The Spurs Coyote raises its paws on the basketball court to get the crowd hyped.
The kickoff event at Idle Beer Hall & Brewery Saturday will feature the Spurs Coyote and “special guests.” Credit: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Spurs

Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) officials weren’t kidding when they told City Council last month that the NBA franchise would launch a full-scale campaign to build support for a new downtown arena.

That campaign to get folks to vote in favor of a new, $1.3 facility for the Spurs will kick off this Saturday at Idle Beer Hall & Brewery, 414 Brooklyn Ave., according to an ad obtained by the Current.

According to the campaign paid for by San Antonio Spurs LLC, a rally dubbed the “WinTogether Campaign Kick Off” will feature the Spurs Coyote Hype Squad and “special guests.” The rally will encourage local residents to vote in favor of propositions A and B on the November ballot.

Prop A will ask Bexar County voters whether to fund $191.8 million in upgrades and expansions to county facilities at the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum. Meanwhile, Prop B will ask voters whether they want to raise the county’s visitor tax to 2% so it can fund $311 million of the arena’s total price tag.

The city’s $489 million contribution to the Spurs’ proposed downtown facility also is tied to Prop. B passing in November.

City Council, on a 7-4 vote, passed a term sheet with SS&E agreeing to that $489 million deal. However, if voters reject the county’s share of the arena cost in November, then the city term sheet is null, paving the way for new negotiations with the team.

The campaign kickoff rally’s unveiling comes a day after labor unions, community organizers and activists held a Labor Day rally at City Hall to call for community benefits from the Spurs in exchange for public money going to pay for a new arena.

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This article appears in Aug 21 – Sep 2, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...