It’s Friday again! And, really, that’s all I’ve got by way of introduction this week, but there is plenty of news:
- Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally tells The Tennessean that Gov. Bill Lee is expected to put state funding for a Titans stadium in his upcoming state budget. No word on how much money, or where the state would take the money from, or how much the stadium would cost, but certainly all that will be addressed well before the budget is voted on by the end of April, no governor would ever try to avoid public disclosure of something like that.
- The Washington Post editorial board says Virginia giving Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder a ton of public money for a stadium is a lousy idea, and sports economist J.C. Bradbury concurs in an op-ed, only with more math. Also talks between the Virginia house and senate over a compromise bill have reportedly stalled, so maybe somebody in the Virginia legislature is actually reading the Washington Post? Or is just waiting for all the ruckus to die down so they can pass a final bill quietly, that’s always possible too.
- Tennessee state Sen. Todd Gardenhire has recommended against his own bill to have the state kick back sales taxes to help pay for a new Chattanooga Lookouts stadium as part of a total public expense of … honestly, I can’t make head or tail of exactly what’s going on here, other than that Gardenhire is unhappy with something about the funding proposal and is seeking … something else? But then, state Rep. Greg Vital told the Chattanooga Times Free Press, “I’m not quite sure what we’re being asked to fund, who owns what, who’s going to own what,” so at least we’re all in blissful ignorance together!
- Three Oklahoma City University economists looked at the economic impact of the Thunder on the city, and found that it’s somewhere between “nothing measurable” and “something, but not nearly enough to cover what we spent to get and keep the Thunder.” “These things just don’t pan out as economic growth centers,” says Emeritus Professor of Economics Johnathan Wilner, who is followed in the article by a Norman, Oklahoma official saying the University of Oklahoma needs a new arena because “we’re the third-largest city in the state, and it’s time we started acting like one.” He said she said journalism is just the best, isn’t it?
- The Guardian has a long recap of the Arizona Coyotes arena saga, and The Athletic has a long lookahead on the future of the Arizona Coyotes arena saga, of which I mostly read the takeaway quote “Every other team in the league will be laughing when they visit us,” so there’s probably some good schadenfreude fodder in there for anyone with the time and patience to sit through a couple of deep dives.
- Live 24-hour webcam of the reconstruction work being done on the Baltimore Arena! So far it looks like nothing is going on — make your own jokes about that being how the Baltimore Arena always looks — but I promise to alert you if they begin installation of the Top Sail Wine Bar.