Governor Scott Walker, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and County Executive Chris Abele held a joint press conference yesterday to announce a dealreached that would allow for the construction of a new basketball arena in downtown Milwaukee.
The deal would cap the public contribution to the arena at $250 million, plus interest, and would require the Bucks to pick up any cost overruns. But the way the public contribution is divided has evolved since the framework was first proposed. Editor and columnist at Urban Milwaukee Bruce Murphy has written a lot about the arena debate in recent weeks, and he gives his analysis of the deal and its future implications:
While much of the discussion surrounding a new arena centers on who will be responsible for paying for it - and how much, a new arena could also have an impact on the sport at the center of it. Sports contributor Howie Magner of Milwaukee Magazine's Sports Nut column discusses what the arena deal might mean not just for the owners and fans of the Milwaukee Bucks, but the guys who play basketball:
