One thing that both cheers and puzzles me is all the comments that surely elected officials are about to start saying no to stadium and arena shakedowns, even as they keep on saying yes. I’m not entirely sure whether it’s a dedication to optimism or a commitment to burn down the system and start anew, but I’ll just say what I’ve been saying in this situation for 20-odd years now: I hope you’re right and I’m wrong, but I’m not holding my breath.
And now that I’ve put the Neil back in nihilism, on with the news:
- Two guys in Oregon want to build a Major League Baseball stadium in the Portland suburb or Gresham, and build it entirely out of wood, and I’m sorry, I kind of stopped reading after “iconic all-wood stadium,” but I did see there’s a rendering of people petting dogs and roller blading outside a stadium, because who doesn’t like dogs and roller blading?
- Sports columnist Mike DiMauro of The Day, which I know is a newspaper in Connecticut but which always just makes me think of this, has written one of those “What’s taking so long to throw public money at a sports project, dagnabit?” columns, complaining of the “tediousness” of inaction on renovating Hartford’s arena, which is “creaky” and “squeaky,” and that the problem is the “fundamental moral outrage” of the “Chorus Of Aggrieved Taxpayers” that is leaving renovations “moving forward with the acceleration of an arthritic snail.” (Snails, of course, are invertebrates, so wouldn’t be affected by arthritis. Lucky snails!) Asks DiMauro, “What other Hartford-area project is of more benefit to a wider range of people than a bustling downtown arena?” Try not to answer all at once.
- Construction of F.C. Cincinnati‘s new stadium is complete, and the team’s press release includes a photo of it empty that is a bit drab with no lens flare or people pointing at the sky, but makes up for that with some impressively purple prose about such things as how “the back shelving of the club’s bar was inspired by the jaw-dropping five-story stacks of the Old Cincinnati Library. If that’s not worth $97 million in taxpayer money, what is? (Try not to answer all at once.)
- Still not random enough stadium cheerleading for you? How about a local TV news exclusive video of St. Louis stadium construction workers doing stretches in unison?
- The Palm Springs Desert Sun reports that Oak View Group wants its proposed $250 million arena in Palm Desert to be powered by solar energy and entirely carbon neutral, but complains it’s being stymied by the local power company, which is … sorry, no room for a comment from the power company, need to leave space for the note about the Desert Sun’s upcoming “informational webinar series” in partnership with Oak View Group about its new arena, something that is no doubt entirely unrelated to the four different OVG execs and architects quoted in the story.
- The Calgary Flames arena project may require chopping down a 125-year-old elm tree, but it’s okay because someone took a 3D photo of it first.
- Two Arlington Heights–area state lawmakers say they wouldn’t want to use public funds for a new Chicago Bears stadium in the suburban city, while one says he “probably” would. Given that “no public funds” can be defined pretty much however elected officials like these days, not to mention that no one is actually proposing to build a stadium in Arlington Heights, this maybe seems like a waste of a reporter’s time, but … oh, never mind, they just let the intern whose Twitter bio brags about their “bad sports opinions” write it, it’s all good.
- And finally, we have the Sacramento Bee’s report that Sacramento Republic FC is showing it’s serious about moving up to MLS by … changing the name of its stadium from one corporation to another? That’s what it says in the team’s press release, anyway, gotta get that right into print, that’s what journalism is all about!
When I think “The Day” I think of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZYgKCbFbWY
In memory of a real tree:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSimpsons/comments/6esr2o/in_memory_of_a_real_tree/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
“An explosion of job opportunities!”.
Well, say no more, Portland, I’m sold!
“We would make lists of reasons why it couldn’t work, and (those lists were) always so short!”
Due diligence be damned, I think you’ve cracked it boys… why spend a bunch of money on research and actual financial calculations when you’ve already proven that there are no reasons why it can’t work?
If this isn’t the definition of a slow news day story at Pamplin Media, I’ve no idea what is.
Yeah, they did overlook one potential reason why it wouldn’t work, rain in April and May. Everyone loves an open air stadium until the rainouts happen. Forgive me for not starting to count my pennies to buy tickets yet.
https://www.golocalprov.com/business/worcesters-polar-park-is-underwhelming-160-million-architecture-critic-morg
Thanks. Wow, they managed to make a $160m project look like an abandoned 1970s industrial warehouse or maybe a failed art school project created by people who “may not know much about art but know what they like”.
At first look I thought they may have used the “before” pictures in the article by mistake.
This could just nudge DC United stadium out of first place in the “you spent HOW much on THIS?” competition.
I’ve driven by the outside and I’ve looked over the fence. It looked like a regular ball park to me. But I’m not qualified to judge. I think Worcester getting “my” team (as a Rhode islander) is much the same as I think about the royal family.
I enjoy all the gossip, scandals and even an occasional game or 2, but some one else’s tax dollars are paying for it. Only 40 minutes up the road and $170 million away.
I don’t live anywhere near it, but that was my first thought when Worcs decided to bribe the ownership to move… Depending on where you were in relation to Pawtucket, this might not be much further (at least in drive time) to travel and should mean you aren’t paying for the new-yet-lived-in-look $160m stadium.
As with so many other business deals I’ve seen in the last decade or two, I’d much rather be the seller than the buyer in this case.
Neil,
Somewhere in 2019 or 18 the mayor of Nashville commented that he was flattered on MLBs interest in the city but he was more focused an MLS stadium. Montreal and Portland have groups which have not directly asked for public funds. Charlotte has no group as we speak. A few years ago Steve Stone had a group for Vegas. Again privately funding. This is a far cry from the late 1990’s and early 2000 when Washington’s Mayor Willams was directly involved in public funds for a ballpark. Given the nature of MLB I am very skeptical massive public subsidies will be a thing. I think the D-backs is a one off because Phoenix is sort of a new economy city unlike the marjo
All that has been true ever since the Expos moved to Washington in 2005, during which time the Yankees, Mets, Twins, Marlins, Braves, Rangers, and Angels have all gotten massive public subsidies. Remember, you don’t need a *viable* move threat so much as a *minimally plausible* one, which unfortunately isn’t the same thing at all.