Colts owner Jim Irsay has been thumping his chest about spending millions for free agents. That’s easier to do when he doesn’t have to spend millions on improvements to the stadium in which his team plays.
According to the Indianapolis Star, the city will be footing the $2 million bill for enhancements to suites at Lucas Oil Stadium. And while that’s not a huge expense in the grand scheme of things, that same argument could be made in support of the Colts paying for their own [insert expletive] upgrades.
“My question is: Why is the city paying for something that the Colts are just going to make money off of?” City Council member Zach Adamson said, via the Star. “We’re going back to a situation where the Colts are coming back to the city with their hands out, asking for more of what is limited.”
The Colts are doing it because they can, and because the city is willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep the local billionaire happy. Because if the local billionaire isn’t happy, he eventually may load up the Mayflowers and go to a city that will make him happy.
And that’s all you need to know about stadium economics.