The Wisconsin Professional Park District has approved a new lease and non-relocation agreement for the Milwaukee Brewers, ensuring the team will remain in Milwaukee until at least 2050. The deal, which will require $500 million in taxpayer funding for renovations, follows legislation passed by the state and signed into law by Governor Tony Evers last year.
The agreement includes $366 million in state funding and $135 million from local taxpayers in Milwaukee and Milwaukee County for renovations to American Family Field over the next 27 years. In return, the Brewers have committed to staying in the state until 2050. Of the local contribution, $67.5 million will come from Milwaukee County and the city of Milwaukee.
Additionally, the agreement includes a ticket tax on non-baseball events at the stadium, projected to raise $20.7 million over the term of the new lease.
The Brewers will also contribute $150 million toward the stadium, including $50 million for renovations and maintenance. The team will make annual lease payments starting at $3.4 million from 2024 through 2045. These payments will increase to nearly $5.4 million per year from 2046 through 2050.
Governor Tony Evers expressed his support for the deal, emphasizing the Brewers’ importance to Wisconsin’s history and economy. “The Brewers have long been a critical part of our history and our heritage in Wisconsin, with billions of dollars in annual economic impact and hundreds of local, family-supporting jobs,” Evers said in a statement.
However, economists have questioned the economic benefits of professional sports stadiums. Studies suggest that the economic impact claims often made by politicians and team owners are overstated, serving more as a strategy to gain support from donors and benefit team owners financially.
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