How it started:
Memphis to TN: While you’re handing out stadium money, how’s about $684m for Grizzlies arena and stuff? —October 19, 2022
How it’s going:
Gov. Bill Lee announces $350M to renovate FedExForum and Liberty Stadium —February 7, 2023
To recap in a little more detail: Back in October, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland asked for $350 million in state money toward $684 million in projects that would include renovations to the Grizzlies‘ 18-year-old arena, a new soccer stadium for the USL team 901 FC, and upgrades to the University of Memphis’s Liberty Bowl. (The rest was to be paid for by Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Press-Release.) Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has now obliged, though the Commercial Appeal says it “appears” that the $350 million would only be for the Grizzlies and Liberty Bowl projects — with the latter budgeted at an estimated $150-200 million, that would leave another $150-200 million for the Grizzlies to use on moving seats from the upper bowl to the lower bowl, where they might not be much closer to the court but they can be made more expensive.
Strickland, meanwhile, has his eyes set on getting his hands on even more cash to distribute to the local sports team owners:
Along with the $350 million, Strickland and Memphis have requested to increase the allowance for Shelby County to create a 5% hotel/motel tax, up from the current 3.5% tax, as well as asking the state to extend an allowance for a county car rental tax through 2053 and extend a deal where all sales taxes collected at FedExForum are kept by the Grizzlies through 2053.
How much that would amount to is unclear; Jon Styf, author of the above-linked Center Square article, says all we know so far is what’s in this screaming-bro-bedecked presentation, which spells out the additional tax increases but not what they would add up to or be used for.
The money still has to be approved by the state legislature, but House Speaker Cameron Sexton, at least, has already said he’s down with it. One hopes there will be time for some questions, like Will the Grizzlies at least be agreeing to a lease extension in exchange for all this public cash? and Who’s going to pay for the rest of the costs? and Why should Tennessee taxpayers be footing the bill for this anyway? and Just because Nashville is jumping off a bridge does it mean Memphis should too? One doesn’t hope too hard, mind you, given past history, but it’s important to keep at least minimal expectations for democracy even if we’re constantly disappointed.
Hmm. Typically, Nashville is VERY reluctant to throw Shelby County anything more than a dirty look. I guess Memphis better take this deal while their mayor is still a white guy…? As soon as that changes, the TN Legislature will withhold even the dirty looks.
Memphis has a great collection of let’s call them historical sportsball arenas: MidSouth Coliseum, Liberty Bowl (both part of the city’s Fairgrounds complex with weird Elvis energy that resists the passage of time but for poor old McCarver Stadium), Pyramid (now a BassPro Outlet), and FedEx Forum are the major venues. I think UofM still uses their on-campus fieldhouse for women’s sports? AutoZone Park keeps the AAA Redbirds and 901 FC for now. I guess the dough from Nashville will get the deal done to repurpose MSC into the new home field for 901 FC. Lots of balls in the air, Bluff City. Godspeed.