San Antonio Spurs help refurbish 5 basketball courts around Austin- Donate $500,000
San Antonio is a die hard city for their Spurs Team. The Spurs have recently expanded play for some games in Mexico and in Austin during their regular season schedule. For many San Antonians who have supported the Spurs, many things have entered the minds of fans wondering if the Spurs will even stay in San Antonio.
SPURS GIVE has donated huge amounts of money to support important causes over their time here in San Antonio. The SPURS GIVE foundation is a non-profit who also receives donations from donors who want to support the foundation and their outreach.
Austin (KXAN) reported on April 6th:
“The initiative, known as Play ATX, is a $500,000 investment to build and refurbish five basketball courts around the city. The money was donated by Spurs Give and the Austin Parks Foundation (APF).”
“The court unveiling happened right before the first ever NBA games played in Austin. The Spurs will tip-off against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. Both games will be played at the Moody Center.”
“The Spurs are trying to grow its market and attract fans from its neighbors north on I-35. As the team tries to grow, it wants to bring a positive impact to the communities it expands in.”
“It’s not just about entering another space for us, it’s actually about allowing another community to let us in and let us play together,” Dr. Kara Allen, the team’s chief impact officer, explained.
The Spurs started a similar program in its hometown called Play SATX to refurbish public courts. Former Spurs player, and former Texas Longhorn, LaMarcus Aldridge told his organization that community courts were a big reason he played the game as he was growing up.
“Having a local basketball court that is free and easy to access is the reason he stayed in sport. It’s the reason he continued to play,” Dr. Allen said.
Many San Antonians are wondering if Bexar County Commissioners approving the Spurs to play abroad in Mexico and NBA games in Austin will take away their beloved team as KXAN reported above, “The Spurs are trying to grow its market and attract fans from its neighbors north on I-35.”
The Spurs pay almost no taxes and built their arena with many tax exempt municipal bonds that were issued to build the AT&T Center in the amount of $169 Million Dollars before the center opened in 2002 (originally called the SBC Center) which yielded them a $41 Million Federal Tax Subsidy.
The Bondholders received $3 million in tax breaks which ended up in lost federal tax revenue costing taxpayers $44 million.
“The justifications for public funding for stadiums are weak, and the justifications for federal government subsidies are even weaker because to the extent the projects confer any benefits, those benefits are local, not national,” per the study.
We know the San Antonio Spurs League plays in Austin, yet the Spurs profits remain in the pockets of San Antonians.
As the SPURS GIVE gives to other initiatives outside their NBA teams home, many see that we will have to follow the money to know where the Spurs really want their home to be no matter what they told The Bexar County Commissioners court when seeking approval to play in Mexico and Austin. It seems their money is on Austin and their eyes are set on building their future there.
What are your thoughts?
