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Field of Schemes How the great stadium swindle turns public money into private profit

Companion website to "Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit" (Bison Books)

If you're going to hand out $6.6B in stadium subsidies, yes, it's better if residents get good jobs and a say in how it ...
16/09/2025

If you're going to hand out $6.6B in stadium subsidies, yes, it's better if residents get good jobs and a say in how it affects their neighborhoods. But focusing just on side benefits can become an invitation for sports billionaires to buy off opposition.

The Washington, D.C. city council is set to cast its final vote on the Commanders stadium deal tomorrow, because D.C. has one of those council systems where stuff has to be voted on twice to be sure that legislators are serious. Given that the council already voted 9-3 last month to approve the deal...

By describing a stadium as facing bureaucratic "hurdles," the story is framed as a collision between a promised good and...
15/09/2025

By describing a stadium as facing bureaucratic "hurdles," the story is framed as a collision between a promised good and the steps needed to get the sausages made, as if the Broncos owners are just regular Joes struggling to renew their driver's licenses.

The Denver Post ran a big Sunday explainer yesterday on what Broncos management still needs to do to get a stadium deal done: negotiate a community benefits agreement, get the land rezoned, seek tax breaks, clean up contaminated soil. None of it is super-interesting unless you're fascinated by envir...

Even if remaining stadium debt is really just bookkeeping, if Bears execs are going to demand a pile of future tax break...
12/09/2025

Even if remaining stadium debt is really just bookkeeping, if Bears execs are going to demand a pile of future tax breaks, sure, come right back at them with a demand for cash to the state up front. Two can play at the hardball negotiations game.

It's not that often that one news story gets a place of pride ahead of the Friday morning bullet points, but I'd say this one qualifies: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has said that before he'll consider granting the Chicago Bears owners tax breaks on their proposed Arlington Heights stadium, he want...

By announcing a site and a "no new taxes" promise now, the Broncos owners can hope to anchor people's expectations for a...
10/09/2025

By announcing a site and a "no new taxes" promise now, the Broncos owners can hope to anchor people's expectations for a new stadium by 2031, leaving only mere details about what tax breaks and public infrastructure spending will be needed to get it done.

After years of hints and speculation, Denver Broncos owners Greg and Carrie Penner, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado Governor Jared Polis jointly announced yesterday that they had decided on a "preferred" site for a new domed stadium to open by 2031: Burnham Yard, a more than century-old frei...

Clawing back $47m a year from a new 10% ticket tax wouldn't make Detroit taxpayers whole on the billions in tax money th...
08/09/2025

Clawing back $47m a year from a new 10% ticket tax wouldn't make Detroit taxpayers whole on the billions in tax money they've pumped into sports projects for the Red Wings and Pistons and Tigers and Lions over the years, but it would at least be a start.

One of the basic concepts that economists and budget experts like to try to point out about sports funding deals is that taxes are fungible — that is, if you don't use them on a stadium or arena, you can use them to pay for something else. So if your city is, oh, I dunno,...

How will these differ from the last set of plans (featuring nightmarish bear statues) Bears execs issued in early 2023, ...
08/09/2025

How will these differ from the last set of plans (featuring nightmarish bear statues) Bears execs issued in early 2023, or from their demands for tax breaks plus possible "billions" in infrastructure funding? The Chicago Tribune isn't saying!

The Chicago Tribune reports this morning that Bears management is expected to "publicly present their latest plans for a new stadium" in Arlington Heights sometime between now and November, according to Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia. How will this differ from the last set of plans team execs....

The Spurs owners are holding a rally tomorrow in support of their campaign to be gifted ~$750m in tax money for a new ar...
05/09/2025

The Spurs owners are holding a rally tomorrow in support of their campaign to be gifted ~$750m in tax money for a new arena, and the key guest will be their mascot, who I'm assuming will threaten to come to your house if you don't vote for the subsidy.

Before we get to the news, a quick note for any site supporters who are still waiting on swag: I haven't forgotten you, I just have to restock on mailers and stamps, which I have penciled in for tomorrow morning. Thanks for your patience, and I assure you that your fridge magnets will still be...

Arena glut is a thing! The fact Sixers owner Josh Harris backed out of a dueling-arenas scenario in Philly makes it less...
03/09/2025

Arena glut is a thing! The fact Sixers owner Josh Harris backed out of a dueling-arenas scenario in Philly makes it less likely that Chisholm would attempt one in Boston, and in what would almost certainly be a less central location for transit as well.

Ever since private equity goon Bill Chisholm and his goon pals bought majority ownership of the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion in March, there have been little burbles of speculation here and there that Chisholm might seek to build a new arena somewhere in Greater Boston. This started right after t...

The SA Report didn't call any of the people who would be the most useful: sports economists or local budget analysts who...
02/09/2025

The SA Report didn't call any of the people who would be the most useful: sports economists or local budget analysts who could discuss what return on investment, if any, San Antonio and Bexar County can expect to get from $750m in Spurs arena subsidies.

It's fair to say that media coverage so far of San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt's plans for a new arena district paid for partly by taxpayer money hasn't been very good: The San Antonio Express-News has advocated against letting the public vote on how public money will be used, while News4SanAnton...

Browns execs and the Ohio Department of Transportation are "in discussions" on reducing the height of the team's propose...
29/08/2025

Browns execs and the Ohio Department of Transportation are "in discussions" on reducing the height of the team's proposed stadium next to an airport, but it's "unclear" whether those talks will lead anywhere. The Browns may yet file an appeal in court.

We've somehow ended up again at the last Friday in August, and if history is any guide, none of you are actually reading this, as you're all headed out of town for the long weekend (as am I). So I could write about anything, really — maybe, okay, that's too depressing. No, not that, either....

The San Jose council didn't determine where to find $325m for the Sharks beyond "bonds and higher hotel taxes," and 1) t...
28/08/2025

The San Jose council didn't determine where to find $325m for the Sharks beyond "bonds and higher hotel taxes," and 1) these would need to go before voters and 2) "bonds" isn't a way to pay for anything, you then have to figure how to pay off the bonds.

The San Jose city council didn't waste any time in signing off on Mayor Matt Mahan's city's offer to spend $325 million on upgrading the Sharks' home arena, voting unanimously on Tuesday to approve the deal just one week after it was first announced. The subsidy deal will come with an extension on t...

Now that everyone in Sacramento hates him and nobody believes he's really moving to Vegas with construction costs soarin...
27/08/2025

Now that everyone in Sacramento hates him and nobody believes he's really moving to Vegas with construction costs soaring, John Fisher has moved up the timeline for playing games in Vegas(ish), but only for two series in June, when it will be sweltering.

In the latest twist in the Athletics' maybe-move to Las Vegas, MLB has announced the team will play six home games next year at the home of the Las Vegas Aviators, Las Vegas Ballpark, which is not in Las Vegas but nearby Summerlin but has a naming rights deal with the Las Vegas Convention and Visito...

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