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Afternoon Edition

May 16, 2025

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The Thunder play in the NBA’s third-smallest market, but secured one of the most generous public arena funding deals of any team in sports. We explore how.

— Alex Schiffer [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Public Funding for Arenas Is Failing Everywhere—Except Oklahoma City

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No matter what happens in Sunday’s Game 7 against the Nuggets, the Thunder will still have one of the more unique victories in American sports as it heads into the summer.

The team was able to get a local sales tax overwhelmingly passed in December 2023 despite no major playoff success and a poor track record for similar measures in the rest of the country in recent years.

In Oklahoma City, 71% of voters chose to extend an existing sales tax for six years called MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects), which would have them pay $850 million of a new $900 million for the team. Thunder ownership will cover the other $50 million.

The city quickly became the envy of the country’s sports owners. Taxes to fund stadiums in cities such as Kansas City [[link removed]], Phoenix [[link removed]], Tampa Bay [[link removed]], and elsewhere have all failed, as American voters have become less pliant when teams ask for public funding.

David Holt, Oklahoma City’s Republican mayor, was the architect of the sales tax measure, but doesn’t think he cracked a code other cities haven’t, instead saying in a recent interview that he felt the Thunder had all the power.

“Cities like ours never have leverage in these situations,” he told Front Office Sports. “We in Oklahoma City haven’t had the team long enough to forget what it was like before we had the team.”

Oklahoma City is the country’s 42nd-biggest market and the third smallest in the NBA. The Thunder moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008 after Starbucks magnate Howard Schultz sold the team to investment banker Clay Bennett, and neither was able to secure public funding from Seattle for a new arena there. Bennett eventually paid Seattle $45 million in a settlement before moving the team.

Renderings for the Thunder’s new arena are expected this summer with the venue expected to open for the 2029–30 season. (It’s contractually required to open no later than June 2030.) The one-cent sales tax will begin April 1, 2028, when the current one expires. The Thunder and the city are still negotiating a lease for the new arena, but the city will own and operate it. The team currently pays $1.6 million in rent for the regular season.

Holy Cross sports economist Victor Matheson, who generally is opposed to public subsidies for stadiums, said that since 1990, the average new NBA arena has been built with 40% of public funding. The Thunder are going far beyond that. But Matheson said it’s hard to fault Holt’s approach in this case.

“This is one where the mayor is actually right,” Matheson told FOS. “The [previous] mayor talked about this 20 years ago when they got the Thunder. It was exactly the same story: ‘We want the NBA more than the NBA wants us, so we have to pony up some money here in ways other cities don’t have to.’ We basically have a $1 billion stadium with 95% public financing—which is way out of the norm—and not any public outcry.”

For more on the unique funding split the Thunder secured from Oklahoma City, read Alex Schiffer’s full story here [[link removed]]. You can also read his full feature about the history the Thunder left behind in Seattle [[link removed]], and how devoted Sonics fans there remain.

SPONSORED BY PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE

Missed It Wednesday?

On Wednesday, Front Office Sports Today cohost and producer Baker Machado sat down with league experts to discuss emerging pro sports leagues like the PWHL and UFL, the impact of esports on the industry, and how global leagues are capturing fans and maximizing revenue.

Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own, presented by Professional Fighters League, was a three-part virtual event where we met with emerging leagues and the brands that support them to unpack what these leagues are doing to grow.

Watch it on demand [[link removed]] now.

Interested in seeing what other Future of Sports virtual events are on the horizon? Check them out here [[link removed]].

Lewis Hamilton Admits Early Days With Ferrari Have Been ‘Tough’ [[link removed]]

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The marriage between Formula One’s most popular team and driver has gotten off to a bumpy start.

Ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton admitted his first six races with Ferrari have been more difficult than he expected.

“I anticipated it would be very tough, because I’ve joined a team before,” Hamilton said, according to Motorsport.com [[link removed]]. “I came in with a really open mind. I didn’t know how tough it was going to be.”

Hamilton moved to the Scuderia this year after spending 12 seasons with Mercedes, winning six drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ titles. While it’s unclear how much his deal is with Ferrari, reports have indicated it could be as high as $100 million per year [[link removed]].

The 40-year-old sits at seventh in the drivers’ championship with 41 points, one place behind 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who replaced him at Mercedes. Hamilton also trails his teammate Charles Leclerc (53 points).

After finishing in second place last year, just 14 points off McLaren, Ferrari entered this year poised to challenge for the championship—and the estimated $140 million prize. But through the first quarter of the season, Ferrari has struggled to compete with the other teams at the top of the field. It sits in fourth with 94 points, 155 fewer than championship-leading McLaren [[link removed]].

It would be shocking to see the partnership between Hamilton and Ferrari end after just one season. But, at least for this year, Hamilton doesn’t seem optimistic about the idea of Ferrari challenging for the title.

“From all the years of experience, when you’re over 100 points behind at this point in the season, with a car that’s up against a car that’s quite dominant, you have to assume that you’re not necessarily fighting for the win in the championship,” Hamilton said. “But things could turn around.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS NETWORK

She Built ‪Overtime and Is Now Growing ‪Unrivaled

In this powerful episode of NILOSOPHY, host Deja Kelly sits down with Chloe Pavlech—former Maryland point guard turned media powerhouse, coach, and now chief growth officer at Unrivaled—to unpack her journey from college athlete to women’s sports trailblazer and what she sees as the future for players with NIL (name, image, and likeness) being so prevalent.

This episode is a must-watch for aspiring sports professionals, athletes navigating NIL, and anyone passionate about women’s sports, brand building, and betting on yourself.

Watch Episode 5 now [[link removed]].

WNBA Salary Gap

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Entering the 2025 season, the Las Vegas Aces lead all WNBA teams in payroll at $1.57 million, the only team above the league’s $1.51 million salary cap. The Minnesota Lynx, last year’s runners-up, are second at $1.5 million, while the defending champion New York Liberty are 9th of 13 teams after the team suspended the contract of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton [[link removed]] ($185,400 this year) due to her season-ending injury [[link removed]].

The WNBA’s salary cap is expected to significantly increase next season [[link removed]] if the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association agree to a new collective bargaining agreement.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY WNBA’s Biggest Season Begins

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The WNBA season tips off Friday with substantial momentum from last year, but a CBA negotiation looms that could shape women’s sports going forward. FOS reporter Annie Costabile explains where negotiations stand ahead of this pivotal year that could see Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever win a championship.

Plus, high school basketball star Noah Neumann joins the show to explain his viral decision to play in China instead of the NCAA, and breaks some big news about his overseas career. There’s also a secret SuperSonics museum in Seattle, and Knicks ticket prices are jaw-dropping once again.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Jordan Brand ⬆ Four-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier has signed with the sports apparel brand. She was previously under Nike. Collier, who is also the cofounder of Unrivaled, was second in MVP voting last season and was the predicted MVP pick by a majority of the WNBA GMs [[link removed]] for the upcoming season.

Suns ⬇ A current employee is suing the team [[link removed]] with accusations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, according to ESPN. It’s the fourth time in seven months that a lawsuit has been filed against the team by a current or former employee.

Bears ⬆⬇ As it continues to search for a home to build a new stadium, the team is “shifting focus” back to Arlington Heights [[link removed]], a Chicago suburb, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Bears said they will not seek state funding for the stadium. The team has received pushback from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker [[link removed]] for previous stadium proposals that required billions in state funding.

Anthony Hamilton ⬆ The father of Lewis Hamilton is set to receive an official role with the FIA [[link removed]], Formula One’s governing body, following his work as an advisor for driver development president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, according to The Times of India. The news comes soon after reports that Carlos Sainz Sr., father of Carlos Sainz Jr., whom Hamilton replaced at Ferrari this year, is considering running against Ben Sulayem [[link removed]] for the presidency.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS HONORS

Nominate Your College Athletic Department

The Most Innovative College Athletic Departments Award [[link removed]] will recognize collegiate athletic departments addressing the specific challenges of scholastic sports in the modern age.

They’re the departments setting the bar for the collegiate sports sector using unique, holistic, and empowering programs to help college athletes navigate an era of accelerating change so these up-and-comers can enjoy lasting success—physically, mentally, and monetarily.

Most Innovative College nominees will be evaluated based on training facilities, fan experiences, data and analytics, athlete resources, and more.

Think your athletic department deserves to be recognized? Nominate it now [[link removed]] before prices increase on May 26.

Conversation Starters Lines started forming outside Dodger Stadium for Shohei Ohtani’s bobblehead night four hours before first pitch on Thursday. Check it out [[link removed]]. According to TickPick, three of the four most-expensive NFL games this upcoming season involve the Cowboys. Here are the top 10 [[link removed]]. Watch the moment [[link removed]] when the Warriors players, including Steph Curry and Draymond Green, learned of the Luka Dončić trade to the Lakers. Editors’ Picks Wizards Owner Ted Leonsis: ‘We Weren’t Tanking, We Were Developing Players’ [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]Washington’s draft history under Leonsis has been questionable. Will the House v. NCAA Settlement Actually End ‘Pay-for-Play’ NIL Deals? [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Industry experts are skeptical the clearinghouse will be successful. 20 Draft Picks Made WNBA Rosters, Highest Number in Years [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Only 13 draftees made the cut last season. Dick’s Buys Fallen Sneaker Giant With $2.5B Foot Locker Deal [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]The merger brings together two iconic names in sportswear retail. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Colin Salao [[link removed]], Alex Schiffer [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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