It’s Time to Stop Publicly Funding Stadium Construction

The Canadian government recently announced an $870 million plan to upgrade the roof at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.

Nearly 80 years after the Chicago White Sox moved into Comiskey Park, the club and team owner Jerry Reinsdorf had begun looking for a new home.

Their current home was too outdated. The concourse was narrow. The infrastructure was crumbling. Steel columns obstructed views throughout the entire park. Old Comiskey, though nostalgic, was becoming too outdated for the modern game.

Five years later, Reinsdorf and the Sox got their wish. But it didn't come easily.

Years of lobbying the state of Illinois for public funding finally came to fruition after threats to relocate to Florida, Denver and Washington, DC.

The team even went as far as purchasing land in west suburban Addison, IL.

Ultimately, the White Sox settled directly across the street from their cozy abode and built a brand new stadium on 35th Street. To do so, the White Sox convinced the State of Illinois to help publicly fund the stadium through a $120 million bond agreement. As if that wasn't enough, the team secured another $150 million from the state in last-minute funding.

Over 30 years later, taxpayers are still on the hook for $489 million as June 2023.

You would think that nearly a half billion dollars in outstanding debt would prevent any more teams from drawing public funding in the future. But in the State of Illinois and the United States in 2024, the reality is quite the opposite.

Last week, Chicago White Sox team owner Jerry Reinsdorf met with state and local officials to discuss receiving public funding for a new stadium, despite their current stadium still being tens of millions of dollars in debt.

The amount he's looking for? A cool billion dollars.

But the Chicago White Sox aren't the only Chicago team seeking public funding. In fact, the Chicago Bears are seen as "competing" for the same public funding as the White Sox as the Bears seek to likely build a new stadium in the near future as well.

Just days after news broke of the White Sox vs. Bears Billionaire Showdown, Crain's Chicago Business reported that the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League also wanted in on funding for a new stadium.

That's a combined $8.2 BILLION between the three families requesting that taxpayers fund their private businesses and publicly fund stadium construction.

It's not exclusive to Chicago teams. Nor is it exclusive to the United States.

Just yesterday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced an $800 million renovation to their home stadium. And this month, the Canadian government announced an $870 million upgrade to the Olympic Stadium roof in Montreal.

The idea of taxpayers subsidizing the private endeavors of billionaires is a dystopian atrocity that needs to stop immediately.

Although taxpayers and government may recoup some return on investment, it's far from a guarantee. Quite often, even more debt can be accrued. That can be exacerbated even more when owners such as those of the White Sox refuse to invest in the teams and city.

While cities will always need to invest some money into stadium construction (such as infrastructure and other city or state resources), it's imperative that most stadium costs be funded by the team and league.

Cost of living for the middle and lower class is higher than ever. And despite that, tax laws continue to favor the elite and upper classes. The wage gap continues to grow. Housing costs are astronomical and the bubble continues to grow.

Yet billionaires demand more money from taxpayers for projects that only certain individuals will benefit from.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best. "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."