Maxed-out taxes: Pro sports teams want handouts for new Cleveland stadiums, but public sources are at their limits

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have put their hands out for up to $1.2 billion from state and local taxpayers for a new or renovated football stadium, and they’re not the only ones looking for public money to build such facilities. Cleveland Soccer Group last week also went public with its request for $90 million in taxpayer funds for a new $150 million stadium as part of its efforts to lure a National Women’s Soccer League team to Cleveland.

Backers of these projects might not care too much about how taxpayers manage to scrounge up the cash. But Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the state most certainly do, given the intricate ways local tax dollars have been assembled over decades to cover the ever-growing cost of public services that government must fund.