To paraphrase former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, June 30, 1988 (or July 1, depending on whose clock you believe) is a date that will live in Illinois political infamy.
It was in the (alleged) final minute of that day that then-Gov. James R. Thompson strong-armed the Illinois House of Representatives to approve a proposal to construct a new stadium on the South Side for the benefit of the Chicago White Sox.
For legislators who were present, the swiftness by which the White Sox bill came up on the final day of the General Assembly’s spring legislative session created an awful taste that to this day causes many to automatically vote “no” anytime a bill relates to sports.
But in creating an Illinois government agency to operate state-owned stadiums in Chicago, the General Assembly set a precedent that now pressures them to give in to the desires of Chicago’s other professional baseball team. The Cubs want the state to take ownership of their ballpark – 94-year-old Wrigley Field.
Specifics of a state takeover of Wrigley Field have yet to be determined, although the general plan is for the Cubs’ new owner, real estate developer Sam Zell, to sell the building to the state, which would place it under the control of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
Such a move would make the state (ie, taxpayers, meaning you and me) responsible for paying for Wrigley Field’s maintenance, and also means Illinois government would be responsible for raising the hundreds of millions of dollars necessary (it could go as high as a half-billion dollars) to give Wrigley Field the major renovation the building so desperately needs if the structure is to remain a viable stadium for the Cubs in decades to come.
Eliminating that expense from the Cubs’ ledgers would benefit Zell as he looks to sell the team, which he acquired last month as part of a larger acquisition of the Tribune media company. Zell wants to find a local buyer, and letting a new owner know they would not be responsible for having to pay for the cost of a Wrigley Field renovation can only help boost the final price he gets for the Cubs.
Many people are disgusted at the thought of state funds being used in any way to benefit a sports team. Mayor Richard M. Daley was once among them, as he previously lambasted Gov. (and Cubs fan) Rod Blagojevich for even considering the move.
But reports in the Chicago Sun-Times indicate that Daley (whose family members are long-time White Sox season ticket holders) and his advisers have since been briefed on specifics of a possible sale of the stadium to the state. Daley is now non-committal on the issue.
Like it or not, we’re in an era where the status quo for sports teams is to play in municipally built stadiums. It is only natural for the Cubs to want treatment similar to the other 29 teams in Major League Baseball.
That concept would not be a problem if only government entities had some sort of backbone and actually negotiated lease agreements that called for the teams to pay substantial rent, or allowed government a significant cut of monies derived from the stadium (parking and concessions revenue).
In today’s sporting world, the fact is that most government entities pay to construct the stadium, maintain the building at taxpayer expense AND allow the teams to keep virtually all revenues raised by events held in the building.
The White Sox’ deal with Illinois has resulted in some seasons where the state got a few million dollars in rent. But other years when attendance dropped resulted in only token rent payments to Illinois. There were even three seasons in the late 1990s (back when foolish fans went to Cubs games en masse because they thought Sammy Sosa was super and not steroid-laden) when the Sox paid Illinois nothing.
Some teams have better deals. Take the Texas Rangers, whose stadium was built by Texas state government due to political connections held by the Rangers’ then-owner George W. Bush. The state built a stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, and now pays the Rangers a few million dollars per year to play there.
Governments claim a sports franchise helps enhance the public image of their cities, and the loss of a team would make them look minor league. Such a view is what got Illinois to pay $139 million to build U.S. Cellular Field – the White Sox were threatening to become the Florida Sox and play in a domed arena in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Now in all fairness, Illinois is not losing money on the Sox deal. The bonds that raised money for stadium construction are being paid off by income from an entertainment tax charged on tourists and other people who stay at downtown Chicago hotels and eat at area restaurants.
That tax is producing money in excess of what was expected back in 1988, so much more that the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority was able to provide a portion of the $600 million needed to pay for the 2002 renovation of Soldier Field for the Chicago Bears.
After providing assistance to the White Sox and the Bears, and also providing funds throughout the years for construction of stadiums for minor league baseball teams stretching from suburban Crestwood down to Marion in the heart of Little Egypt, it becomes impossible for Illinois to justify saying “no” to the cutesy Cubbies – regardless of what other projects one thinks are more important.
Like it or not, governments have put themselves in the business of constructing sports stadiums. Expecting Illinois to now take on a Wisconsin-like “good government” mentality and say “no” to the Cubs is just ridiculously naïve.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment