Less than two miles from the Capitol building sits the brand new Audi Field. Home of the D.C. United soccer team, the new stadium hosted its first match on July 14, 2018, and gave D.C. taxpayers a first look at their $150 million “investment.”
Audi Field officially won the title of “largest stadium subsidy in MLS history” after the D.C. city council voted 12-0 for the stadium in 2014. The team achieved this despite owners Jason Levien, Erick Thohir, and soon-to-be majority owner Patrick Soon-Shiong pegging their net worth in the billions. Soon-Shiong himself is worth almost $8 billion, and will become the wealthiest owner in the league.
The ownership group’s $250 million contribution to the project, combined with the $150 million it received from taxpayers, makes it the most expensive soccer stadium in American history, as well. This raises the question of why local taxpayers had to fork over $150 million to build a stadium that would represent a small percentage of D.C. United’s billionaire ownership’s wealth.
The Washington Examiner
by Curtis Kalin & Adam Kazda | July 22, 2018 12:00 AM