Hey Seattle, want a NBA team?

[ezgeze]

You might get one from Milwaukee.

So lawmakers in Madison Wisconsin today wrapped up without solving the issue with the Milwaukee Bucks and due to stubborn democrats who refuse to vote for any republican bills may cause the Bucks to leave.

Currently the Milwaukee Bucks play in the 2nd oldest NBA arena and have been told by the NBA they need to either build a new one or lose the team. An arena deal was initially in the state budget but since democrats would never vote for a republican budget because they would in essence be voting for other things in the budget, the arena deal was taken out as a separate bill. A deal was worked out with the Milwaukee mayor and County Executive, both democrats, the new Bucks owners, also democrats and Scott Walker (republican) and all looked good, except a certain party would rather lose the team for political reasons. Personally I think they want to use "you lost the Bucks under your watch as Governor" line when Walker runs for president.

Quite frankly it makes me sick. Democrats in Wisconsin always whale like banshees about helping out Milwaukee and how we need to do stuff in the city to promote regional development yet when it comes down to it, really aren't interested.

Now Seattle lost the Sonics in 2008(?) and is probably the most likely place the NBA will seek to relocate the team. So, yeah, yet another screw over in Milwaukee.

[lokithor]

You might get one from Milwaukee.

So lawmakers in Madison Wisconsin today wrapped up without solving the issue with the Milwaukee Bucks and due to stubborn democrats who refuse to vote for any republican bills may cause the Bucks to leave.

Currently the Milwaukee Bucks play in the 2nd oldest NBA arena and have been told by the NBA they need to either build a new one or lose the team. An arena deal was initially in the state budget but since democrats would never vote for a republican budget because they would in essence be voting for other things in the budget, the arena deal was taken out as a separate bill. A deal was worked out with the Milwaukee mayor and County Executive, both democrats, the new Bucks owners, also democrats and Scott Walker (republican) and all looked good, except a certain party would rather lose the team for political reasons. Personally I think they want to use "you lost the Bucks under your watch as Governor" line when Walker runs for president.

Quite frankly it makes me sick. Democrats in Wisconsin always whale like banshees about helping out Milwaukee and how we need to do stuff in the city to promote regional development yet when it comes down to it, really aren't interested.

Now Seattle lost the Sonics in 2008(?) and is probably the most likely place the NBA will seek to relocate the team. So, yeah, yet another screw over in Milwaukee.

Didn't the Brewers just get a new ballpark? I guess the Bucks just don't bring in enough money to justify it.

[Doctor Amadeus]

You might get one from Milwaukee.

So lawmakers in Madison Wisconsin today wrapped up without solving the issue with the Milwaukee Bucks and due to stubborn democrats who refuse to vote for any republican bills may cause the Bucks to leave.

Currently the Milwaukee Bucks play in the 2nd oldest NBA arena and have been told by the NBA they need to either build a new one or lose the team. An arena deal was initially in the state budget but since democrats would never vote for a republican budget because they would in essence be voting for other things in the budget, the arena deal was taken out as a separate bill. A deal was worked out with the Milwaukee mayor and County Executive, both democrats, the new Bucks owners, also democrats and Scott Walker (republican) and all looked good, except a certain party would rather lose the team for political reasons. Personally I think they want to use "you lost the Bucks under your watch as Governor" line when Walker runs for president.

Quite frankly it makes me sick. Democrats in Wisconsin always whale like banshees about helping out Milwaukee and how we need to do stuff in the city to promote regional development yet when it comes down to it, really aren't interested.

Now Seattle lost the Sonics in 2008(?) and is probably the most likely place the NBA will seek to relocate the team. So, yeah, yet another screw over in Milwaukee.

Good, enough welfare for billionaires, let them build their own stadium.

[ezgeze]

Didn't the Brewers just get a new ballpark? I guess the Bucks just don't bring in enough money to justify it.

Yes and no. The park opened in 2001 and is partly the reason why democrats refuse to vote for a new arena. See back before Miller Park democrats ran ads against republicans for passing a regional tax to pay for the stadium after they used the tax as an attack line. They wanted a new stadium, knew the capital wasn't there for building one but would again rather have an attack line for elections. At the elections, they got a pounding and lost a lot of seats.

Now, you might say to finance an arena for rich owners a bad thing, and to some degree I can see your point except that most arenas/stadiums do get financial backing from cities/states for a few reasons.

1) The area where the arena would be going is a blighted area that does not bring in taxes in the first place.
This is the case with Milwaukee. The proposed site has been vacant for years and is essentially a dead zone in the middle of the city. The current owners want to make the area look like this


In the end it should bring in more tax dollars to both Milwaukee and the state.

2) the owners have already promised to put in substantial money into the arena, something like 250M, previous owner something like 100M which leaves the state with 80-120M in financing. Also, keep in mind that the arena isn't basketball only as basketball doesn't play 12 months a year. This arena will also be used to host concerts, circuses, sports/car shows, and possibly or minor league hockey team, etc. All of which benefits Milwaukee.

3)Combined state and private funding for these building types are not out of line with other states building projects. This wouldn't be the first nor the last to have a state cover the cost of a portion of the building. Don't act as if it were.

4) The NBA stated it would pull the team if it wasn't built. If the team is pulled, the taxes collected on those players leave the state. A single high paid player on the team would bring in 800k a year to the state in income taxes alone and with NBA salary looking only to increase as years go by, it would actually cost the state more to lose the team than to cover some construction cost. It was calculated that a very conservative estimate put it at for every 1 dollar spent by the state would bring in 2-3 dollars in taxes.

So yeah. It should be built.

[Stommped]

Well Wisconsin is a huge hockey state, there's no reason to think they shouldn't be able to get an NHL team in Milwaukee. So 2 professional teams for the price of 1 arena seems well worth it

[Nellise]

The republicans wanted the arena out of the budget too, it's not just a democrat thing: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noq...311687231.html.

In case you don't want to read that article, here's a major quote from it: "...he is expecting as many as two dozen GOP lawmakers to vote against the Bucks bill."

which leaves the state with 80-120M in financing.

Yeah that's not even close to being accurate for how much the public will have to pay for it. It's possibly just the state part, but leaves out the 200M+ that the city and county would have to subsidize. Some estimates have the amount the public would have to pay at over $400M to replace a building less than 30 years old.

[Stormspellz]

sports stadiums have traditionally been bad investment for the average tax payer, which often includes both help building it and huge subsidizes after the fact.

[SL1200]

I'd love to see the Supersonics return. Send Milwaukee's team there and move Minnesota into the east's central division. Bring balance back to the Nba. Say No to expansion teams too. Don't water down the talent even further.

[Nellise]

sports stadiums have traditionally been bad investment for the average tax payer, which often includes both help building it and huge subsidizes after the fact.

If stadiums were good investments the owners would be building them themselves like has happened in some places (SF/LA/NYC/Las Vegas). But in most markets these are money losers.

[ezgeze]

The republicans wanted the arena out of the budget too, it's not just a democrat thing: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noq...311687231.html.

In case you don't want to read that article, here's a major quote from it: "...he is expecting as many as two dozen GOP lawmakers to vote against the Bucks bill."



Yeah that's not even close to being accurate for how much the public will have to pay for it. It's possibly just the state part, but leaves out the 200M+ that the city and county would have to subsidize. Some estimates have the amount the public would have to pay at over $400M to replace a building less than 30 years old.

You linked an opinion piece from a lefty hack, nice. He immediately claims because republicans are currently in control of the state, they shouldn't need to ask democrats help for anything related to the stadium, which is beyond retarded. While Yes, republicans wanted the deal out of the budget too, it was because they wanted to give democrats cover so they can vote for an arena without voting for the state budget.

Your 400M figure is simply wrong, the public at most is expected to cover 250M which was in the article so I am not sure where is pulling the 400M figure from but I have an idea where. That funding is divided up between the state and the city. You also fail to account that a structure to pay for the arena was reached with assistance of both the democrat mayor and county executive. The fact is the democrats in Wisconsin atm are as useless as tits on a bull and are only really there to bitch and complain about anything Scott Walker and make an occasional run/hide to Chicago when things don't do there way.

I also love when people claim the city cannot somehow afford this when
1.) the mayor can afford a couple hundred Million dollars to run a tiny trolley in a circle
2.) the mayor is suddenly all in on the deal and is thinking the arena would be good for the city

If you reread the article it basically gets summed up to acknowledge the point I originally made before that democrats are opposing the arena deal for political purposes.

[lloose]

Nba team would be nice. I want an NHL team though.

[ezgeze]

Well Wisconsin is a huge hockey state, there's no reason to think they shouldn't be able to get an NHL team in Milwaukee. So 2 professional teams for the price of 1 arena seems well worth it

Not sure where you got this bit of information from but it is simply inaccurate. Milwaukee has the Admirals already, although it is only an AHL team. It does in no way bring in NHL level audiences. Yearly attendance is mid 200K while your Chicago Blackhawks comes very close to 1M.

- - - Updated - - -

Nba team would be nice. I want an NHL team though.

I too would rather have a NHL team over NBA but since we already have a AHL, it simply wouldn't happen.

[Stommped]

Not sure where you got this bit of information from but it is simply inaccurate. Milwaukee has the Admirals already, although it is only an AHL team. It does in no way bring in NHL level audiences. Yearly attendance is mid 200K while your Chicago Blackhawks comes very close to 1M.

I too would rather have a NHL team over NBA but since we already have a AHL, it simply wouldn't happen.

Bleacher report ranks them 6th overall in terms of hockey states (aka how popular hockey is in the state), which is ahead of Illinois. Just because they pull in shit attendance for an AHL team doesn't mean they wouldn't come out to support an NHL team. I mean comparing the Admirals and Blackhawks attendance is just the very definition of apples and oranges.

Looks like you got your money for your stadium anyway.

[TheCount]

I have not been to the Bradley Center in a long time, like 1998 when I was just a little kid. Is it really that bad that the NBA basically said new stadium or no team?

Also a surprising amount of Wisconsinites on these forums.

[Paranoid Android]

You might get one from Milwaukee.

So lawmakers in Madison Wisconsin today wrapped up without solving the issue with the Milwaukee Bucks and due to stubborn democrats who refuse to vote for any republican bills may cause the Bucks to leave.

Currently the Milwaukee Bucks play in the 2nd oldest NBA arena and have been told by the NBA they need to either build a new one or lose the team. An arena deal was initially in the state budget but since democrats would never vote for a republican budget because they would in essence be voting for other things in the budget, the arena deal was taken out as a separate bill. A deal was worked out with the Milwaukee mayor and County Executive, both democrats, the new Bucks owners, also democrats and Scott Walker (republican) and all looked good, except a certain party would rather lose the team for political reasons. Personally I think they want to use "you lost the Bucks under your watch as Governor" line when Walker runs for president.

Quite frankly it makes me sick. Democrats in Wisconsin always whale like banshees about helping out Milwaukee and how we need to do stuff in the city to promote regional development yet when it comes down to it, really aren't interested.

Now Seattle lost the Sonics in 2008(?) and is probably the most likely place the NBA will seek to relocate the team. So, yeah, yet another screw over in Milwaukee.

Oh I LOVE this. Blaming one political party on a team, owned by billionaires, not getting a stadium. A person bitching about Democrats about how studies have proven that stadiums add nothing to the economy and is a tax burden. This is priceless.

Just recently, in MN we got blackmailed into the new Vikings Stadium. You know that threat they will move to LA, of course. I will say one thing about cities and states. When teams do move, sure enough most are stupid enough, that a few years later they try to lure a team or pay an incredible amount for new franchise team.

[bestellen]

I'd love to see the Supersonics return. NBA team would be nice.