Field of Schemes
@fieldofschemes.bsky.social
Sports stadium and arena news by Neil deMause (@neildemause.bsky.social), co-author of the book Field of Schemes.
Overall takeaways: 1) The Steinbrenners are saving $700m+ by not having to pay property taxes on their stadium; 2) Hal griping about still having to spend $84m/year on construction costs of his family's own stadium is close to the definition of chutzpah.
Do the Yankees get $38m or $84m or what every year in tax breaks, and why is Hal Steinbrenner complaining about this?
New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner was on a call with reporters on Monday when he started talking about how his team didn't win a championship again last year despite the majors' 4th-highest payr...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Overall takeaways: 1) The Steinbrenners are saving $700m+ by not having to pay property taxes on their stadium; 2) Hal griping about still having to spend $84m/year on construction costs of his family's own stadium is close to the definition of chutzpah.
if the 2028 Olympics go over budget — and every Olympics since 1984 has, often doubling or more in cost — L.A. will be on the hook for the first $270m in losses, the state of California for the next $270m, and the city again for anything over that.
LA Olympic organizers, facing billions in potential taxpayer costs, trade arena naming rights for free tax prep
Los Angeles, which won Olympic hosting rights after Boston withdrew its bid because it was too expensive, is continuing to prepare for the 2028 Summer Games, a little less than three years out from the planned opening ceremonies. This puts L.A.'s Olympic committee smack in the middle of fundraising season, and L.A. officials negotiated a...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
if the 2028 Olympics go over budget — and every Olympics since 1984 has, often doubling or more in cost — L.A. will be on the hook for the first $270m in losses, the state of California for the next $270m, and the city again for anything over that.
"Over my dead body am I going to let the Summit stadium leave Denver," declared Mayor Mike Johnston after team owners threatened to build elsewhere if they don't get $170m in cash and tax breaks. That's not at all how you haggle, you're doing it wrong!
Friday roundup: Denver mayor says he’ll fight to the death to give George Lucas’s wife $170m for a soccer stadium
I had a birthday this week, and nothing says "Yes, you've been writing this blog since you were 32 years old and you're apparently going to have to keep at it well into old age, you got a problem with...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:47 PM
"Over my dead body am I going to let the Summit stadium leave Denver," declared Mayor Mike Johnston after team owners threatened to build elsewhere if they don't get $170m in cash and tax breaks. That's not at all how you haggle, you're doing it wrong!
Adding $500m in infrastructure bonds for the Spurs arena would bring the total to $1.3B, by far the largest arena subsidy in history, to replace a venue that is the 11th-newest in the NBA, in a city already dealing with staffing cuts to balance its budget.
Spurs arena subsidy could reach $1.3B, setting new NBA record for taxpayer money
One of the standard items in the stadium campaign playbook is "moving the goalposts" — setting a target for public funding, then once you get it, asking for more on top. It's a tactic that goes back w...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Adding $500m in infrastructure bonds for the Spurs arena would bring the total to $1.3B, by far the largest arena subsidy in history, to replace a venue that is the 11th-newest in the NBA, in a city already dealing with staffing cuts to balance its budget.
Even if forcing teams to lower concession prices would put more money in fans' pockets, allowing them to spend more on tickets if they want, that hardly seems like a burden — let alone a "subsidy" for fans who have the temerity to get hungry and thirsty.
Would Mamdani aide’s plan to limit stadium food prices cause ticket prices to rise? The answer may surprise Matt Yglesias
New York City, you may have heard, has a new mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, who is currently working with his transition team to assemble a staff for when he takes office in January. While most of his t...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Even if forcing teams to lower concession prices would put more money in fans' pockets, allowing them to spend more on tickets if they want, that hardly seems like a burden — let alone a "subsidy" for fans who have the temerity to get hungry and thirsty.
The 35,000th ticket buyer to a Northwestern game will still be sitting in the same place; they just won't have any rows of seats behind them. The 47,000th ticket buyer will indeed be spared their crappy view — because they'll be at home watching on TV.
Why “the worst seat is closer to the field” is not necessarily a sign of a more intimate stadium
Northwestern University is building a new $850 million football stadium, which is a crazy amount for a college football stadium, but it's being mostly paid for by the local billionaire who wants his a...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
The 35,000th ticket buyer to a Northwestern game will still be sitting in the same place; they just won't have any rows of seats behind them. The 47,000th ticket buyer will indeed be spared their crappy view — because they'll be at home watching on TV.
With $70m plus ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ for a pedestrian bridge plus $100m or more in property tax breaks, city spending on a Denver Summit FC stadium could end up covering the bulk of the team owners' $200m "private" stadium cost.
Denver NWSL owners threaten to move expansion team before it’s even started play after council delays stadium approval
Back in May, the Denver city council voted 11-1 to approve spending $70 million for land and infrastructure for a new stadium for a new NWSL team — at the time unnamed, since dubbed the Denver Summit ...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
With $70m plus ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ for a pedestrian bridge plus $100m or more in property tax breaks, city spending on a Denver Summit FC stadium could end up covering the bulk of the team owners' $200m "private" stadium cost.
Determining things like whether replacing a flooded Rays luxury suite with a nicer interior should be a city-funded repair or a team-funded upgrade could get dicey, hopefully someone in city government or the local media is keeping an eye on that, please?
Friday roundup: Rays plan return to upgraded Trop, soccer stadiums in every city not working out so well
This was a light posting week, as I was traveling and the airline mayhem as the result of the government shutdown ... didn't actually affect me at all, my flight was uneventful and actually landed ahe...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Determining things like whether replacing a flooded Rays luxury suite with a nicer interior should be a city-funded repair or a team-funded upgrade could get dicey, hopefully someone in city government or the local media is keeping an eye on that, please?
Since ginning up a move threat looks just like planning a move, and team owners don't have to decide which they're doing at the outset, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is still on the "play off neighboring states against each other" square of the game board.
Chiefs seek ideas for Kansas dome, Missouri gov counters with roof offer of his own (cost TBD)
Ugggh, I really did not want to have to write a whole item on Kansas City Chiefs execs issuing a request for proposals for Kansas stadium designs and "negotiating for land near the Kansas Speedway" be...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Since ginning up a move threat looks just like planning a move, and team owners don't have to decide which they're doing at the outset, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is still on the "play off neighboring states against each other" square of the game board.
Reposted by Field of Schemes
NEW: 36 states lavish tax breaks on data centers. But just 11 of those states reveal the names of the companies getting the tax breaks, fewer disclose the value of the tax breaks, and NO state provides both estimated and actual jobs created. 1-
goodjobsfirst.org/cloudy-data-...
goodjobsfirst.org/cloudy-data-...
November 11, 2025 at 7:21 PM
NEW: 36 states lavish tax breaks on data centers. But just 11 of those states reveal the names of the companies getting the tax breaks, fewer disclose the value of the tax breaks, and NO state provides both estimated and actual jobs created. 1-
goodjobsfirst.org/cloudy-data-...
goodjobsfirst.org/cloudy-data-...
That Trump wants his name on a stadium is no surprise, as he wants his name on pretty much everything. Commanders owner Josh Harris actually calling it "Trump Stadium" is another story, for a bunch of reasons.
Will the Commanders name their stadium after Trump? A mini-investimagation
I was traveling yesterday and missed the big (?) news (?) about how "a senior White House source" has been in touch with Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris about having Donald Trump's name on the...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:58 PM
That Trump wants his name on a stadium is no surprise, as he wants his name on pretty much everything. Commanders owner Josh Harris actually calling it "Trump Stadium" is another story, for a bunch of reasons.
While surely Royals owner John Sherman will use the actual poll responses in some way, you know his main concern in picking a stadium site is extricating public money — and by naming three possible locations, he creates leverage to up everybody's antes.
Friday roundup: Royals “poll” fans on why they need a new stadium, plus still more soccer teams, so many soccer teams
I'm posting this week's roundup from the road, so apologies if any news slipped through the cracks, and I'll try to catch up with it next week. But at least I'm not shutting down my site to take a ful...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:03 PM
While surely Royals owner John Sherman will use the actual poll responses in some way, you know his main concern in picking a stadium site is extricating public money — and by naming three possible locations, he creates leverage to up everybody's antes.
Reposted by Field of Schemes
Cover just dropped. Coming in 2026 from Oxford University Press.
November 6, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Cover just dropped. Coming in 2026 from Oxford University Press.
Spurs owner Peter Holt is set to get a $1.3B arena by putting down just ~$500m of his own money, and can recoup more through naming rights sales and jacking up ticket prices — while taxpayers put up the bulk of the cost and get no arena revenues in return.
Spurs owner wins vote to unlock $889m in arena subsidies after outspending opposition 32-to-1
Voters in Bexar County, Texas approved two measures yesterday to raise hotel and car rental taxes and use the proceeds to help build a new San Antonio Spurs arena and renovate their old one to be a ye...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Spurs owner Peter Holt is set to get a $1.3B arena by putting down just ~$500m of his own money, and can recoup more through naming rights sales and jacking up ticket prices — while taxpayers put up the bulk of the cost and get no arena revenues in return.
"Take my tax money or I won't give you more tax money" is novel, I'll grant that. Bibb says using stadium district taxes would "shift the cost of stadium repairs away from residents," but residents are who tend to go to Cavs and Guardians games, so wha?
Cleveland mayor wants new taxes to fund Cavs, Guardians upgrades to avoid using old taxes to do so
This week's candidate for weirdest headline, from yesterday at Cleveland.com: Bibb to Cavs and Guardians: No more bailouts until there’s a new game plan to fund stadium repairs So once the Cavaliers a...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:15 PM
"Take my tax money or I won't give you more tax money" is novel, I'll grant that. Bibb says using stadium district taxes would "shift the cost of stadium repairs away from residents," but residents are who tend to go to Cavs and Guardians games, so wha?
Phil Rogers writes the Bears owners are still trying to "find the necessary funding for needed infrastructure upgrades." Inserting both "necessary" and "needed" is piling on the owner view a bit, but on brand for a guy who once wrote a book with Bud Selig.
Sportswriters alarmed as Bears again do not get $1B in tax money toward new stadium
The Illinois legislature adjourned Friday without approving any Chicago Bears stadium bills, and people be reacting: Phil Rogers, writing as a Forbes "contributor," reports that "the wait goes on as t...
www.fieldofschemes.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Phil Rogers writes the Bears owners are still trying to "find the necessary funding for needed infrastructure upgrades." Inserting both "necessary" and "needed" is piling on the owner view a bit, but on brand for a guy who once wrote a book with Bud Selig.
The response from Illinois elected officials to Bears execs' offer of $25m instead of the full $350-500m in remaining Soldier Field debt has been mostly LOLBears: State Rep. Kam Buckner called the offer "inadequate" and "disrespe
Friday roundup: Bears offer Illinois dimes on the dollar toward stadium, Browns considering $150k-a-seat PSLs
Apologies for this week's late roundup — I had to retrieve my now-repaired laptop from the shop and get settled back in before writing this. On the bright side (for you, the information-craving consum...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:25 PM
The response from Illinois elected officials to Bears execs' offer of $25m instead of the full $350-500m in remaining Soldier Field debt has been mostly LOLBears: State Rep. Kam Buckner called the offer "inadequate" and "disrespe
With polls showing voters opposed to the Spurs arena measures, owner Peter Holt will need all of that $6.5m for last-minute campaign ads. His arena was built in 2002 and renovated in 2015, you'd think he'd be in no rush, but billionaires gonna billionaire.
Spurs owner pours $6.5m into campaign to win Tuesday’s arena subsidy vote
poEarly voting is underway for San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt's ballot measure to get $311 million in Bexar County tax money over 30 years (about $150 million in present value) as part of a $750 m...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:33 PM
With polls showing voters opposed to the Spurs arena measures, owner Peter Holt will need all of that $6.5m for last-minute campaign ads. His arena was built in 2002 and renovated in 2015, you'd think he'd be in no rush, but billionaires gonna billionaire.
The Mavs and Stars each have several cities they can play off for arena subsidies, but both also need to outmaneuver each other, something the cities could use as leverage. Hoping city officials play things smart is usually a bad bet, but fingers crossed!
Mavericks, Stars owners launch war for Dallas arena supremacy, taxpayers hold on to your wallets
A shooting war has broken out between the owners of the Dallas Mavericks and Stars, with the Mavs owners filing suit yesterday against the Stars owners for ... well, it's complicated. But suffice to say that it all looks to have to do with two elements that are increasingly common factors in sports arena scheming: an expiring...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The Mavs and Stars each have several cities they can play off for arena subsidies, but both also need to outmaneuver each other, something the cities could use as leverage. Hoping city officials play things smart is usually a bad bet, but fingers crossed!
Clark Hunt probably isn't undecided but is weighing how to extract the most tax money — like if he puts a county funding measure on the ballot in 2026, how can he still threaten a move to Kansas if it fails, given Kansas wants an answer by the end of 2025?
Chiefs owner to decide soon how much to demand for what kind of stadium and where, maybe
One of the prerogatives of being a sports team owner is you get to have your every utterance turned into a full-length news article, and Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt took advantage of this on M...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Clark Hunt probably isn't undecided but is weighing how to extract the most tax money — like if he puts a county funding measure on the ballot in 2026, how can he still threaten a move to Kansas if it fails, given Kansas wants an answer by the end of 2025?
Even if Cleveland getting $80 million in exchange for dropping its legal challenges turns out to be maybe an okay tradeoff, the Browns owners get to keep haggling for more subsidies from the state and county as long as they want.
How much is Cleveland’s mayor giving up in exchange for $80m Browns payout?
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and the Cleveland city council are fighting over whether the council will get to rework Bibb's settlement of the Browns stadium standoff, and I almost wrote about it yester...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Even if Cleveland getting $80 million in exchange for dropping its legal challenges turns out to be maybe an okay tradeoff, the Browns owners get to keep haggling for more subsidies from the state and county as long as they want.
Reposted by Field of Schemes
Stitch it on a pillow.
October 24, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Stitch it on a pillow.
IL's gov said he's OK to pay for roads and infrastructure but not a stadium, kind of a slippery slope when Bears execs want $855m in traffic and transit upgrades, and when the biggest stadium subsidy ever was just approved involving mostly indirect subsidies.
Friday roundup: Pritzker endorses “infrastructure” spending for Bears, Royals could soon propose Kansas vaporstadium
It's Friday, which means I had to take valuable time away from reading about the Mafia luring rich people into playing in rigged poker games in order to hang out with NBA players who scored 6.6 points...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:29 PM
IL's gov said he's OK to pay for roads and infrastructure but not a stadium, kind of a slippery slope when Bears execs want $855m in traffic and transit upgrades, and when the biggest stadium subsidy ever was just approved involving mostly indirect subsidies.
Worcester should serve as a warning to cities hoping to repay sports project costs with tax revenue from new development (*cough San Antonio*) that there's no guarantee the new housing will get built, plus taxes on new residents aren't a free windfall.
Worcester stadium red ink shows dangers of hoping to cover taxpayer costs with housing magic beans
It's now been more than seven years since the Pawtucket Red Sox owners cut a deal to get $105 million in public cash to move to a new stadium in Worcester, sparking a throwdown between economists Andr...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Worcester should serve as a warning to cities hoping to repay sports project costs with tax revenue from new development (*cough San Antonio*) that there's no guarantee the new housing will get built, plus taxes on new residents aren't a free windfall.
Stories like these support owner Peter Holt's attempts to make this into a vote on whether to keep the Spurs, while downplaying the $750m+ public cost and that San Antonio just built a new arena 23 years ago amid promises of redevelopment that never came.
How to threaten to leave town without threatening to leave town: San Antonio Spurs edition
Early voting has started in the San Antonio Spurs arena public funding ballot measure, and the local news media is on the job warning that the team could move so that its owners don't have to. Today's...
www.fieldofschemes.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Stories like these support owner Peter Holt's attempts to make this into a vote on whether to keep the Spurs, while downplaying the $750m+ public cost and that San Antonio just built a new arena 23 years ago amid promises of redevelopment that never came.