September 28, 2004
D.C. taxpayers to foot 80% of stadium bill
After a whole lot of math and a fair bit of guesstimating, I've come up with projected numbers for who would end up paying how much for the proposed $440 million Expos stadium in D.C. And the survey says: D.C. taxpayers would be on the hook for $320 million, while the team owners would spend just $70 million. (The remainder would effectively come out of the budgets of neighboring states.) For more details, see my article in today's Baseball Prospectus (no registration/subscription required).
And speaking of neighboring states, the Maryland Stadium Authority reports that if the Expos' move to D.C. reduces Baltimore Orioles ticket sales by 30%, it would cost the state of Maryland $2.6 million a year in lost ticket taxes. There are a world of problem with this figure - 30% is a crazy high number, for starters, and there's also the likelihood that at least a few of those lost fans would stay home and order crabcakes - but it does point out that an Expos move could have some unforeseen collateral damage.
