Some community members say Knoxville stadium deal would be a swing-and-a-miss for taxpayers
Critics of the downtown stadium project say public money would be better spent on education, community safety, and roads. Author: WBIR Staff, John Becker Published: 2:56 PM EST February 18, 2021 Updated: 7:02 PM EST February 18, 2021
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. The cheers of fans and whacks from bats sending baseballs soaring through the skies of downtown may be a transformational vision for Knoxville, but critics of a new stadium proposal say that dream should not hinge on investments from taxpayers. It s an absolute boondoggle in every sense of the word, said one critic of the proposal to use $65 million in sales tax-backed bonds to build a new stadium for baseball, concerts, and other events on an old industrial site in East Knoxville.