CHICAGO, Ill. – White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is reportedly preparing to make his pitch to the state of Illinois for a new stadium.
According to multiple reports, Reinsdorf is meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday in an attempt to secure public funding for a new stadium in Chicago’s South Loop.
This comes after a report from Crain’s Business Chicago last week that said Reinsdorf is preparing to ask lawmakers for $1 Billion in public funding.
The report in Crain’s states Reinsdorf had been in touch with lawmakers, but reports from NBC Chicago and ABC 7 both cite sources saying a meeting between the two parties is today.
Crain’s reported that Reinsdorf was preparing to ask Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other state leaders for about $1 billion in public money to build the new White Sox stadium in the South Loop.
Pritzker originally voiced his concerns regarding the new stadium on Feb. 9.
“It looks beautiful and obviously we all want our professional teams to succeed in Illinois,” Pritzker said earlier this month. “We need to be careful about how we use public dollars and a private business like a pro team, even if they are beloved by so many people, are nevertheless similar to lots of businesses in the state.”
Renderings for the new stadium were released earlier in February, too. These renderings show a wide-open ballpark with a view of the downtown skyline. The Sox iconic pinwheels are present in center field, while the scoreboard is in left field.
Behind that scoreboard, outside the stadium is an open area for fans to congregate.