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their wages in common stock. C.

stayed until 1995, when they left in one of the

Smythe, Ltd. also provided the sand for

most controversial moves in sports history.

construction of the Gardens.20

Cleveland's foray into the stadium business

was less than auspicious. Nonetheless, states

The Era of Subsidies

and cities across the nation followed. The next

Government's original involvement in

government major-league stadium ventures

large-scale stadium projects quite literally

involved Milwaukee and Baltimore, the two

began with Olympian efforts. Los Angeles

cities that lit the stadium-hopping, city-hop-

built the Los Angeles Coliseum in a failed

ping fuse that continues to burn brightly

attempt to get the 1924 Olympics. The city did

today, almost a half-century later. Milwaukee's

snag the 1932 Olympic Games over Cleveland

County Stadium was the first publicly funded

and Chicago, which had built Municipal

ballpark specifically built for a major league

Stadium and Soldier Field, respectively.21 The

baseball team. Taxpayer dollars had already

Los Angeles Coliseum was completed in 1923

found their way into minor league facilities.

at a cost of $954,87322 and was refurbished for

Meanwhile, a team with the deepest of

an added $951,000 in 1931.23 Los Angeles,

community roots got its own piece of the pie.

however, got off relatively cheap: Municipal

In 1957, football's vaunted Green Bay Packers

Stadium cost almost $3 million in 1931;24

moved into now-legendary Lambeau Field,

Soldier Field, which opened in 1929, $7.9 mil-

after playing in the 25,000-seat City Stadium

lion.25

since 1925. Lambeau Field was a city venture

In terms of major league sports teams, the

costing $969,000.30 During the 1980s and

subsidies or welfare game began with

1990s, Green Bay put $40 million into up-

Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. "The Mistake

grades such as sky boxes, club seats, and score-

by the Lake," as it later became known, was the

boards.31

brainchild of Republican city manager

The battle among the cities next arrived in

the then-indisputable capital of baseball--

William R. Hopkins.26 In 1928, the city council

voted 23 to 1 in favor of placing a $2.5 million

New York City. From 1947 through 1957, at

bond issue on the November ballot. The lone

least one New York team appeared in the

dissenter, Democrat F. W. Walz, presciently

World Series, and in seven World Series both

warned: "Of course, they say the stadium will

teams were from New York. After the 1957

pay for itself, but we've heard that story before.

season, however, the New York Giants fled to

It's high time we called a halt to this."27 As

San Francisco and the Brooklyn Dodgers to

Los Angeles.

would happen time and time again in coming

Robert F. Wagner,

Democrat Robert F. Wagner, then mayor of

decades, the city's elite offered strong support

and promised the world--and the voters said

New York City, declared in September 1957:

then mayor of

"If we began to subsidize baseball teams, all

"yes."28

New York City,

sorts of business enterprises would demand

The Olympics, as noted, landed elsewhere,

the same things. Our feeling is that profes-

but the Cleveland Indians arrived on July 31,

declared in

sional ball clubs class as private enterprise.

1932. After the 1933 season, however, the team

September 1957:

They have to carry their own weight. We will

wound up splitting their home games between

"If we began to

not be blackjacked."32 Years later, he observed:

the cavernous Municipal Stadium and the

intimate League Park, which had been their

"The idea of municipalities building stadiums

subsidize baseball

home since 1901. Quite simply, the team-

or helping in the building of stadiums was not

teams, all sorts of

owned League Park offered a chance for the

really politically possible in New York City in

financially strapped Indians to save on rent.29

1957."33 In just a few short years it surely would

business enter-

be, but in the meantime both the Giants and

It was not until 1947 that the Indians finally

prises would

Dodgers looked to California.

agreed to play all games in "The Mistake by

demand the same

The Giants cashed in big time in terms of

the Lake." The NFL's Browns took up resi-

taxpayer subsidies. The city of San Francisco

dence in Municipal Stadium in 1946. They

things."

4