TAMPA, Fla. — The public agency that manages Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium made an estimated $3.44 million from two Ye concerts in June, despite fierce pushback from residents, Jewish leaders and Florida politicians.

Tens of thousands crowded the stadium for the shows. Every cent they spent on food, drinks and parking — and a chunk of the money from merchandise and ticket sales — went to the Tampa Sports Authority, according to documents shared at a board meeting on Tuesday.

Some attendees were unapologetic superfans of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Others, who had reservations, wondered: Does attending a Ye show make me a bad person?

Ahead of the June 26 and June 28 concerts, a coalition including Holocaust survivors and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., urged the Sports Authority to sever its contract with Ye, who earlier this year apologized for past antisemitic comments and actions.

“Why on Earth would we use tax dollars to fund someone who has called himself a Nazi and praised Adolf Hitler?” Scott asked at a news conference at the Florida Holocaust Museum that month. “There’s countries all over the world that have banned him, and we’re going to allow him to come to our state and our city?”

But the Sports Authority said no taxpayer money would go toward the shows, and that cancellation could lead to legal troubles.

A clause in Ye’s contract said the Sports Authority could not cancel or interfere with the events “based upon artist identity, prior or past public statements, public perception, political viewpoints, or the anticipated or actual content of the performance,” as long as Ye’s concerts did not run afoul of any laws or venue rules.

More than 63,200 people attended the first show, generating a more than $2 million profit for the Sports Authority. The second night, which drew 56,391 attendees, brought in more than $1.37 million.

Sports Authority spokesperson Bobby Silvest told the Tampa Bay Times in June that the agency expected a $1 million profit per show. Raymond James has a capacity of more than 72,200 seats.

When Taylor Swift came to Tampa in 2023, each of her three sold-out shows netted a roughly $1.5 million profit for the Sports Authority. A recent three-show run of the K-pop band BTS brought in $3.3 million total.

At the board meeting on Tuesday, Tampa City Council chairperson Alan Clendenin joked about the controversy that swirled around Ye’s Tampa concerns.

“We had a Kanye West show?” he quipped. “I missed that. Didn’t get any phone calls about that.”

©2026 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.