Hello everyone,

What is your opinion on using public money/raising taxes to fund/assist in the building of new sports stadiums? The state I live in is debating on doing this for two professional sports teams. The amount of money they are talking about is in the millions. It is also somewhat implied by these teams that if they don't get new stadiums, they will leave the state.

I believe that professional sports organizations overall have a positive affect on the city/state they belong to and that a reasonable attempt should be made to entice them to stay. However, based on the state of today's current environment, I believe that no public money should be used to fund stadiums.

Health care costs are out of control, (I just had to shell out over 500 dollars because my health insurance doesn't cover anything on a new pair of glasses), Gas prices are skyrocketing with no end or solution in site. The employment situation sucks for a lot of people. (I have a friend who won't even get calls back after he applies at fast food restaurants). I have many more friends that are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to get by. There is the current illegal immigration problem. The list goes on and on.

With all that in mind, I honestly cannot at this point in time justify giving millions of dollars to millionaire owners to build a place for millionaire players to play in, despite the advantages it has to the community. I believe solving the problems in the paragraph above should be a higher priority than building a new sports stadium.

What do you think?

I think funding stadiums for these teams is ridiculous. With the billions being made by players and owners every year, they should take the pay cutt and fund the stadiums themselves.

They can afford it, they just choose not to. And cities with image problems are easy to take advantage of.


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Yeah a few years back I lived in Michigan, and we had to fund Ford Field. Thing is we spent all these milions of dollars and the Tigers stil aint worth @!#$.

I dont see why my tax dollars has to fund stadiums, then if I choose to use something I paid for, I get raped up the ass buying a ticket.




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AGuSTiN wrote:I think funding stadiums for these teams is ridiculous. With the billions being made by players and owners every year, they should take the pay cutt and fund the stadiums themselves.

They can afford it, they just choose not to. And cities with image problems are easy to take advantage of.

bingo bango jengo



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:::Creative Draft Image Manipulation Forum:::

I remember this debate back when Invesco Field was built

D.C. is doing just that for the Nationals building and paying for a nice new shiney stadium for them and the people of D.C. are paying for it. The great thing is that the Nationla attendance records are so small they may only need a little league field.




Semper Fi SAINT. May you rest in peace.

^^ Funding a baseball stadium is double stupid because baseball is boring.


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Nathaniel O'Flaherty wrote:

AGuSTiN wrote:I think funding stadiums for these teams is ridiculous. With the billions being made by players and owners every year, they should take the pay cutt and fund the stadiums themselves.

They can afford it, they just choose not to. And cities with image problems are easy to take advantage of.

bingo bango jengo

Nate...

Bingo, bango, BONGO

DAMMIT!!!


I have no problems with a team getting public assistance to build a stadium (it's a major project) as long as the city/county/state or whomever funded it gets paid back for the help with interest. Most places here, it's considered a public works project as I remember. Either way, the stadium usually gets sold off to a management company (like Ogden or Minto or somethng) for whatever the adjusted price is, and the money is back in the coffers within a few years.

Seriously, sports teams and healthcare is a state/local matter versus a national matter.



Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.

GAM (The Kilted One) wrote:

Nate...

Bingo, bango, BONGO

DAMMIT!!!

I thought exactly the same thing when I read nates post

as long as it creates an economic benefit its not bad



1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85

GAM (The Kilted One) wrote:
I have no problems with a team getting public assistance to build a stadium (it's a major project) as long as the city/county/state or whomever funded it gets paid back for the help with interest. Most places here, it's considered a public works project as I remember. Either way, the stadium usually gets sold off to a management company (like Ogden or Minto or somethng) for whatever the adjusted price is, and the money is back in the coffers within a few years.

Seriously, sports teams and healthcare is a state/local matter versus a national matter.

Maybe that's the way it is for you Canucks, but cities here get an at-best 10-30 year plan for getting their money back. Further, some cities, like Oakland, CA, were poor to begin with, poorer now AND their team is suing the city for lost revenues!

I'd like to congratulate San Diego, for not grabbin' ankles for the Charger's when their city is already in financial ruins.


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Rob S wrote:Yeah a few years back I lived in Michigan, and we had to fund Ford Field. Thing is we spent all these milions of dollars and the Tigers stil aint worth @!#$.

I dont see why my tax dollars has to fund stadiums, then if I choose to use something I paid for, I get raped up the ass buying a ticket.

Ford Field = Detroit Lions (but they aren't worth a "@!#$" either)
Comercia Park = Detroit Tigers

Rob S. Said it the absolute best.

Taxes go up to support such things as the building of a new stadium to attract tourists (bull@!#$). Then, once the new stadium is built? Your looking at spending at LEAST $150 for two people at that ballgame. And I'm not sure why. When a new stadium is built they jack up all the prices to cover the cost of the stadium, however, TAX PAYERS PAID FOR THE @!#$ STADIUM!!!!!! Why do ticket prices need to be $50 and beers $7 for tax payers who paid for the stadium? Their not getting money back on the deal?

All in all, it's asinine. We cough up money so these cry babies can have a shiney new field. This is the main reason why i do not watch professional sports... only college.




"welcome to the most expensive hobby ever..."

oh, it gets worse here...

The Seattle Supersonics (have they done ANYTHING aince 1979--except get beaten bay the Bulls back in the 90's?) threatened to leave Seattle to BELLVUE (about10 miles east--basically a large suburb of Seattle) unless they get Seattle to pay for the majority of the renovation costs to Key Arena...which as a sports arena sucks monkey spoo.

So, some of the elected city council (who, if there's a shred of intelligence among the Seattle voting populace, will be their last term) decided to channel funds AWAY from the Viaduct replacement project (since it was damaged in the Nisqually quake) to rebuilding the stadium.

If that would have gone through...WHEN the viaduct would collapse, i'd say charge all of the councilmen and the Sonics' owners with murder for everyone that would be killed.


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Happend in Milwaukee a few yrs back for Miller Park.

City governments just don't throw millions at a team because they are fans. The decision to fund a 200 million stadium is not taken lightly. They do it because they hope they get a return on the investment. A city that has a major league team is nationally known (Advertisement for people to move there). It can bring mass amounts of business into the area. It gives an area a feeling of unity. There are tons of other benifits, but I just can't think of any right now.

But the problem is "the winners curse". Basically, when a city over esimates the benifit a team will do.



Promise that forever we will never get better at growing up and learning to lie

Cleveland did this a few years ago with a county-wide tobacco/alcohol tax, combined with tax abatement for the stadium owners. The stadium is built, the team is here and so are the additional taxes.

They've also got this "ticket license", which means you have to pay for the permission to buy a ticket.

I'm against the government paying for a private enterprise, especially one that the owners are billionaires and millionaires play there.

I disagree that having a professional sports team is good for the local economy. Unless you count ticket takers, peanut vendors or other minimum wage jobs, there isn't any impact on the local economy. If you have a winning team, you may see an increase in people staying in your hotels, but those only generate more low paying jobs cleaning rooms. And people going out celebrating after a winning game is only fueling waitresses and busboys.

All this for only 8 Sunday's per year.

Meanwhile the Cleveland school system is continuing to crumble (80% of Cleveland public school graduates can't achieve C competency for college entrance), neighborhood renovation projects have halted, crime is up as is unemployment... the list goes on. We were told that having a professional football team would turn the city around. It didn't for Cleveland.






John Wilken
2002 Cavalier
2.2 Vin code 4
Auto

I remember when dey dit dat der for da Brewers, whey back in da beginnin of 2000ish. Dey only raised da taxes a fraction or so, so it was ok, cept da Brewers haven't been worth a lick since da '82 season where dey lost da world series, doncha know.

Yes, the stadium in really nice, but it was hard to justify a world class stadium like Miller Park for the Milwaukee Brewers.

On the other hand, it creates revenue for the city, jobs for locals and a good image. People like to see pretty buildings, and that is a rarity in Milwaukee. So it has its pros and cons.

Plus, da Brew Crew is commin around some and might be alright in a few, doncha know.

P.S. I just realized how easy it was for me to type up my northern talk. It scares me...




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