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Does the Republican plan for the Milwaukee Brewers stadium give away $600 million 'for nothing'?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

The Milwaukee Brewers would contribute $100 million toward renovations at American Family Field, extend the team’s lease on the stadium until 2050 and pledge not to relocate under a bill proposed by Republican state lawmakers.

The bill would allocate $614 million in public funding — from the state, the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County — to repair and renovate American Family Field.

On May 25, 2023, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Milwaukee risks losing the Brewers to another city if renovations to the stadium aren’t made, and that the renovations require public funding.

A Wisconsin Assembly committee held a hearing Oct. 5 on the bill. Changes are expected before the Assembly and Senate vote on it.

Baseball operations at the stadium generate about $19.8 million annually in taxes. That amount is expected to increase to $50.7 million by 2050 and cover the taxpayer cost.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Watch Milwaukee Brewers: Republicans eye $614M to upgrade stadium
Wisconsin State Legislature AB438: Bill Text
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The baseball commissioner has a message for Wisconsin. Fix American Family Field — or else
Wisconsin State Legislature 2023 Assembly Bill 438
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.