welcome centers at the borders.

 

Now Milwaukee wants a new sports arena to replace the aging BMO Harris Bradley Center which is a whooping 25 years old. Actually the city of Milwaukee and its residence aren’t pushing for a new indoor sports arena, the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball is. Owner Herb Kohl figures that to stay competitive with the rest of the National Basketball Association, his Bucks need a new arena.

 

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Former Wisconsin state senator Herb Kohl bought the Milwaukee Bucks in 1985 and retains ownership of the NBA team to this day. The Bucks have called the Bradley Center home since 1988, but with the current atmosphere of the National Basketball Association, an arena that is 25 or more years old is little more than an antique what with all the amenities and money making situations that other teams have Kohl figures that the financial playing field isn’t balanced.

 

Herb Kohl didn’t build the Bradley Center, Lloyd and Jane Bradley Pettit donated more than $70 million dollars for the construction of the facility, also insuring that the Bucks would not leave Milwaukee. Now, less than 30 years after construction, the facility has been deemed out of touch with today’s NBA market.

 

Look, if a professional sports team owner wants a new facility for his team to play at, I say “go for it,” if the ownership wants concessions with regards to adjacent property, infrastructure, or even tax abatements, I say that would be okay.

 

However if the ownership wants the city, county, or several counties, or the state of Wisconsin to pay for a new basketball court, exhibition building…..I say forget it. If the reaction to my reaction is okay, we’ll move, I can only say don’t let the door hit you in the butt when you leave, and oh, by the way, turn off the lights when you shut the door.

 

It has long been argued that professional sports teams generate money for the community, professional sports teams create jobs, and professional sports teams give a community pride in itself. With the exception of pride, I say balderdash to the first two statements.

 

Professional sports teams are big on talking about how much increased revenue that they bring into a community…..but that’s for teams like the Green Bay Packers professional football team. Green Bay is the smallest professional big league market in the entire world for God sakes. Of course the Packers generate revenue; people from all over the state come to Green Bay for the week-end for a Sunday game.

 

How many people travel to Milwaukee to watch a Bucks game, or a Brewers baseball game…..let me fill in the blanks, next to zero…..nada. What the Bucks and Brewers do is rearrange the sports dollar, instead of a baseball fan going to his kid’s college game on a Friday night in Rosemount, Illinois; he’ll take in a Brewers game with his buddies.

 

Worse than that, sports fans priorities their sports dollars and end up spending the same amount, but don’t attend another sports event, they chose their favorite sport, and forget about the casual sport that they might be only marginally interested in. And wait till a local professional sports team begins to lose more then they win…..unlike the Packers…..attendance drops, profit margins suffer, and pretty quick you either don’t have that team anymore, or they upgrade their player personnel.

 

Is publically funding a professional sports arena or stadium a good idea…..absolutely not, the only ones that stand to gain are the owners, when public funds are used to build arenas and stadiums for these fat cats, it’s like a rich man’s welfare program. I’m not sure how you feel, but I know exactly how I feel…..bite the big one chief, spend your own money…..just like I have.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!