Arizona Coyotes Arena Deal Rejected by Tempe Voters

In a surprising and resounding fashion, the city of Tempe voters has rejected approval of an Arizona Coyotes arena deal. Propositions 301, 302, and 303 failed mostly by a 56-44 percent margin. According to now inaccurate polling the yes votes were expected to carry by that much of a margin. What happened was, the Coyotes marketing to persuade voters to vote in the affirmative failed miserably. They were outspent 10-1 mostly from out of state unions who were upset that the entertainment district construction was not guaranteed to their workers. Hmm… sounds like politics at its best here. The truth is, there was an agreement that union workers would be employed, just not the unions that successfully blocked the project.

Some are now wondering why the project was even sent to a vote. The Tempe City Council wanted to be transparent in allowing the voters to decide, not have a billionaire owner shove it down their throats. But, in the end the Tempe 1st opposition group was able to convince uninformed voters that the project was all for the profit of a billionaire owner. How classic is that? Any project worth over $2 billion will have some revenue going to the funders. What is too bad is that politics played a huge role and more than likely voters were intimidated into believing it wouldn’t help their city. WRONG! DEAD WRONG! It would have provided thousands of jobs and whatever funds the city would have contributed for infrastructure would have been a wise investment.

32 Thoughts news pod — Arizona reaction, GM/coach opening updates. Great answers to terrible questions directed at Comcast Spectacor Chairman & CEO Daniel Hilferty (including some strong job-interview advice). Links to your preferred platform, here: https://t.co/io7Mr1QEpm

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 17, 2023

With the Arizona Coyotes Arena Deal Dead, What Now?

That is the ever-present question after the aftermath of the deal being struck down. Many have already written off that the team will be relocating. How many times have we heard that before Coyotes fans? But, this time it could be a distinct possibility. Certainly with all the money already expended on the project, there had to be a backup plan. Even Coyotes insider Craig Morgan, doesn’t have inside information on what that plan may have been. And, you know why? The entire organization was so busy attempting to promote the project that it wasn’t even a possibility in their minds that it might fail.

What then? The hottest possibility (and it’s still early) may be to partner with new Suns’ owner Matt Isbia. While selling the team to him seems unrealistic, would the Coyotes want to go back to playing at Footprint Center? It’s not configured for NHL hockey and would take some renovation. The thing is the city of Phoenix just paid $230 million to spruce up the facility. And, seeing how Phoenix has a lawsuit against the city of Tempe trying to block the construction, and the Coyotes filed a counter-lawsuit… it doesn’t appear that is a possibility.

Would Isbia be interested in partnering with the Coyotes in an effort to build a new arena in another location? That depends on if it competes with Footprint Center for concerts and other events. It’s complicated. It seems it almost always is when you discuss where the Coyotes can strap on their skates and play hockey.

Other locations like the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is a possibility. Again, there may need to be an entertainment district involved to interest Yotes owner Alex Meruelo. Don’t forget he got into this project with the hopes of gathering gambling revenue and already has the license to do that.

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The OTHER Option…

You knew it was coming. This franchise has been through a lot, and so have its loyal fans. While it may not happen this next upcoming season but who knows… the possibility of relocation (ok, I said it) will be popping up its ugly head once again. There are already rumors of Houston, Kansas City, even Salt Lake City or Sacramento being their next home. As pressure mounts from the NHL Players Association and the other owners, how will Gary Bettman save the day again for the Coyotes? He has taken severe flak for supporting this franchise and now it seems time may be running out.

What is pitiful is that he wants to keep this market. Phoenix is the fifth largest city in population and a top-10 TV market. Losing it would be a crying shame. He knows that, and we should know more in the coming weeks about where this whole fiasco is headed.

For hockey fans and writers (like me) who have followed this team all these years, it’s more than an emotional time. An era may be coming to an end. No hockey in Phoenix could be a reality. Let it settle in. There’s still hope for a solution, so don’t listen to all the crazy relocation rumors. The FAT LADY may be tuning up her voice, but she hasn’t started to sing yet!