The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce has
paid "another" $2.1M to the Brewers to fulfill a season-
ticket sales guarantee, but the MMAC has asked the team to
pay back some of the money in the future, according to
Kenneth Lamke of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. The $2.1M
is in addition to $2.2M that the MMAC paid the team last
year. In '95, the MMAC and the Greater Milwaukee Committee
announced a season-ticket guarantee, with the organizations
hoping to sell enough season-tickets "through local
businesses so that the MMAC would not have to pay out cash
to the Brewers." But the plan included a promise to make up
for any shortfall if the Brewers sold fewer than 10,000
season tickets in '95, '96 and '97 and fewer than 12,000 in
'98. The plan, which the MMAC put a $6M cap on, also
pledged a cash payment if total attendance fell below 90% of
MLB's average during the first three years in the team's new
ballpark, Miller Park. The Brewers sold about 7,200 season-
tickets in '95 and '96, leading to MMAC's payments of $2.2M
and $2.1M. MMAC President Timothy Sheehy said the team made
a "general promise" to try to aid the MMAC financially when
the team becomes profitable again in the new stadium, but
the team has not made any "specific promise" to pay back a
specific amount (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/15).
