| Do the Chinese Hate Baseball? | |
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Does Philadelphia's Chinese community hate baseball? I have no idea, and it really is not the issue. There are some in power in Philadelphia, however, who would like you to think that the Chinese community's opposition to a baseball stadium in Chinatown is nothing more than a decision to reject progress.
In reality, Mayor John Street's choice of Chinatown as the new home for a Phillies baseball stadium has more than a few people shaking their heads. A stadium in Chinatown is opposed not only by the Chinese community, but also by the Phillies themselves, who would much prefer a stadium at the current sports complex in South Philadelphia. In addition, key City Counsel members who must eventually approve any city funding have serious concerns over both the economic and political cost of placing a stadium downtown.
The Pennsylvania State Legislature approved funding for stadiums for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh early in 1999. Pittsburgh already had preliminary plans for both construction and funding of their new baseball and football stadiums. Construction began on both in 1999 and both Pittsburgh stadiums are expected to be completed next year.
While most agreed then that a new football stadium in Philadelphia should be located near the current South Philadelphia sports complex, the Phillies and former Mayor Ed Rendell had their eyes set on a center city location, initially considering a site near Broad Street.
Local opposition to the Broad Street site, as well as the Mayoral election of 1999, forced all sides back to the drawing board. While the Eagles were well on their way towards funding and stadium design, the teams and city had agreed to approach construction of both stadiums together. This binding of the two stadium deals will ultimately result in at least a two-year delay in the Eagles move into their new home, assuming that funding is ultimately approved.
Current Mayor John Street's decision to cast his lot in favor of a baseball stadium in Chinatown has set off new debates which will likely end up in further delays and increased costs, now estimated at $1.2 billion, up $200 million from just a month ago.
The residents and business leaders of Chinatown have valid fears of urban sprawl surrounding them on all sides. In the past 20 years they have found their community surrounded by the Gallery at Market East, the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the Vine Street Expressway. They fear, with reason, even more traffic jams and invasion of their community by people with little respect for their culture and no likelihood of positive influence on their businesses.
The Phillies question not only the increased costs of a stadium, but also a negative effect on their fan base which is used to an easy drive to Veteran's Stadium across the Walt Whitman Bridge from New Jersey or by I-95 from the Northeast and the southwestern suburbs. The Phillies also fear what could be years of delays in construction should the Chinatown community tie the entire matter up in the courts, as they have pledged to do.
Residents of Philadelphia, especially those with children, question the sense of spending hundreds of millions of dollars in city funds, however they are raised, to build sports stadiums for clubs owned by multi-millionaires, when the city's public school system is in serious financial difficulty and in danger of being taken over by the State.
City blue-collar and white-collar workers are currently in contract negotiations with the city. Over 25,000 workers of AFSCME District Counsels 33 and 47 are threatening to strike just in time for the Republican Convention if acceptable contracts are not agreed upon. The city's initial offer to the unions was for a mere 1% increase in wages, while at the same time the Mayor was pledging huge amounts of money to the Phillies and Eagles.
At present, no one knows where this will end. The mayor has promised that once negotiations are finalized with the teams, he will have a detailed funding proposal ready for submission to City Counsel by the fall. Approval of any plan is highly questionable as Counsel members consider the concerns of their constituents.
One thing clear is that the Eagles will likely eventually push to have their portion of the stadium deal separated from that of the Phillies. For now, the Eagles have been loyal to their original commitment to stick together with the Phillies. Should the Phillies stadium proposal become bogged down in the courts, however, the Eagles are sure to strike out on their own.
More than a few cynics have suggested that the mayor proposed the Chinatown site with full understanding that it would ultimately be a deal-breaker, and that no stadium deal will ever be approved. The mayor's advisors continue to insist that not only is this incorrect, but that the mayor's insistence on a downtown location for a baseball park is the cornerstone of what he hopes will be his legacy of downtown renewal.
Only time will tell what the truth really is, and whether groundbreaking for new ballparks will actually occur within the next two years. We'll keep you posted as this story develops.
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