Wisconsin Republicans intend to keep the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin through 2050 with a new proposal in the legislature according to NBC15. The proposal is reliant on state taxes, with the state giving the team $60.8 million dollars in the upcoming fiscal year and then $20 million each year after. The City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County in particular would contribute around $202 million and $135 million respectively.
This proposal would keep the Brewers in Milwaukee for at least 27 years. Though the Republicans may be the ones proposing this, there is bipartisan support for keeping the Brewers in Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers previously wanted to set aside about $290 million to keep the Brewers in Wisconsin for another 13 years, but Republicans shut down the proposal claiming that it was a bad deal for taxpayers according to NBC15.
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With this proposal comes what the Republicans call a weatherization plan which would allow AmFam Field to be used throughout the year for different purposes like concerts and events. Republicans argue that utilizing the field throughout the year would help generate revenue locally and throughout the state, offsetting the impact to taxpayers.
While the Brewers are important to not only Milwaukee history but also the culture of Wisconsin, the price this deal will cost taxpayers is incredibly steep. Though the Brewers would stay in Wisconsin for those 27 years if the proposal passes, there is nothing to say they won’t just leave the year after the contract is completed.
The Brewers currently play in the smallest television market for any Major League Baseball team and rank 21 out of 30 teams in terms of payroll, according to Forbes. While the team in the past years has been relatively successful, downplaying the impact of the smaller market and lower payroll, there is still the chance that they would want to find more success in another city.
NBC15 said if the Brewers were to move, it would be the second time Milwaukee lost an MLB team as the Braves left Milwaukee around 70 years ago.
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The Brewers are an important piece of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, but the steep price just doesn’t seem worth it to taxpayers, especially when the Brewers can leave as soon as the contract is up. Additionally, baseball has been on the decline for many years now — it is not guaranteed that the money taxpayers spend will be returned in terms of revenue. Only 11% of adults listed baseball as their favorite sport in a 2021 survey by the Washington Post. That same survey also identified that only 7% of people under 30 list baseball as their favorite sport.
CNN attributes this decline in baseball popularity to the growth of television and the slow pace of the games. To see a baseball game, people no longer need to go to the stadium, especially with the many streaming options available. Additionally, since the game is slower paced than basketball or other sports, sitting at home and being able to switch channels is appealing to many.
The cost of keeping the Brewers in Milwaukee would also likely not cover all of the upgrades needed to AmFam field. The MLB is pressuring the Brewers to upgrade their facilities, and upgrades appear to cost around $440 million dollars according to Front Office Sports. Clearly, some of the money from the proposal would go to these upgrades, but that steep price means even more money spent by taxpayers.
The cost to taxpayers, specifically city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County individuals, is just too steep to justify keeping a mid-size team in a sport which is only predicted to continue declining in popularity. Especially with the success of the Milwaukee Bucks and development of the Deer District, the Brewers just aren’t the most popular team in Milwaukee anymore.
The tradition and history of the Brewers is likely important to many Wisconsin residents, but the fact is these millions of dollars could be used in so many different areas across the state instead of just securing a baseball team for 27 years.
These millions could go toward improving education and compensating teachers fairly. They could go toward ameliorating housing issues on the northside of Milwaukee and improving living conditions for those who live there. These millions could even support efforts to stop the housing crisis across the state.
Taxpayer dollars are incredibly important, and the large amount of money should be used carefully to support the residents of Wisconsin. When baseball games can be streamed from anywhere across the country, even if the Brewers moved, Wisconsinites could still watch the game or support another state’s team. Compared to the multiple other issues that Wisconsin is facing right now, baseball is simply the least important.
With so much needing to be improved across the state of Wisconsin, and especially in the City of Milwaukee, it just doesn’t make sense to use millions of taxpayer dollars to keep a team in a sport whose popularity is sure to continue declining in the state.
Emily Otten ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism.
