Brewers hit home run, taxpayers strike out swinging

First the good news. The Milwaukee Brewers baseball team will remain in the state at least through 2050. That is not insignificant, as having a professional baseball team benefits the state economically. But keeping the team in Milwaukee comes with a steep price. Governor Tony Evers has signed the bill passed by the Legislature which allocates more than $500 million in taxpayer money toward upkeep and renovations at American Family Field. About one quarter of that money will come from taxpayers in the city and county of Milwaukee, but the rest, about $365 million, will come from taxpayers in La Crosse and across the state. That $500 million is a lot of money, more than it cost to build the whole stadium barely 20 years ago. Apparently they don’t make them like they used to. Shockingly, the team was reportedly planning to ask for money to build a brand new stadium to replace American Family Field before settling on renovation plans. Getting this deal done is certainly good news for the Brewers. But it is not good news for taxpayers. Even though taxes aren’t being raised to fund the stadium renovation, this continues the troubling trend of billionaire sports owners turning to taxpayers to fund their expensive venture. In this stadium deal, the Brewers hit a home run, but the taxpayers struck out swinging.