View the original article to see embedded media.
The Spurs occupy a relatively small media market, with San Antonio (No. 37 in the nation) ranking as the 26th-biggest among NBA franchises. The franchise seeks to expand its reach with inroads into the ever-growing city of Austin to the northeast, as well as Mexico City and Monterrey south of the U.S. border. That push has some local officials concerned about the franchise’s long term dedication to San Antonio and Bexar County, however.
Per The Athletic, the Bexar County Commissioners Court voted 3–2 to allow the Spurs to play four home games away from the AT&T Center in 2022–23. The standing agreement with the county allows for two such games each year, and the franchise is bound to the arena through 2032.
The Spurs sought the arrangement in order to play home games in Mexico City and Austin next season, along with a home game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game at the Alamo Dome will be held in celebration of the franchise’s 50th anniversary and the 1999 NBA title, which was won at the team’s former arena.
The league is targeting for the Spurs to play their first game as a home team in Mexico City in December, per the report.
“From day one, we’ve received amazing support from Spurs fans in San Antonio and across South and Central Texas,” team CEO RC Buford said in a statement Tuesday. “We are committed to finding new, creative ways to purposefully engage and celebrate our fans from Mexico to Austin, continuing to expand our regional fanbase. We believe San Antonio is uniquely positioned from a cultural, geographic and economic standpoint to serve as the anchor for this region. San Antonio has been home for five decades and the organization will continue to innovate, positioning the Spurs to thrive in San Antonio for the next 50 years.”
The franchise risked triggering a $130 million penalty by violating non-relocation terms of the contract with Bexar County. The team’s chief legal counsel Bobby Perez doubled down, saying that “Our commitment is we are staying in San Antonio.”
The flirtation with Austin, one of the country’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas, still has some concerned, as evidenced by the narrow split vote. County Judge Nelson W. Wolff called the 3–2 vote “not a good sign.”
“It shows you that there’s a divided opinion in this community as to the intention of the Spurs and there’s a lot of concern about just what the heck you’re doing,” Wolff said.
The county court will have another meeting with the Spurs about the request, and the franchise’s long-term plans for the region, on May 17, and Wolff wants to hear from team managing partner Peter J. Holt, who took control of the franchise from his parents last June.
“It’d be nice to get a statement from him,” Wolff said.
