A plan to deliver a state windfall to the Milwaukee Brewers is dead, but legislators expressed optimism that a deal can be done.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, had proposed providing $290 million from a budget surplus to fund repairs at the team’s American Family Field. In exchange, the team would commit to an additional 13 years on its lease, extending it to 2043.
That proposal appears to be blocked in the state’s Republican-controlled legislature.
“I’m not sure the amount of time he’s asking the team to stay here is correct,” state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told reporters. “I think the deal that he cut is not a very good one for the taxpayer.”
Vos had previously referred to Evers’ proposal as a “bomb in the budget.”
The stadium is financed and managed by a five-county stadium district. It was previously funded by a 0.1% sales tax within those counties that expired in March 2020.
Optimism remains for an eventual deal to provide fixes to the stadium’s retractable roof and ensure that the Brewers stay put.
New Name for the Nest
Elsewhere in MLB, the Baltimore Orioles are planning to keep their stadium’s iconic “Camden Yards” moniker, but could sell naming rights to their field.
The team could garner $6 million to $8 million for the field name, which would likely be followed by “at Camden Yards.”
