AmFam Field lease agreement approved, ensuring Brewers will remain in Wisconsin through 2050
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A lease agreement for American Family Field has been approved, ensuring the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball (MLB) will remain in Wisconsin through 2025.
The Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District voted Wednesday morning during a board meeting, deliberating for more than an hour in closed session before opening it back up to pass the motion.
11 members said yes, while Sen. Duey Stroebel, R - Cedarburg, was the only one to say no.
While he declined an interview, he later sent a press release which said in part:
"I fear that this deal could lead to unintended negative consequences for taxpayers and the State of Wisconsin in the future."
The lease would use hundreds of millions in state and local taxpayer dollars to renovate and winterize the stadium.
Board member Dale Kooyenga, who is also the president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Area of Commerce, said "we're the smallest region in the country to have a baseball team."
“We’re in a talent war nationally, internationally, and when you look at talent, talent wants to be where there’s things to do and baseball is part of the American experience of things to do," Kooyenga said. “Wisconsin, we love our sports, we love our Brewers, we love to have a good time and so this is a big step in just continuing that till 2050, to make sure this is one of the elite baseball stadiums in the country.”
Now, Major League Baseball and the State Department of Administration must also approve the lease.
“We have indications they would do that and essentially move forward to what does the next phase of the AmFam Field look like?” Kooyenga said.
Plus, if Brewers want to create additional developments in the area, further discussions would be held to figure out how they would make sense for both the team and the community.
Gov. Tony Evers also released a statement celebrating the vote, which comes just over a year after he signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 40 and 41 to keep the Brewers and MLB in the Badger State.
“This is a home run, and it’s a great day to be a Wisconsinite and a Brewers fan. I am incredibly proud of the good, bipartisan work that has gone into getting to today to ensure future generations of Wisconsinites can grow up rooting for our home team,” said Gov. Evers. “The Brewers have long been a critical part of our history and our heritage in Wisconsin with billions of dollars in annual economic impact and hundreds of local, family-supporting jobs. This is our crew!”
Since opening its doors in 2001, the ballpark has generated $2.5 billion in total economic output for the state. In 2022 alone, the ballpark supported 3,000 jobs. The Brewers and American Family Field also supports more than 1,100 union jobs, including Brewers employees and union employees, through vendors and related services.