So much news! Let’s get right to it:
- Arizona Coyotes owner Andrew Barroway is looking for more investors in his team, and if I owned the Coyotes I’d be trying to find someone to take chunks of it off my hands, too. Barroway also said that the Coyotes won’t remain in Glendale long-term, but that he “wouldn’t focus on Arizona moving right now or any time soon, or maybe ever,” so apparently his plan is to stand around the Phoenix area holding his breath until he turns blue if no one else will give him a new arena.
- The owners of the Golden State Warriors say they shouldn’t have to pay off the remaining debt on their Oakland arena when they move to San Francisco, as their lease requires, because their lease expires after 20 years while the debt goes on for 30. Just thinking about this makes my head hurt, so good luck to whatever judge ends up with the case.
- The Rochester Rhinos aren’t getting evicted from their stadium after all! They’re still not fielding a team in 2018, though, and I’m not clear on whether it’s been decided who owns their office furniture.
- Michigan’s Wayne County has agreed to give its unfinished jail site to Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, meaning Gilbert’s plan to build a new MLS stadium there and a new jail on city land while getting $300 million in county subsidies may not be dead after all. Though the state still needs to approve the tax kickbacks, and the county commission and the Detroit city council both need to approve the land swap, so … reply hazy, ask again later.
- An appeals court in Arizona has ruled that the state’s car-rental tax to pay for building sports venues isn’t unconstitutional after all, overturning a lower-court ruling from 2014 that it was illegal because money from car taxes needs to be used to pay for highways, and stadiums aren’t highways. Next up: state supreme court!
- Arlington, Texas is offering to spend $10 million on an e-sports arena, because that’s just what Arlington does. At least the city claims the money would be repaid by lease and event revenue, but I’d like to see the actual lease, please, to be sure of that.
- Inglewood residents spoke out against a planned Los Angeles Clippers arena and fears that it would displace businesses and residents at a public meeting this week, to which Inglewood Mayor James Butts responded: “I don’t know of any residents that live in the state of California that are upset.” Oh no, it’s outside agitators!
- Phoenix Rising F.C. has released renderings of its proposed MLS stadium on Salt River reservation land in Tempe. Do they have fireworks? You bet they have fireworks!