Study says Stadium District may run out of money- Will Brewers ask for more taxpayer funding?

[patrickgpe]

maybe this isn't the perfect spot for this but, saw this this AM.

 

https://www.fox6now.com/sports/indoor-golf-american-family-field-brewers-x-golf-america

 

again its hard to plead poor when you are putting indoor simulated driving ranges inside your stadium.

[djoctagone]

how much money will the brewers ask for? rick schlesigner says he doesn't know, and doesn't expect to comment until this summer.

[Jopal78]

maybe this isn't the perfect spot for this but, saw this this AM.

 

https://www.fox6now.com/sports/indoor-golf-american-family-field-brewers-x-golf-america

 

again its hard to plead poor when you are putting indoor simulated driving ranges inside your stadium.

 

In that scenario the Brewers most likely are just the landlord. They lease space to the X Golf Company who builds and then operates the range.

[owbc]

maybe this isn't the perfect spot for this but, saw this this AM.

 

https://www.fox6now.com/sports/indoor-golf-american-family-field-brewers-x-golf-america

 

again its hard to plead poor when you are putting indoor simulated driving ranges inside your stadium.

 

Several MLB parks have been converted to TopGolf driving ranges recently. Not simulated, but actual hitting of golf balls from the stands to the field...

https://press.topgolf.com/2021-12-21-2022-Topgolf-Live-Stadium-Tour-Transforms-Iconic-Stadiums-into-Pop-Up-Topgolf-Entertainment-Venues

[jerichoholicninja]

So people will now buy a ticket to a baseball game so they can pay some more to play fake golf?

[BillScottCanRake]

So people will now buy a ticket to a baseball game so they can pay some more to play fake golf?

 

It is open year round, and will have golf leagues and tournaments on non-game days and out of season. If I had to guess, I suspect they will be most heavily used in the winter when you can't golf and on non-game days. Maybe the people who use them on game day will be non-baseball fans who went to the game with baseball fans? If they are using the simulator at least they aren't disrupting people who want to watch the game.

[hawing]

I'm mildly surprised that the Stadium Club is going away to accommodate the golf thing. So there will just not be a club level restaurant anymore?

 

(I have no idea how often it's utilized, nor how much less it might have been utilized in 2021 due to the pandemic)

[Jopal78]

I'm mildly surprised that the Stadium Club is going away to accommodate the golf thing. So there will just not be a club level restaurant anymore?

 

(I have no idea how often it's utilized, nor how much less it might have been utilized in 2021 due to the pandemic)

 

From a fan perspective it was cool. From a business perspective the rent must’ve been pretty bad, because at least three different companies leased that space and were content to walk away.

[JackNicholson1974]

My thoughts briefly.

 

I don’t want the Brewers to leave.

Paying a small tax is worth it.

I don’t think any professional team should be able to get public money without opening up their books.

In fact. With MLBs anti trust exemption, I feel like there could be a way for congress to include in any anti trust exemption that asking for and receiving public funding requires full transparency and open books for ALL MAJOR LEAGUE franchises in any major league city or prospective major league city.

 

Basically it should be - yeah we have no problem helping you out, but let’s see how much help you need.

[paul253]

I’m late to the game here so I apologize if I repeat anything. 
 

My first thoughts on this are

1) $100 million seems like an awful lot. What kind of improvements do they need? I’m fine with things like structural improvements (the roof, for instance).  But if these “improvements” are to help the team make more money then I think the team should pay for it. 
 

2) I don’t know the deal with parking revenue but if the team gets the parking revenue and they want money from taxpayers then the stadium district should get to keep the parking revenue. That money, in turn, could be put into a fund for future improvements.  
 

3) I don’t know where this comes into play but the team, or the city, whoever owns the parking lots, really needs to consider developing the area into a stadium district. The possibilities really are endless given how much land is available, not just the parking lots but then East into the Menominee Valley.  Condos/Apartments, bars/restaurants, entertainment, shopping, hotels, etc.  Maybe a future stop for the streetcar.  Perhaps this could be used as a future revenue source for the team to find stadium improvements.  

 

[RobertR]

Of course the Brewers will ask for public money. That's what professional sports teams do.

As for whether they should get public money, that's a different debate. I've yet to see any proof that a sports team is economically transformational for a city. Green Bay should be a lot more economically vital than it is if that's the case. But it's certainly good to have that option of pro sports for the quality of life.

I doubt that anyone is going to chip in beyond Milwaukee County or a ticket tax this round, but if you can make the case for the Bucks, you can make the case for the Brewers. Especially if you can structure it in such a way that money also flows into the County Parks.

And I fully agree that the stadium grounds are underutilized when the Brewers are not in town. You could do things like food truck events, pop up drive ins, or festival events. The Deer District is a ton better conceived than parking lots which are vacant much of the year.

[superfly]

Such a convenient time to bring it up, as we hit the 2/3 mark of a “supposed” 30 year lifespan of a stadium. Now it’s in the news and they can bludgeon us for the next decade until we give in and rich owner gets his taxpayer funded stadium.

Not picking on MA specifically, im just sick and tired of being sick and tired of this old charade.