Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed the Milwaukee Brewers stadium renovation subsidy bill yesterday as expected, providing $500 million in public funds to go along with $110 million from team owner Mark Attanasio if you’re counting future dollars the same as present-day ones and ignore who gets naming-rights revenue on the state-owned stadium, or just under $500 million in public funds compared to more like $0 from Attanasio if you do a more complete analysis. And Attanasio actually brought up (or was asked about) whether he really would have moved the team without public money like unnamed sources had hinted to a local newspaper in advance of the legislative vote, and gave an answer, sort of:
Attanasio said during the signing that the Brewers have received inquiries from other cities about relocating but moving was never an option. He said he understands how painful it was for the community when the Milwaukee Braves left for Atlanta in 1966. He did not name the cities inquiring about hosting the Brewers…
“We never considered going anywhere else,” Attanasio said. “We always wanted to be here.”
Joanna Cagan and I previously came up with the term “non-threat threat” for the way team owners drop hints about relocation without ever actually outright saying they’ll move, but maybe it’s time for a new phrase for this second half of the maneuver, in which owners simultaneously deny they ever would have dreamed of leaving town while also thanking taxpayer largesse for keeping them in town. Jerry Reinsdorf did it, and Mario Lemeiux did it, and Zygi Wilf did it; at this point, Attanasio is clearly reading from a standard playbook, albeit one that requires reporters not to say “Wait what?”
Anyway, Attanasio has his taxpayer boodle now, so if this is going to be any kind of teachable moment, it’ll have to be for future move threat rumors. Like, say, the one where Dallas city councilmembers are saying the city should consider building the Mavericks a new arena to replace their 22-year-old one because “We need to keep the ‘Dallas’ in the Dallas Mavericks,” even after team owner Mark Cuban — who is selling majority control of the team but will retain operational control — said, “I will say on the record the team is not moving anywhere.” Maybe he’s lying, sure, but the minute you start assuming move threats without the local team owner even having to hint about them, that’s when you get into negotiating against yourself, and that way $500 million checks lie.