With the Minnesota Twins stadium bill stalled once again – the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Jay Weiner writes that “if there’s no movement on the larger issues at the Capitol this week [during the special session of the legislature], the Twins’ prospects could run out of time” – the local newspapers have the unusual luxury of stepping back and looking at the big picture instead of just rushing from press release to press release:
-
Weiner takes a look at the dodgy economics of sports stadiums, noting: “Statistics from Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul prove the point. During the NHL lockout, sales tax collection in the city of St. Paul hasn’t gone down. Businesses near the arena have suffered, but, citywide, consumers are simply spending in other neighborhoods.” (This is what economists call the “substitution effect,” whereby sports spending only serves to cannibalize other local spending.) Weiner then asserts, though, that the state (as opposed to Hennepin County) should consider chipping in more toward Twins stadium costs, since it would reap “$12 million a year in sales and income taxes” – though one would think the substitution effect would be even stronger on the state level than the city level, since few fans travel to games from out of state.
-
Elsewhere in the Strib, Mike Kaszuba examines the St. Louis Cardinals‘ new stadium, which will be two-thirds privately financed after the Missouri legislature rejected plans for more substantial public subsidies. A key factor: The recognition that the Cards are already one of the most lucrative teams in baseball. Says St. Louis County’s director of administration Jim Baker: “I think it was a real shock to the Cardinals to realize the more successful you are as a sports franchise, the less leverage you have.” Sound like anyone you know?
-
Finally, the St. Paul Pioneer Press found time for a profile – and goofy photo – of the most visible citizen opponents to the Twins’ stadium plans. The best part here is Elysian Fields Quarterly publisher Tom Goldstein’s concluding quote: “The Twins stadium issue is like buying a drunk another drink. They keep coming back. What the Legislature needs to do is cut the Twins off and send them to rehab.” I might just have to put that on a mug…
