Cactus League president says Arizona communities need to invest in stadiums used by major league teams
The president of the Cactus League said Friday that Arizona communities need to continue to invest in the stadiums used by the major league teams that practice and play there.
U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear case on Arizona rental-car tax
Pima and Maricopa counties are going to get to keep tapping tourists to pay for their sports facilities.
Lawmakers approve $45 million to promote NASCAR raceway
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee certified a plan Tuesday that requires the Arizona Office of Tourism to spend $1.5 million a year for 30 years promoting ISM Raceway, Avondale’s one-mile NASCAR race track.
Court: It’s legal to tax rental cars to fund stadiums
There's nothing illegal about taxing tourists renting cars in Arizona to pay for sports complexes in Pima and Maricopa counties, the state Supreme Court ruled today.
Major League Baseball wants players exempt from minimum wage law
As pitchers and catchers prep to report for spring training in February, Major League Baseball is trying to convince Arizona lawmakers to exempt minor league ballplayers from the state’s minimum wage law.
Cactus League expansion limited by funding, economic impact still significant
Greater Phoenix has increasingly become a destination for MLB teams to prepare for the season. Seven ballclubs called the Valley their spring training home in 2002.
Special events dominated lobbying expenditures during the first quarter
Giving lawmakers free tickets to sporting events is legal if it falls into the “special event” category of lobbying, where the entire Legislature, an entire committee or an entire caucus is invited.
Swinging out of a slump
As Californians Rob Owens and Ian Au-Yeung took in an early April spring training game between the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers at Peoria Sports Complex, they may have felt a bit more crowded by the fans this year at the ballpark.
Surcharges for new Cubs stadium clear hurdle
An effort to finance a new Spring Training stadium in Mesa for the Chicago Cubs through surcharges on rental cars and baseball tickets cleared its first hurdle today and won approval from a House panel, despite opposition from every other baseball team in the Cactus League and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.