Cleveland's Three Major Sports Teams Contribute Almost $1M To Sin Tax Campaign

The campaign "pushing for a renewal" of a Cuyahoga County (Ohio) sin tax raised more than $1.2M during the most recent campaign finance period, nearly $1M of which came from the Browns, Cavaliers and Indians, according to documents cited by Andrew Tobias of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The forms show that the three teams "contributed about $333,000 each to Keep Cleveland Strong between Jan. 1 and March 15." The teams in April "loaned another $200,000 to the effort, splitting the costs evenly." The Cavaliers "contributed $231,000 worth of free marketing and personnel, the Indians gave $297,000 worth of signs and audiovisual production and the Browns gave another $88,750 in free marketing." The campaign "outspent two opposition groups by a factor of 30," spending almost $1.3M this year. Voters on May 6 "will decide whether to approve a 20-year renewal of the county's tax on alcohol and cigarettes to pay for upkeep to Cleveland's professional sports stadiums" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/25).