MILWAUKEE (NBC 26) — Professional baseball will be staying in Milwaukee for the next several decades.
The Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District voted 11-1 Wednesday to approve a new lease agreement for American Family Field, allowing the Brewers to play baseball in Milwaukee through 2050.
The new lease agreement comes just over a year after Governor Tony Evers (D) signed two bipartisan bills to keep the Brewers in Wisconsin through 2050. As part of those bills, more than $500 million in public funding will be used to renovate the stadium throughout the new lease.
The stadium's original lease was set to expire in 2030.
“This is a home run, and it’s a great day to be a Wisconsinite and a Brewers fan," Evers said in a statement. "I am incredibly proud of the good, bipartisan work that has gone into getting to today to ensure future generations of Wisconsinites can grow up rooting for our home team. The Brewers have long been a critical part of our history and our heritage in Wisconsin with billions of dollars in annual economic impact and hundreds of local, family-supporting jobs. This is our crew!”
The governor's office says since American Family Field opened in 2001 — then Miller Park — the ballpark has generated $2.5 billion in total economic output for Wisconsin. In 2022, American Family Field supported 3,000 jobs, according to Evers.
