Field of Schemes

Sonics co-owner: We wanted OKC all along - wait, are you writing this down?
August 14, 2007

"Throw another move threat on the fire: Yesterday, Seattle Sonics minority owner (and billionaire natural gas mogul) Aubrey McClendon told the Oklahoma City Journal Record that he was 'under a self-imposed gag order' regarding operations of the team - then yammered at length about it, including the statement: 'We didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here. We know it's a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it's great for the community and if we could break even we'd be thrilled.'" . . . | more

by Dave Zirin

"You can't throw money at the problem." As a former public school teacher in Washington, I heard this cliche from countless bureaucrats. It was code for "Stop whining about ancient textbooks and prehistoric classroom materials, because there is no money." Imagine my shock when the city announced it would be spending more than $500 million on a new baseball stadium. Clearly when it comes to the needs of billionaire sports owners, there always seems to be money available to be thrown.

(League of Fans' Washington Post letter to the editor)

The City's Verizon Center Perk

Washington Post, Letter to the Editor
Monday, March 21, 2007; Page A12

Regarding "Wizards Owner's $50 Million Request Gets Initial Approval" [Metro, April 4]:

If public investment in pressing city needs were to guarantee the District's elected leaders free luxury suites at sports venues, maybe such problems would actually get some attention.

Leading up to the Super Bowl, an Online Journal commentary by Jason Miller compares the NFL to U.S. domestic and foreign policy -- and thereby football fans to the U.S. population -- in a challenge to the masses. He writes: "Arising from the same fetid bogs of spiritual decay that spawned the American Way, the NFL reeks with the stench of corporate tyranny, patriarchy, racism, superficiality, greed, competitiveness, and materialism."

In the Pennsylvania race for governor, pro football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann was easily defeated by incumbent Ed Rendell in the November 7 mid-terms. Swann's celebrity status and former position as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (2002-2005) couldn't carry him to victory as they did Arnold Schwarzenegger in California (Schwarzenegger was Chairman of the President's Fitness Council from 1990-92).

On this occassion, League of Fans remembers opposing Swann's peddling of junk food to kids while Chairman of the President's Fitness Council. At a vending machine trade group press conference on January 13, 2005, Chairman Swann was paid to appear next to a vending machine filled with junk food alongside elementary school kids.

(Letter co-signed by: Jim Bouton, former Yankee pitcher and author of Ball Four; Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and author; Neil deMause, co-author of Field of Schemes; Dave Zirin, columnist for SLAM magazine and author of What's My Name, Fool?; Robert Weissman, director of Essential Action and co-author of Corporate Predators; and Shawn McCarthy, director of League of Fans.)

Council of the District of Columbia

Dear Council member:

The District baseball boondoggle is swirling out of control at an ever accelerating pace.

George M. Steinbrenner III
Owner, New York Yankees

Dear Mr. Steinbrenner:

So you want to be the man who tears down "the House That Ruth Built." And for what? More profit.

Neither you, nor the city government you pressured, nor anyone else should ever do this to a place so rich in history and tradition as Yankee Stadium. Would the city ever tear down Carnegie Hall? Adding wasteful insult to senseless injury, you command hundreds of millions of dollars in public subsidies and primary neighborhood parkland to support a new impostor stadium.

Council of the District of Columbia

Dear Council members:

The residents and taxpayers of the District of Columbia have been told by members of the DC Council that the baseball stadium has a $611 million cap on spending from city resources for the new stadium project. But the Council is now being asked to violate its mandate to hold costs at $611 million.

From Neil deMause of Field of Schemes:

"In a move that significantly ups the ante over the team's arena demands, the Seattle Sonics and Storm were sold today for $350 million to Oklahoma businessman Clayton Bennett, the leader of an investment group put together to acquire an NBA franchise for Oklahoma City.

The Honorable Anthony A. Williams
Mayor, District of Columbia

Dear Mayor Williams:

Your Administration can no longer ignore the significant environmental hazards that exist at the construction site for the proposed new baseball stadium. On June 8, 2006 the Washington Post reported a major discovery of 53 tanks of oil under the soil at the stadium site that has caused $2.9 million extra to be spent on environmental cleanup. This troubling level of contamination is only the beginning and I renew my request, with increased urgency, for you to call for a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) at the stadium site.

Neil deMause, co-author of Field of Schemes and blogger of fieldofschemes.com, highlights exactly what everyone knew would happen after the DC Council approved the worst stadium deal ever -- that it would continue to get even worse for DC residents and taxpayers:

In the Public Interest
by Ralph Nader

As the Little League season gets into full swing for millions of young baseball and softball players across the country, their health and safety on the playing field will significantly benefit from an addition in the Little League rules this year -- a requirement for breakaway bases.

The Honorable Tim Pawlenty
Governor of Minnesota

Dear Governor Pawlenty:

The Minnesota Twins' stadium bill before you is an affront to taxpayers and voters, and I urge you to veto the legislation.

Council of The District of Columbia

Dear Councilmembers:

Major League Baseball has reportedly altered the stadium lease, effectively eliminating the stadium cap on city spending for the "hard and soft costs" of construction. Though the Council unforgivably approved the one-sided lease last month, it did so with the intent of limiting the city’s cost for the project, and with the intent -- as I was told by District CFO Natwar Gandhi -- that Major League Baseball, Mayor Williams and the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission sign the lease by March 6, 2006, "without any reservation." Therefore, the DC Council has no choice but to reject the altered stadium lease that again leaves the District ultimately responsible for all cost overruns.

Dr. Natwar M. Gandhi
Chief Financial Officer
District of Columbia

Dear Dr. Gandhi:

The residents and taxpayers of the District of Columbia have been told by members of the DC Council and in subsequent press reports, that the approved baseball stadium lease -- as written -- now contains a $610.8 million cap on spending from city resources for the new stadium project. I am requesting that, as the District’s Chief Financial Officer, you release a statement immediately either verifying to the people of the District that the $610.8 million cap on city spending for the new baseball stadium is a true, ironclad cap, with no loopholes, or an explanation as to why it is not.