Breaking down the economics of Green Bay hosting the NFL draft, WI legalizing weed and La Crosse Schools’ budget with Adam Hoffer
Economist Adam Hoffer stopped in the WIZM studio for La Crosse Talk to help break down the economics of the NFL draft coming to Green Bay. We also dived into the hundreds of millions of dollars Wisconsin is losing out on by not legalizing weed, and we hit on the La Crosse School District’s budget situation.
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Hoffer works in excise tax — otherwise known as sin tax, like weed, alcohol, cigarettes — for the Tax Foundation and he used to teach sports economics at UW-La Crosse. Plus, he ran for school board, so he’s got all those numbers fresh in his head.
We began there, as Hoffer breaks down the budget situation for La Crosse Schools, after voters passed a $53.5 million referendum to build a new elementary school and close three others.
After that, we spent some time on what Wisconsin is missing out on by not legalizing marijuana. In 2022, Illinois raked in $36 million in tax revenue from Wisconsin residents buying weed there.
Finally, we ended the show talking about Green Bay hosting the NFL draft, and beginning with some numbers from the state agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) saying the state will get $90 million in economic impact — $20 million of that in Green Bay — from the draft. And, we simply asked Hoffer, is that propaganda? The conclusion he gets me to though is interesting.
TOP PHOTO: FILE – An elevated overall general view is seen of Lambeau Field during an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)