Is Houston Sports Authority playing with your money at Astros games?

(8/27/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- On a day when the Astros made big changes in their clubhouse, the 13 Undercover unit show you what's happening in an expensive suite at Minute Maid Park. A suite you paid for. This is just the first inning of our investigation of the Houston Sports Authority.

Next time you're at an Astros game, look above center field and you may see how your tax money is being spent or wasted.

Sports are games of numbers full of six point touchdowns, three point plays or a record hit. Here's another number, a billion dollars. That's what Houston area taxpayers agreed to spend to finance the building of new stadiums by creating a sports authority. Now we've got Reliant Stadium and Toyota Center.

Minute Maid came first at a cost more than $200 million, but the sports authority doesn't have their office there or in the conference center next door. Instead they pay rent in a downtown office building. It cost them $75,000 dollars this year alone.

You know what your tax dollars did pay for? They paid for a place for our public officials to watch baseball for free in style above Tals Hill in center field, right next to the big Coca Cola sign.

"I very seldom go there because I like baseball and I can't really enjoy baseball," said The Sports Authority outgoing board chair Billy Burge.

Because to hear Burge tell it, that center field suite has 36 lousy seats.

"It's the worst seat in the house," Burge said. "All you can do is entertain and talk because you really can't enjoy baseball."

Let's see, would you want a chance to get a seat in that private suite that you paid for? It comes complete with a hostess, a cash bar just feet from your chair. If that seat in the stadium gets uncomfortable, you could sit on the couch and watch the plasma screen TV, all for free.

The seats apparently aren't that bad.

When the Astros went to the World Series, emails we've uncovered show board members squabbled over who got to buy the suite tickets for the big games. The tickets were bought by board members at $200 a piece, much less than some fans paid, but there was no accounting of who used the suite during the World Series run and how it was used to promote Houston or the stadium.

That was the stated purpose: To promote economic development, tourism and convention business.

Apparently that also included the chance to "entertain legislators" who could vote to eliminate the sports authority.

Now look at what we've uncovered.

Emails reveal sports authority board members used tickets to entertain their families and friends with messages like, "bring your family" and "kids are absolutely fine up there."

So did some council members. We found nearly $20,000 in food bills during the 2006 season. The biggest bill was opening day when the sports authority board staff and their guests used the suite as part of their tradition. Don't you eat $440 worth of beef tenderloin when you're at the ballpark?

I asked Burge why he didn't admit on camera that this is not the authority's personal playground. This is business.

"I think to some degree that message is there," he replied.

The chairman admits as many as 25% of the suite seats may not have been used the way they should have been.

"I think the spirit of the suite and having it out there makes up for what goes between the cracks," said Burge.

What do you call it when all 36 seats go unused? These seats are worth $145.00 a piece. In less than three seasons, we've calculated the sports authority threw away more than $145,000 worth of baseball tickets. That's right, threw away.

"Do I think there needs to be changes made there," asked Steve Radack, Harris County Commissioner, Pct 3. "And the answer is absolutely."

"I didn't want to see that kind of waste," said Janis Schmees who is the Sports Authority executive director.

This year, tickets have been more often made available to nonprofit organizations recommended by sports authority board members, but it's still a who you know proposition. A soccer team got tickets. Of course one of its players was the child of former sports authority executive Oliver Luck.

"Well that's a nonprofit organization, a little league team," said Schmees.

On that night we were allowed in the sports authority suite. Some hotel officials were supposed to be there. Apparently they may have been camera shy. At the last minute, the tickets were given to kids from a charity shelter and food was donated. And Mr. Burge, they looked like they were enjoying themselves just fine.

"Hopefully as we publicize this more, and charities find out about it, well get more requests," said Schmees.

So if you're a charity, let's make sure our public officials don't let the expensive seats go to waste. Call the sports authority at 713-355-2164.

Tuesday night, a look at how taxpayers are paying for the Rockets deal.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•