The mayor, who says he’s not opposed to utilizing public funds to finance the project, is one of the Chicago White Sox’s allies in their fight for a new ballpark in a new area of the city.
The Chicago White Sox have been planning to construct a new ballpark in the South Loop of the city for a few weeks now.
But as is typically the case, “who’s going to pay for it?” is a concern when a team wants to build a new ballpark.
Teams always desire public funding for their efforts, of course. Owners are relieved of their burden and are free to maximize their profits as a result. Taxpayers never want to relieve wealthy and billionaire owners of their financial burdens; instead, they want the owners to foot the entire tab.
Regarding the White Sox, mayor Brandon Johnson states that while he is not opposed to the project utilizing public funds, he does anticipate the White Sox contributing tangible funds as well.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports:
As long as the team and the developer “put some skin in the game,” Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday opened the possibility of granting a public subsidy for the construction of a new $1.2 billion White Sox stadium in the South Loop.
Johnson was far more open to the idea of using city tax money for new stadiums, either for the Sox or the Bears, than Gov. J.B. Pritzker and certain lawmakers had been, just one day after Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and his entourage traveled to Springfield to start the uphill battle for the $1 billion in state funding.
“I appreciate both organizations’ dedication to holding these discussions. Both groups are aware that they must contribute financially to these projects. Following the City Council meeting on Wednesday, Johnson stated, “They’ve expressed a commitment to do that.”
The White Sox currently play at Guaranteed Rate Field, the eighth-oldest baseball stadium in the world. The only other ballparks older than it are Rogers Centre (Blue Jays), Oakland Coliseum (athletics), Fenway Park (Red Sox), Wrigley Field (Cubs), Dodger Stadium (Dodgers), and Angels Stadium (Angels).
