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San Antonio's mayor is using **$3.8 million** in MLS bid costs as leverage in NBA arena talks, complicating Spurs' **$500 million** renovation ask.
2018
MLS application that San Antonio submitted alongside Spurs Sports…
June 2018
when the league awarded expansion slots to Nashville and…
$150 million
downtown stadium near the Alamodome
$3.8 million
on stadium design
San Antonio Mayor Ron Jones publicly stated the city expects financial compensation from the Spurs organization following the collapse of the city's Major League Soccer expansion bid. The statement, issued without specific dollar figures, references city expenditures tied to the failed 2018 MLS application that San Antonio submitted alongside Spurs Sports & Entertainment as the anchor franchise partner.
The MLS bid collapsed in June 2018 when the league awarded expansion slots to Nashville and Cincinnati instead. San Antonio had committed to building a $150 million downtown stadium near the Alamodome, with the Spurs group handling franchise operations. The city spent roughly $3.8 million on stadium design, legal work, and lobbying before the bid died. Those costs were never publicly reconciled with Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA team and at the time controlled the USL Championship's San Antonio FC.
The timing matters because the Spurs and Bexar County are six months into negotiations over a $500 million arena renovation for the AT&T Center, which opened in 2002 and needs HVAC, concourse, and luxury suite upgrades to remain competitive with newer NBA buildings. The county owns the arena; the Spurs hold the lease through 2032. Mayor Jones sits on the county's facility oversight board, giving him leverage in those discussions. His statement suggests the city views the MLS expenses as an outstanding liability that should offset any new public contribution to the arena project.
Spurs Sports & Entertainment has not commented. The organization sold San Antonio FC to an independent ownership group in 2020, removing its direct soccer footprint. The sale price was not disclosed, but USL Championship franchises at the time traded between $8 million and $15 million. If the city believes the Spurs group profited from municipal support of the MLS bid before exiting soccer entirely, Jones's statement is the first public indication that claim will carry into arena talks.
MLS expansion remains an open question in Texas. The league awarded Austin FC a slot in 2019 for $200 million, and Commissioner Don Garber has signaled interest in reaching 32 teams by 2027. San Antonio's metro population of 2.6 million still fits the league's target profile, but any renewed bid would require a new ownership structure. The city is not pursuing one.
Watch for Bexar County's next public meeting on the AT&T Center renovation, likely in March. If the Spurs request public financing above $150 million, the MLS debt becomes a negotiating wedge. Also watch whether Jones specifies the $3.8 million figure publicly or inflates it to include opportunity costs. The county can approve arena funding without city council votes, but Jones's board seat gives him procedural veto power on any deal requiring tax-increment financing.
The Spurs declined MLS. The city paid consultants anyway. Now the bill is public.
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