Chicago White Sox Take Critical Next Step in Battle For Possible New Ballpark

As the Chicago White Sox battle for a new ballpark in a new part of the city, they've got a supporter in the mayor, who says he isn't against potentially using public dollars to finance the project.

We've known for a few weeks that the Chicago White Sox want to build a new ballpark in the city's South Loop.

As is usually the case though when a team wants a new ballpark, the question is "who's going to pay for it?"

Of course, teams always want projects to be publicly funded. That takes the onus off owners and allows them to make as much as money as possible. Taxpayers always want the owners to pay for everything and don't want to take the heat off millionaire and billionaire owners.

In the case of the White Sox, mayor Brandon Johnson says he isn't against using public money for this project, but he is expecting the White Sox to put up real capital as well.

Per the Chicago Sun-Times:

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday cracked the door open to providing a public subsidy to build a new $1.2 billion White Sox stadium in the South Loop, provided the team and the developer “put some skin in the game.”

One day after Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and his entourage traveled to Springfield to begin the uphill battle for the $1 billion in state funding, Johnson was considerably more receptive to the concept of using city tax revenue for new stadiums — either for the Sox or the Bears — than Gov. J.B. Pritzker and some legislators have been.

“I’m grateful that both organizations are committed to having these conversations. As far as financing these projects, both organizations know that they have to put some skin in the game. They’re expressed a commitment to do that,” Johnson said after Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

The White Sox currently play at Guaranteed Rate Field, which is the eighth-oldest ballpark in baseball, younger than only Fenway Park (Red Sox), Wrigley Field (Cubs), Dodger Stadium (Dodgers), Angels Stadium (Angels), Oakland Coliseum (Athletics), Kaufmann Stadium (Royals) and Rogers Centre (Blue Jays).

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