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Successful measures to fund stadiums or ballparks:

• Public Opinion Strategies’ research helped formulate the successful initiative to fund a new stadium for the NFL Arizona Cardinals, improvements to Cactus League spring training facilities, fund tourism promotion and youth recreation (recreation centers and sports fields) in Maricopa County AZ (Phoenix). The polling led to the inclusion of the youth recreation aspects of the project, a key message in the television advertising and grassroots organizing.
   
• In Tampa, where two-thirds of the voters were initially opposed to the stadium deal, our early research focused on putting together the right package of non-sports related projects to include in the stadium financing initiative. We conducted exploratory focus groups to extensively probe public attitudes on the stadium project and test several hypothetical packages to gauge support. We followed up with an in-depth survey that tested the hypothesis generated in the groups, eventually putting together a package that included other projects aimed at bettering the community: funding for school construction, new jail space, equipment for the police and needed road projects. This package was instrumental in appealing to key swing voters, the “nose-holders” who otherwise would have voted against the sales tax for the stadium. The referendum passed 53%-47%.
   
• The Denver stadium initiative provided a unique challenge in that traditional messages such as job growth and economic development were NOT compelling arguments with growth-weary Denver voters. But, we found that voters were concerned with maintaining their high quality of life. Our research showed our most compelling message was simply that the stadium deal, “is about more than sports, it’s about keeping the Denver area special.” An ad, featuring John Elway (in a non-football setting), stressing this message was the key to gaining support from targeted coalition groups. The initiative passed 57%-43%.
   
• A proposal to build stadiums for the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals faced significant opposition, trailing by 25 points. The campaign started off behind, as voters focused their attention more on “welfare for millionaires” than what the referendum might mean for the future of the city.
    Our research showed opposition to the referendum decreased when emphasis was placed on the initiative’s other projects specifically property tax relief, which has significant appeal to senior citizens in the county. As a direct result of our research, an ad featuring Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls was produced. She emphasized her support for the proposal in order to keep Cincinnati a “major league community” and stressed the “non-sports” benefits of the proposal, namely more jobs and investment. This proved to be a key turning point in the campaign. The referendum passed 61%-39%.
   
• In all, we have worked with eleven professional teams seeking public financing of these venues, whether through the initiative process or legislative/city decisions, including
  • The Arizona Cardinals
  • The Cincinnati Reds
  • The Cincinnati Bengals
  • The Denver Broncos
  • The Pittsburgh Pirates
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers
  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • The Kansas City Chiefs
  • The Kansas City Royals
  • The Minnesota Twins
  • The Orlando Magic
  
   
• One example of how our polling helped bring about success through the legislative route was in Pennsylvania. Following an unsuccessful referendum campaign in the Pittsburgh market, initial opposition ran high to a proposal by Governor Ridge and the state legislature to help pay for stadiums for the Pirates, Steelers, Eagles and Phillies. Voters’ initial reaction centered on the perception that state tax dollars were being used to bail out “billionaire owners and millionaire ball payers.” Our survey showed that linking the stadium proposal to important regional economic development projects and cultural facilities solidified support, making the issue essentially a “push” with the voters. The result? The Legislature passed the stadium package a week following our research.