Throw out the hot dogs for a filet mignon of a stadium

Flickr photo by Random Duck.

Today's Post reports, in "Accord Reached On New Stadium," that the DC Government has signed a lease agreement with Major League Baseball. Councilmember Catania has posted the Packing stadiums is their ticket." From the article:

The Maryland Stadium Authority announced yesterday the creation of an informal committee of Baltimore business leaders that will try to bring large events such as concerts, college championships and religious gatherings to the city's stadiums.

The city has tried for years to attract such events to its football and baseball stadiums, which tend to lie dormant when the Ravens and Orioles aren't in season. M&T Bank Stadium has hosted Army-Navy football, the NCAA lacrosse championship and the HFStival rock concert, but authority chairman Carl A.J. Wright said the committee will bring new focus to luring big shows. "I think having a group specifically focused on this will go a long way," Wright said. "It's important, because we have the assets here, and we want to leverage them more."

For more information on the likely cost of the stadium, check out this document from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, "HOW MUCH WILL THE BASEBALL STADIUM COST?A Review of Recent Cost Estimates,"as well as these other documents from the same group, "Would a Publicly Financed Baseball Stadium Pay Off for DC? Economic Research Suggests the Answer Is 'No,'" and "DC's Stadium Financing Proposal Would Cost the City $900,000 for Every Job Filled by a DC Resident."

The DC "lease agreement requires approval from the 13-member council, which has scheduled a vote for Dec. 20. " The DC Council will hold a hearing on the baseball stadium lease on Tues December 13 at 10:00 a.m. (this is tentative), and a vote is expected on the lease on Tues Dec 20. You can sign up to testify at 202-724-8072 (Councilmember Ambrose's office).

And this is the link to the "No DC Taxes for Baseball" campaign, which says yes to baseball, but no to taxpayer subsidies. Also see "Sports stadiums: Who really should pay? Washington's decision to fund a baseball stadium highlights a debate over sports funding," from the Christian Science Monitor.

Index Keywords: baseball; stadiums-arenas