City still paying debt for citizens bank park

The Phillies now have their third straight National League East championship in hand. But don’t forget another ingredient in the team’s success: city taxpayers. The city is still paying off that debt.

The Phillies now have their third straight National League East championship in hand. Their stellar line-up has fans hoping for another parade. But don’t forget another ingredient in the team’s success: city taxpayers. The team might not be able to afford all those hefty superstar salaries without the more than 100 million dollars the city chipped in to build Citizens Bank Park. The city is still paying off that debt.

Listen:
[audio: 091001lfphillies.mp3]

Brett Mandel describes himself as a tax reform advocate. But he also identifies himself this way:

Mandel: I am a Phillies fan, and bleed Phillies Red…

Still, Mandel says, he’s aware of the true cost of success on the field:

Mandel: While public funding of a new stadium has helped the Phillies be able to have the funding to put the team on the field to win, the profits from the new stadium go to the teams. So the city bears the cost but we don’t share the same level in the revenues. We just get the good feeling from having a winner.

Players do pay the wage tax. But Mandell says in some other cities teams paid far more of the cost for new stadiums. He points to San Francisco, where voters repeatedly rejected public funding for a new stadium. Despite the Giants’ threats to move, the team eventually financed its new ballpark with mostly private money.