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By Wil
Gorman
In the early 1990s Arizona was
in serious jeopardy of losing most of the eight teams in the Cactus League
to Florida and, possibly, Las Vegas. The Cleveland Indians departed Tucson
for Florida, and — although the Colorado Rockies, a new expansion team, took
the Indians’ place — their departure was a wake-up call for Florida.
Arizona worked together with the Cactus League Association to start a state
rental car tax: a $2.50 tax on every rental car transaction. This new tax
was created to help retain the eight teams in the Cactus League — A’s,
Angels, Brewers, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Padres and Rockies — and to expand
the Cactus League to more teams and communities in the state. This unique
bill, which was met with overwhelming enthusiasm in the state, was designed
to help cities pay for renovations by agreeing to pay for two thirds of the
total project bill for renovations or stadiums.
Initial Agreements
Tempe was the first municipality to jump on this agreement. They signed a
15-year contract — at the time, the longest contract ever agreed to in the
Cactus League — with the California Angels for a $5.9 million renovation of
Tempe Diablo Stadium in 1993.
Then the small little city of Peoria, Ariz., was the first new municipality
to jump into the spring training business. They set out an extensive plan to
build the first two-team spring training venue in the world, a home for the
Seattle Mariners (who left Tempe) and San Diego Padres (who left Yuma,
Ariz.). This would be a 20- year agreement, making it the longest in the
Cactus League. They decided to build the stadium next to a planned freeway,
and they envisioned it to be a catalyst of a new entertainment destination
in the Northwest part of the valley. This project was $32 million and would
have an 11,000-capacity stadium in the Center with six additional practice
fields on each side. Currently the Peoria Sports Complex, as it’s now known,
has dozens of restaurants next to the stadium, several hotels, a 16-screen
movie theatre and a two-sheet indoor ice-skating rink, as well.
In 1994, Phoenix and the Oakland A’s agreed to an $8.9 million renovation to
Phoenix Municipal Stadium and their Minor League Complex, in a 10-year
agreement. Four years later, Mesa and the Chicago Cubs came to a 20-year
agreement to completely rebuild Hohokam Park and their Minor League training
site (Fitch Park). The Cubs had been the Cactus League’s top draw for
numerous years and were playing in an older facility that could not handle
the crowds. The $28 million million new stadium would be 12,500 seats,
making it the largest stadium in the Cactus League.
Additional Agreements
In 1998, Phoenix made a 15-year agreement with the Milwaukee
Brewers to build a new $27 million stadium on 56 acres in West Phoenix. This
facility was the first to be built on donated land of a local developer.
Also that year, Pima became the first county to take advantage of this
program by deciding to build a two-team facility in Tucson, Ariz., for the
expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox (which came from
Florida). This would only be the second facility in the world to host two
teams. This agreement was for 15 years and would cost the county $38
million. This 11,000-seat stadium would become the largest in southern
Arizona for spring training.
Not to be outdone, Tucson agreed to a 14-year extension to keep the Colorado
Rockies at Hi Corbett Field, which was the oldest facility in the Cactus
League (1927) and had grown in fame with the filming of the movie Major
League at the facility in the early 90s. This $12 million renovation was
also done to include the offices and training site for USA Baseball as well.
Tax Troubles
Unfortunately, the rental car tax was only on each transaction; it wasn’t
done as a percentage. Rental car transactions have stayed stagnant over the
years, although the rental car rate and length of stay has increased
significantly. This has been great for the Arizona economy, but it hasn’t
helped the Cactus League. That said, all revenue from the tax is tied up
through 2016.
This became a big concern for the Cactus League and the state of Arizona, as
several contracts were coming up in 2003 (A’s) and 2005 (Giants).
Fortunately the Arizona Cardinals had been trying unsuccessfully to pass
legislation through the voters that would build the NFL Arizona Cardinals a
new football/multipurpose venue for the team. With several failures at
trying to get this legislation to pass, the state decided to bundle a
stadium tax that would primarily be for the Arizona Cardinals but would also
include the Cactus League, state tourism promotion and a youth sports fund.
The State Tourism & Sports Authority (TSA), as it was known at the time,
announced prior to the county vote that the city of Surprise, Ariz., would
build a new two-team spring training facility for the Kansas City Royals and
Texas Rangers, if the bill passed. With this combination the bill was a
success and passed a county tax referendum in 2001.
Moving Forward
With new funding aboard, the Cactus League was able to maintain its
strength. The city of Surprise’s new stadium was completed in 2003 and set a
new standard for spring training venues. TSA provided $33 million of the
project’s $45 million cost, with Surprise funding the rest. Both teams
signed a 20-year agreement to use the facility.
In 2004, Phoenix and the Oakland A’s reached a 10-year agreement to have a
$6.8 million renovation to Phoenix Municipal Stadium, which was originally
built in 1964. It had been renovated in 1994, but very little work was done.
In fact, this facility is the oldest in the Valley and was the last spring
training facility to have an open-air press box.
Tempe and the L.A. Angels of Anaheim signed a 20-year agreement in 2005 to
continue hosting the Angels Major League spring training and to host their
Minor League operations on a year-round basis. This historic 20-year
agreement was in exchange for a $20 million renovation to the stadium, a
22,000- sq.-ft. clubhouse and four additional fields for their Minor League
camp.
In 2006, Scottsdale and the San Francisco Giants reached a 20-year agreement
to continue hosting the Giants in exchange for a $23 million renovation to
Scottsdale Stadium and the Giants Minor League complex. The stadium was
built in 1992 but the team had outgrown it; their Minor League facility was
outdated as well, and they had a strong need to have a practice field on
site next to the stadium for their Major League camp.
Agreements Ahead
Here’s a rundown of when the contracts come back up for renewal:
• 2011. Hi Corbett Field (Rockies)
• 2012. Tucson Electric Park (White Sox & Diamondbacks); Maryvale Stadium
(Brewers)
• 2014. Phoenix Municipal Stadium (A's); Peoria Sports Complex (Padres &
Mariners)
• 2016. Hohokam Stadium (Cubs) • 2023. Surprise Stadium (Rangers & Royals)
• 2025. Tempe Diablo Stadium (Angels)
• 2026. Scottsdale Stadium (Giants)
Roughly eight teams have contracts coming up for renewal from 2011 to 2016.
Fortunately out of these six facilities, only two of them (Hi Corbett Field
and Phoenix Municipal Stadium) are older than 1997. Whether they are new or
old, these facilities will still need renovations.
Wil Gorman is stadium manager
for the Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. |
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