Gov. Evers plans to invest $290 mil to keep Brewers in Milwaukee

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Gov. Tony Evers plans to put $290 million into the facilities at American Family Field to keep the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee for the next 20 years.

The governor pitched his plan to give a one-time payment to the baseball park district as part of his 2023-25 biennial budget proposal. The funds would come out of the $7 billion surplus and would be used to maintain, repair and improve the facilities at American Family Field.

“As governor, and also someone who also happens to be a lifelong Brewers fan, I’m so excited about the historic opportunity we have today to keep Major League Baseball here in Milwaukee for another twenty years and to usher in a new generation of Brewers fans in Wisconsin who can grow up rooting for the home team just like I did,” Evers said.

The current lease for the American Family Field is set to expire in 2030. Gov. Evers contended that without the one-time investment, the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball could leave Milwaukee at the end of the 2030 season. The proposal would sign the Brewers to a 20-year lease at the park, keeping the team in Wisconsin through at least December of 2043.

“Using just a small portion of our state’s historic surplus, we can not only save over $200 million in taxpayer dollars in the long run, but keep good-paying, family-supporting jobs here and ensure the Brewers remain in Milwaukee and continue to play a critical role in our state’s economic success for another two decades,” Evers said. He also claimed that the proposal would create more than $400 million in revenue over the next 20 years.

The governor reported that the ballpark supported 3,000 jobs in 2022. Milwaukee Brewers and American Family field also have over 1,100 union jobs, according to Evers.

Evers noted that since opening in 2001, the ballpark has generated $2.5 billion in total economic output for Wisconsin.

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