(The Center Square) – Brewer fans across Wisconsin are hearing the latest pitch for a ballpark funding deal.
The Home Crew Coalition, the group of Milwaukee-area business leaders that supports a deal to send about $400 million in taxpayer money to American Family Field, launched a round of statewide radio ads Monday.
“It’s important to us that we continue to make the case for the ballpark and a bipartisan solution that keeps the Brewers in Wisconsin for the next generation,” Omar Shaikh, chairman of the Home Crew Coalition, told The Center Square. “The stadium has generated billions of dollars in economic impact since its construction, and the team brings in millions of dollars each year in taxes – that’s money that supports the entire state.”
The ads will air on radio stations during Brewers games. The Coalition isn’t saying just how much money it is putting behind the ads, or just where in Wisconsin the ads will run. The Brewer radio network, however, is made up of more than 30 radio stations that stretch from Milwaukee to Ashland in far northwestern Wisconsin.
There will also be a round of digital ads that will be branded More Brats. More Beer. More Baseball, which the coalition says will “remind Wisconsinites of their favorite summer pastimes in Wisconsin.”
The Brewers say they need taxpayer help to cover the cost of maintenance and renovations at American Family Field.
Gov. Evers wanted to include some American Family Field money in the new state budget, but Republicans lawmakers pulled the funding proposal out of the new spending plan.
In the end, lawmakers didn’t come to an agreement on any money for the Brewers’ ballpark.
Shaikh said the Home Crew Coalition isn’t pushing for one funding proposal or another. He said the Coalition is simply focused on finding a solution for the ballpark.
“We’ve seen an outpouring of support for the coalition’s efforts, allowing us to expand our team, and we’re confident that our state leaders are taking this issue seriously and working toward a solution,” Shaikh added.
