Thursday, November 14, 2013

Braves Stadium Fallout: Day 4

It's been busy tracking all the reactions to the new "Home of the Braves":
Monday - You dropped a bomb on me (baby)
Tuesday - Atlanta refuses to get in a bidding war
Wednesday - Everyone loses financially, except the Braves

Now, in Day 4 of the Braves/Cobb Co. fallout, we get more thoughts from John Romano on what the news means to Tampa Bay {link to Times' site}:
For the Rays, the news could not have been better. It reinforced the team's contention that a major-league franchise's worth is incalculable in the right location.

For St. Pete, it was a precedent to consider. Is it better to let a team reach the end of a lease and walk away without compensation as the Braves will do in Atlanta, or should St. Pete leverage its use agreement at Tropicana Field to get a return on its investment?

For Hillsborough County, it had a high degree of sticker shock. While Cobb officials say the $450 million figure is incorrect, they have yet to reveal how much of the supposed $672 million venture they will be on the hook for, and where the money will come from.
...
In other words, the Rays will eventually get a stadium. The hard part is figuring out when and where. Not to mention, who is picking up the tab?
It was a fair and accurate summary from Romano.  But the one thing that's worth adding is the Braves are leaving Atlanta at the end of their contract.  The Rays are still 14 years away from that terminus.

We also don't know yet where the money in Cobb Co. is coming from.  Although we're now hearing the infamous "taxpayers won't be saddled" promise...which usually means taxpayers will be saddled with the cost of the subsidies through current tax revenues, just not new taxes.

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