In Milwaukee, Marley & Walker note the "latest sign of trouble for those wanting public money" for a new downtown arena came from State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who said that he thinks Bucks co-Owner Marc Lasry "made a mistake by greeting President Barack Obama at the airport in the lead-up to last week's election." Vos said that Lasry's appearance "'did not make my job easier' in terms of persuading Republican legislators to back a possible financial plan to build a new, multipurpose arena in Milwaukee" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/14).
MONUMENTAL MOVE? In DC, Jonathan O'Connell reported Wizards Owner Ted Leonsis has "begun touring sites in Arlington and DC and inquiring with local officials about what kind of support they might provide" for a new practice facility. DC officials said that conversations were "ongoing and that Leonsis and his company, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, were looking for a facility costing" between $40-50M that would "include courts equipped with 5,000 seats and retail facing the street outside" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/13).
ORIGINAL RECIPE: In Louisville, Sebastian Kitchen notes Louisville Arena Authority officials on Thursday told state lawmakers they "do not believe they owe" the Kentucky State Fair Board $7.2M for lost revenue after the Univ. of Louisville basketball team moved to the KFC Yum Center. Authority member Jim King said that the Board, which managed the arena from '10-12, "somehow managed to lose money." The Board "racked up" more than $9M in "general and administrative costs." Those costs "dropped significantly" after AEG took over the arena (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 11/14).
EXORCISE THE DEMONS: In Chicago, Christopher Placek reports a "Budweiser-themed lounge is being planned" for Allstate Arena, the current home of the WNBA Sky and the DePaul Univ. basketball teams. A room on the south end of the first floor that is currently used as a lounge will be "converted to the new Budweiser lounge." A-B is paying the Village of Rosemont, which owns and operated the arena, more than $2.5M "over the course of five years for advertising at village-owned venues." The village will "build out the lounge space for Budweiser for no more than $150,000" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 11/14).
