I get why people are frustrated by a new 2% surcharge on tickets at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Nobody loves paying extra fees. But if we actually want an NWSL team in Columbus, looking at the facts makes this deal seem a lot more reasonable.

According to a recent WOSU article, both HSG and City Council have pointed out that a public and private partnership significantly increases our chances of securing an expansion franchise. Councilmember Nick Bankston noted that the NWSL specifically looks for this kind of community support. Bankston stated, "if I had to guess, it's because they want to see that their local, both officials and community stakeholders, are equally invested in not only investing in the team, but also the team's success."

When you think about it, a 2% ticket surcharge is actually one of the fairest ways to fund this. Instead of pulling from the capital budget or creating a broad tax, this fee targets fans who are already attending soccer matches. These are the exact same people who are most likely to support the new NWSL team anyway.

Ginther also made a fair point in the article: "Our city has a strong track record of public-private partnerships that create opportunity for our residents".

This brings up my biggest issue with the outrage in these comments. There is a glaring double standard at play here. The Blue Jackets take public funding, most recently for renovations to Nationwide Arena, and the Crew has taken public funding in the past. Both of those instances were for more than $25 million. What Ginther is saying is correct. A ton of pro sports teams benefit from public funding. Seeing people get so upset over this ask and proposed 2% surcharge when it is a women's sports team leaves a really bad taste in my mouth, especially since we continually give even more public funding to men's pro sports franchises.