Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) owner Herb Kohl is hinting that it’s time for taxpayers to help pay for a new arena for his team.
Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) owner Herb Kohl is hinting that it’s time for taxpayers to help pay for a new arena for his team.
"The Bucks have never asked for any public funds," said Kohl at the team’s annual preseason luncheon. "I think we deserve some consideration, in a timely manner, in the right way."
He’s totally right. The construction of Milwaukee Arena in 1950 — later renovated and rebranced as the MECCA, now known as U.S. Cellular Arena — came well before the Bucks came to town. The team’s current home, the Bradley Center, was privately financed by philanthropist Jane Bradley Petti.
Still, Kohl has every reason to be circumspect. He’s one of the richest members of the U.S. Senate, and reminders of his family money, which came first from Kohl’s Food Stores and then from Kohl’s Department Stores, can be found throughout the Milwaukee area. He will be expected to pick up most of the costs of a new arena, given his patrician status.
