Poll shows Phoenix residents hate Suns arena deal even more than having to watch Suns try to play basketball

The first poll is in on the proposed Phoenix Suns arena deal, and, well, let’s let the pollster sum it up, because he has a way with words:

“The only thing that’s worse than the Suns’ record is the support for spending $185 million in public money to improve the arena,” Barrett Marson, whose company commissioned the poll, said Monday on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.

Ouch! But no, seriously, what do people in Phoenix think of the plan?

“It’s abysmal,” Marson, a political consultant, said. “It’s losing with old people, young people, men, women. People in Phoenix don’t like this idea.”

The actual numbers are 66% opposed and only 20% in favor, which is indeed a pretty wide margin:

One could argue that the phrasing of the poll is slightly skewed against the arena deal — I have $168 million as the present value of the public contribution, and the question doesn’t mention that the Suns will be extending their lease for 15 years in exchange for the cash. Still, it’s pretty much inconceivable that changing the wording would close a 35 percentage point gap, so it’s pretty fair to say that Phoenix residents hate this deal with a fiery passion.

Of course, none of this directly matters, as the Phoenix city council plans to vote on the arena renovation deal tomorrow, before waiting for the results of the upcoming mayoral runoff. Still, Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts reports that there are already three “no” votes on the council and it only takes four to block the deal, so maybe councilmembers are actually paying attention to the polls? Or maybe they’re just afraid that someone will shoot them.

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6 comments on “Poll shows Phoenix residents hate Suns arena deal even more than having to watch Suns try to play basketball

  1. I think I might be more interested in finding out what the ratio between the “Yes” voters and self-proclaimed die-hard sports fans is. My guess is that it’s much closer to 100% than, say, even 50%…

    1. Or the percentage of the 450 voters who were sports fans at all, Suns fans or members of the elected assembly who might make some money of the renovation deal somehow….

  2. I’m surprised the Goldwater Institute hasn’t chimed in with the locals to oppose this deal the way it did with a previous Coyote arena proposal.. After all, Isn’t protection of taxpayers without proper representation its bete noire?

  3. Here’s how your typical local politician would reword the poll question to get their favored outcome: “Do you favor sticking it to the tourists, by earmarking the confiscatory taxes on their hotel stays and car rentals, which local residents won’t pay, to create a state of the art facility so that our city can remain a Major League City?”

  4. City sources: Phoenix City Council will delay $230M Suns arena renovation vote

    https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2018/12/12/phoenix-vote-230-million-suns-arena-renovation-talking-stick-resort-national-basketball-association/2276373002/

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