Kelly Loeffler, soon to be a Republican senator representing Georgia, is already sparking controversy — deservedly so.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is set to formally announce his pick to succeed Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican resigning from the Senate on Dec. 31. Going against President Trump’s recommendation, Rep. Doug Collins, Kemp will go with Loeffler, a part owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
Many conservatives are not happy because she is on the board of Grady Memorial Hospital, which provides abortions. Furthermore, the WNBA financially supports Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider. Last season, every WNBA team donated $5 from every ticket sale at select home games to six progressive women’s organizations, including Planned Parenthood.
Kemp is under no obligation to do what Trump says, but here’s another overlooked aspect of Loeffler lacking conservative credentials: She’s a crony capitalist, as is apparent from her tenure as a part owner of the Dream.
During the 2020 season, the Dream will have a new home venue: Gateway Center Arena. The team shares the venue with the College Park Skyhawks, the NBA G-League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks.
There’s one problem: The $46.5 million venue, which the multi-millionaire Loeffler will profit from, was entirely funded by taxpayers.
To start paying for it, College Park, Georgia, took $9 million from their city’s general fund. Mayor Jack Longino said he anticipates a tax increase on car rentals will cover the rest. He admitted to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the venue would not make money for the city. After all, the Skyhawks pay just $5,000 per home game to use the facility. Presumably, the Dream pays a similar rate, if not less.
It’s unclear how this deal benefits anyone other than the owners of these particular teams. John Duke, who ran for mayor of College Park this year, put it best when he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the arena is “a complete fleecing of the taxpayer.”
Taxpayer-funded stadiums are a bad investment, and it’s even worse when the venue is built for a team that few people care about. Part of the reason why the WNBA exists today is because it is subsidized by the NBA. The league as a whole has never made a profit. Interest in the league is low, with league-wide regular season attendance falling in the past two seasons.
Calling a taxpayer-funded arena home is nothing new for the Dream. Gateway Center Arena will be the fourth publicly funded stadium that the Dream has called home during Loeffler’s ownership.
Being responsible with taxpayer dollars is a hugely important task for politicians. Loeffler’s WNBA team is part of a system that abuses taxpayer money for private profit. One has to imagine she won’t start respecting taxpayers once she’s in the Senate.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelance writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
