It cost the owners twice the amount expected to launch operations in the independent American Association, so the Wichita City Council is giving the Wichita Wingnuts five years to pay off a $27,500 debt.It cost the owners twice the amount expected to launch operations in the independent American Association, so the Wichita City Council is giving the Wichita Wingnuts five years to pay off a $27,500 debt.
In this Wichita Business Journal article, GM Josh Robertson laid out the team’s finances in its inaugural season: a million dollars was paid to the American Association in expansion fees, with $300,000 set aside for startup costs. Of course, that’s a little low, and we’re guessing owner Horn Chen should have known better, as he’s launched more than one independent franchise in recent years.
So some bills went unpaid, including the rent of $27,500 for Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. (Losing almost $60,000 on the National Baseball Congress didn’t help, either.) And apparently the city isn’t the only entity owed money by the Wingnuts, even after the team arranged a $200,000 line of credit.