Latest news with #sportsarena
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
City 'ruined' by 'billionaires' playground' forcing locals out
A Texas city is becoming a billionaires' playground as it moves forward with a new sports arena that locals are riling against. A project that was initially code-named Project Marvel is facing huge backlash from local residents who have no desire for a new San Antonio Spurs arena to be constructed downtown. The campaign might become a thorn in politicians' sides as more and more residents are becoming disdainful about the project. And locals are angered by the lack of transparency and communication and don't want it to be on the ballot in November. 'There are too many unanswered questions, including costs, economic benefits, alternatives, and financing,' Alexander's campaign said in a statement. 'Is downtown for the people or just for tourists?' Alexander's cofounder, Annalisa Peace, questioned. They also worry about traffic jams from all the tourists coming downtown and whether or not locals would even be able to afford tickets to the games, which is currently held at the Frost Bank Center on the East Side. The average income in San Antonio is $34,000 for an individual and $63,000 for a household. 'When I tell people: "Would you like to sign in opposition?" they grab it out of my hands to try to sign it,' Mike Phillips, of COPS/Metro Alliance, an interfaith group that opposes the arena, told the outlet. xAssistant City Manager Lori Houston told the Express-News that officials hear the backlash but said the city has no desire to cancel their plans. 'I've heard people say: "How do I stop this project?" You take a vote,' she said on Tuesday. 'But we don't want to stop this project.' Tourism is a huge moneymaker for the Southern city, and adding the arena downtown would help increase foot traffic and help finance the area through taxes on hotels and rental cars. Officials also worry that if the area isn't built, the basketball team could look elsewhere, and that would lower the city's profit margin. And not every resident is viciously opposed to it, and Keely Petty told the Express-News that she believes it could put San Antonio on the map next to Houston and Dallas. The city is also looking to expand the convention center again, which could cost up to $900 million and would have to move the San Antonio Water System chilled water plant to do so. How much it would cost to move the water system is unknown. Daily Mail has reached out to the City of San Antonio for comment.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Our city is being ruined by 'billionaires' playground'... we're being forced out by tourists
A Texas city is becoming a billionaires' playground as it moves forward with a new sports arena that locals are riling against. A project that was initially code-named Project Marvel is facing huge backlash from local residents who have no desire for a new San Antonio Spurs arena to be constructed downtown. 'We don't need to provide a $4.5 billion playground for tourists and billionaires that does not provide economic development for our city,' Father Jimmy Drennan, of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, told the San Antonio Express-News. For years, there have been talks amongst city officials about building a new Spurs arena behind closed doors and forcing consultants and developers to sign nondisclosure agreements. But locals don't want their taxpaying money to go toward the new arena, which they say, won't get any love from those residing there, only tourists and billionaires. 'This is a business deal with the Spurs and the city. It should also be a business deal for us,' Patrick Stolmeier, a local, told The Express-News. Anne Alexander cofounded a campaign called Stop! Project Marvel and several of her organization's signs - which read: 'No! Project Marvel' - have been popping up in plenty of neighborhoods since. The campaign might become a thorn in politicians' sides as more and more residents are becoming disdainful about the project. And locals are angered by the lack of transparency and communication and don't want it to be on the ballot in November. 'There are too many unanswered questions, including costs, economic benefits, alternatives, and financing,' Alexander's campaign said in a statement. 'Is downtown for the people or just for tourists?' Alexander's cofounder, Annalisa Peace, questioned. They also worry about traffic jams from the all the tourists coming downtown and whether or not locals would even be able to afford tickets to the games, which is currently held at the Frost Bank Center on the East Side. The average income in San Antonio is $34,000 for an individual and $63,000 for a household. 'When I tell people: "Would you like to sign in opposition?" they grab it out of my hands to try to sign it,' Mike Phillips, a COPS/Metro Alliance, an interfaith group that opposes the arena, told the outlet. Assistant City Manager, Lori Houston, told The Express-News that officials hear the backlash, but said the city has no desire to cancel their plans. 'I've heard people say: "How do I stop this project?" You take a vote,' she said on Tuesday. 'But we don't want to stop this project.' Tourism is a huge moneymaker for the Southern city and adding the arena downtown would help increase foot traffic and help finance the area through taxes on hotels and rental cars. Officials also worry that if the area isn't built, the basketball team could look elsewhere and that would lower the city's profit margin. And not every resident is viciously opposed to it and Keely Petty told The Express-News that she believes it could put San Antonio on the map next to Houston and Dallas. The city is also looking to expand the convention center again, which could cost up to $900million and would have to move the San Antonio Water System chilled water plant to do so. How much it would cost to move the water system is unknown.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Sports CEO Timothy Leiweke charged in Texas arena bid-rigging scheme
A prominent sports executive has been criminally charged with organising a conspiracy to ensure his own company won the bid to build a $388m sports arena in Texas. Timothy Leiweke, the former president of the Denver Nuggets basketball team and former CEO of MLSE, which owns Toronto's major sports franchises including the Leafs and Raptors was charged on Wednesday by a federal grand jury. He resigned as chief executive of the company at the center of the case, Oak View Group (OVG), after the announcement. Spokespeople for Leiweke, 68, issued a statement maintaining he had 'done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity'. Investigators allege that Leiweke spent a period from February 2018 to at least June 2024 conspiring with a competitor's CEO to 'rig the bidding for the development, management and use' of the Moody Center, at the University of Texas at Austin. Leiweke allegedly struck a deal that the rival firm would agreed to avoid bidding on the Moody Center in exchange for OVG providing it with the project's subcontracts. OVG went on to construct the building after submitting the sole bid and the Moody Center opened in 2022. The company 'continues to receive significant revenues from the project to date', the US justice department said in a statement. Leiweke could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $1m or more if convicted. A statement from Abigail Slater, an assistant attorney general at the justice department's antitrust division, accused Leiweke of having 'deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding' to boost his company's bottom line. She said federal officials would always strive 'to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable'. Christopher Raia of the FBI said in a statement that 'public contracts are subject to laws requiring an open and competitive bid process to ensure a level playing field', adding: 'The FBI is determined to ensure those who disregard fair competition principles do not benefit from a rigged bidding process targeting our communities and public institutions.' Leiweke was president of the Nuggets from 1991 to 1995 before becoming CEO of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), whose holdings include the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and Los Angeles Galaxy soccer club. After leaving AEG in 2013, he was CEO and president of Canada-based MLSE, whose holdings include Toronto's major sports franchises. He co-founded OVG, based in Denver, and became its CEO in 2015. Among OVG's upcoming construction projects was a new arena at Louisiana State University (LSU). Officials at the university reportedly told The Advocate newspaper that they are reviewing how the charges against Leiweke may affect the new arena project.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sports CEO Timothy Leiweke charged in Texas arena bid-rigging scheme
The Denver Nuggets face the Miami Heat in 2023. Timothy Leiweke is the former president of the Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets face the Miami Heat in 2023. Timothy Leiweke is the former president of the Denver Nuggets. Photograph: Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports A prominent sports executive has been criminally charged with organising a conspiracy to ensure his own company won the bid to build a $388m sports arena in Texas. Timothy Leiweke, the former president of the Denver Nuggets basketball team and former CEO of MLSE, which owns Toronto's major sports franchises including the Leafs and Raptors was charged on Wednesday by a federal grand jury. He resigned as chief executive of the company at the center of the case, Oak View Group (OVG), after the announcement. Advertisement Spokespeople for Leiweke, 68, issued a statement maintaining he had 'done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity'. Investigators allege that Leiweke spent a period from February 2018 to at least June 2024 conspiring with a competitor's CEO to 'rig the bidding for the development, management and use' of the Moody Center, at the University of Texas at Austin. Leiweke allegedly struck a deal that the rival firm would agreed to avoid bidding on the Moody Center in exchange for OVG providing it with the project's subcontracts. OVG went on to construct the building after submitting the sole bid and the Moody Center opened in 2022. The company 'continues to receive significant revenues from the project to date', the US justice department said in a statement. Advertisement Leiweke could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $1m or more if convicted. A statement from Abigail Slater, an assistant attorney general at the justice department's antitrust division, accused Leiweke of having 'deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding' to boost his company's bottom line. She said federal officials would always strive 'to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable'. Christopher Raia of the FBI said in a statement that 'public contracts are subject to laws requiring an open and competitive bid process to ensure a level playing field', adding: 'The FBI is determined to ensure those who disregard fair competition principles do not benefit from a rigged bidding process targeting our communities and public institutions.' Leiweke was president of the Nuggets from 1991 to 1995 before becoming CEO of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), whose holdings include the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and Los Angeles Galaxy soccer club. After leaving AEG in 2013, he was CEO and president of Canada-based MLSE, whose holdings include Toronto's major sports franchises. He co-founded OVG, based in Denver, and became its CEO in 2015. Advertisement Among OVG's upcoming construction projects was a new arena at Louisiana State University (LSU). Officials at the university reportedly told The Advocate newspaper that they are reviewing how the charges against Leiweke may affect the new arena project.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Sports CEO Timothy Leiweke charged in Texas arena bid-rigging scheme
A prominent sports executive has been criminally charged with organising a conspiracy to ensure his own company won the bid to build a $388m sports arena in Texas. Timothy Leiweke, the former president of the Denver Nuggets basketball team and former CEO of MLSE, which owns Toronto's major sports franchises including the Leafs and Raptors was charged on Wednesday by a federal grand jury. He resigned as chief executive of the company at the center of the case, Oak View Group (OVG), after the announcement. Spokespeople for Leiweke, 68, issued a statement maintaining he had 'done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity'. Investigators allege that Leiweke spent a period from February 2018 to at least June 2024 conspiring with a competitor's CEO to 'rig the bidding for the development, management and use' of the Moody Center, at the University of Texas at Austin. Leiweke allegedly struck a deal that the rival firm would agreed to avoid bidding on the Moody Center in exchange for OVG providing it with the project's subcontracts. OVG went on to construct the building after submitting the sole bid and the Moody Center opened in 2022. The company 'continues to receive significant revenues from the project to date', the US justice department said in a statement. Leiweke could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $1m or more if convicted. A statement from Abigail Slater, an assistant attorney general at the justice department's antitrust division, accused Leiweke of having 'deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding' to boost his company's bottom line. She said federal officials would always strive 'to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable'. Christopher Raia of the FBI said in a statement that 'public contracts are subject to laws requiring an open and competitive bid process to ensure a level playing field', adding: 'The FBI is determined to ensure those who disregard fair competition principles do not benefit from a rigged bidding process targeting our communities and public institutions.' Leiweke was president of the Nuggets from 1991 to 1995 before becoming CEO of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), whose holdings include the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and Los Angeles Galaxy soccer club. After leaving AEG in 2013, he was CEO and president of Canada-based MLSE, whose holdings include Toronto's major sports franchises. He co-founded OVG, based in Denver, and became its CEO in 2015. Among OVG's upcoming construction projects was a new arena at Louisiana State University (LSU). Officials at the university reportedly told The Advocate newspaper that they are reviewing how the charges against Leiweke may affect the new arena project.
