5 minutes ago, nrockway said:

I don't feel like reading a WaPo article, but the word 'subsidize' is doing the heavy lifting and is misleading. Subsidies are dumb, investments in are not. Countless case studies to the contrary.

There have been a number of economic studies and reports that explicitly say governments investing in stadiums to the benefit of the owners do not provide the economic return that said owners like to thump their chests about.

15 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

There have been a number of economic studies and reports that explicitly say governments investing in stadiums to the benefit of the owners do not provide the economic return that said owners like to thump their chests about.

https://www.kines.umich.edu/research/labs-centers/center-sports-venues-real-estate-development

worth reading through some of their work. good reason 'progressive' cities are going for this sort of thing nowadays.

On 4/4/2026 at 1:08 PM, Lip Man 1 said:

The Washington Post editorial board has a column today (I don't have access to the story itself) with this headline:

Never subsidize a sports stadium. And definitely not like this.

The subheadline then says "Jacksonville fans are getting fleeced"

Speaking of Florida, it'll be interesting to see what the public ends up paying for a new Rays new stadium, if one ever gets built. Reports suggest that the ask will be ~$1B from the city and county to get a new domed stadium built, which will have a total cost of over $2B.

9 hours ago, 77 Hitmen said:

Speaking of Florida, it'll be interesting to see what the public ends up paying for a new Rays new stadium, if one ever gets built. Reports suggest that the ask will be ~$1B from the city and county to get a new domed stadium built, which will have a total cost of over $2B.

.The owners of the Rays have given the government a deadline of April 15, 2026 in regards to the funding of the proposed new stadium. It will be curious to see what happens if the government does not come up with the money. Seems like most cities don't want to spend money on these new stadiums. That being said, Orlando is willing to build a new baseball stadium and i would think that is where the Rays will eventually move.

13 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

There have been a number of economic studies and reports that explicitly say governments investing in stadiums to the benefit of the owners do not provide the economic return that said owners like to thump their chests about.

Here's the problem; we have been talked in to the idea that THIS is how you attract companies (not just sports franchises) as a community. Every city of a reasonable size, and every county and state have Economic Development teams whose entire existence is to hand out incentive packages in the form of tax incentives, and other cash prizes, to businesses to "attract" them to move into a community. Companies use this communities against each other to improve these dollar amounts and awards. Even the trillion dollar plus market companies like Amazon engage in these games to get themselves more subsidies. Look the myth of the welfare queen is out in popular culture, but there is no bigger welfare queen in America than the billionaire. Sports team owners are no different than Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, or any of the other CEOs out there getting paid by taxpayers to make their billions somewhere else.

3 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Here's the problem; we have been talked in to the idea that THIS is how you attract companies (not just sports franchises) as a community. Every city of a reasonable size, and every county and state have Economic Development teams whose entire existence is to hand out incentive packages in the form of tax incentives, and other cash prizes, to businesses to "attract" them to move into a community. Companies use this communities against each other to improve these dollar amounts and awards. Even the trillion dollar plus market companies like Amazon engage in these games to get themselves more subsidies. Look the myth of the welfare queen is out in popular culture, but there is no bigger welfare queen in America than the billionaire. Sports team owners are no different than Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, or any of the other CEOs out there getting paid by taxpayers to make their billions somewhere else.

Amen

8 minutes ago, Lukakke Appling said:

Amen

Corporate welfare not in your face like the stereotypical single mother with multiple kids Cadillac expensive mobile phone buying junk food or cigarettes with wic/food stamps, although it's now changed more to various immigrant groups as the "exploiters" of American largesse/generosity/loopholes.

21 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Corporate welfare not in your face like the stereotypical single mother with multiple kids Cadillac expensive mobile phone buying junk food or cigarettes with wic/food stamps, although it's now changed more to various immigrant groups as the "exploiters" of American largesse/generosity/loopholes.

The f*** it isn't. The vanity projects of an Elon Musk are everywhere for the world to see. Same with Bezos. You might WANT to notice it, but it is there.

On 4/4/2026 at 12:20 PM, NO!!MARY!!! said:

He won’t do it right because whatever happens will get criticized. People will move to the “They had a perfectly fine ballpark in the Rate, why did they knock it down?” line, along with “they tore down a classic ballpark in Comiskey. They never do anything right. And now they’re on yet another ballpark while Chicago’s true and only team will play in the Sacred Cathedral of Wrigley forever.”

I know it seems like I’m Cubsessed, but the Sox will always suffer in comparison to them.

Oh, and I'm sure there will be people in the local media like Paul Sullivan or talk radio blowhards who will continue to take pot shots at any new Sox ballpark because it's not the Cubs and not beloved Wrigley. What people say online? Heck, people on social media are complete assholes about everything. But, if the Sox build a new ballpark that is well-designed and in a location that has more things around it that'll attract more fans AND the Sox start fielding a more competitive team, then what "people say" online or in the media isn't going to kill its success.

If the Bears move to Arlington Heights what happens to the current stadium at Soldier? Demolished or left as a concert and events venue?

Worse, the possibility that the WSox would abandon their historic home on 35th would be a terribly regressive form of urban planning. Bridgeport is a community that has been gentrifying around the park for decades. Millions have been invested in beautiful new or rehabbed homes and apartments around there. South Halsted Street and area businesses are relying on the White Sox and their fans to support them.

Edited Monday at 06:30 PM5 days by tray

1 hour ago, Sleepy Harold said:

I'm pretty sure that McCaskey and Warren have recently said they won't make a decision until the IL General Assembly has had a chance to pass the PILOT bill, so I'm not sure what league sources are leaking to the press that a decision is coming in "the next few weeks".

There's no way in hell George McCaskey is going to jump to Hammond before the ILGA and the Governor have had a chance to pass that bill and that's not likely to happen until May at the earliest. Arlington Heights is McCaskey's much-preferred location. If the spring session ends with a failure to pass the bill the Bears are looking for, then yeah, I expect them to go ahead and make things official with Indiana. But not until then.

Edited Monday at 07:07 PM5 days by 77 Hitmen

I noticed that the RF concourse was completely jammed. Not sure if some holding 500 level tickets may have been allowed there. I think an easy way to fix that and generate more income would be to convert the fundamentals areas in LF into a lounge and open air bar.

Also if the WSox are thinking of extending the Lease, a small RF upper deck could be interesting. RF does not have the issues with the sunset that LF seats have.

As the Rays return to a refurbished Tropicana Field, their eye is on a new stadium.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7174311/2026/04/06/tampa-bay-rays-mlb-tropicana-field-new-stadium/

$60M in repairs and renovations for a ballpark that might only be around for a few more years.

"The plan is to create a massive complex similar to The Battery in Atlanta but nearly twice as large. The site would include not only the new stadium but also shopping, housing and entertainment, all connected to a new Hillsborough College campus."

39 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellerbe_Becket

You'd have to think they would be involved somehow...

OR

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HNTB

original architects for Kauffman

Edited Thursday at 07:57 PM2 days by caulfield12

Block Club Chicago

Two Stadiums In The South Loop? Neighbors Weigh In On Pro...

SOUTH LOOP — With the possibility of the 14th Street Railyard becoming the future home of the White Sox, some South Loop residents are cautiously