[vision-master]

I say no way....

Those wealthy team owners can fund their own dang Stadiums.

[DomusAlbion]

Agreed! The public gets fleeced completely by these schemes. First it raises local taxes then the poor schmuck wanting to enjoy a game gets hammered by the gate and the refreshments vendors.

Not worth it anymore!

Maybe the coming Greater Depression will bring back players that will work for a reasonable salary, then tickets can be priced in an affordable range.

[dinopello]

I have great memories of going to see the local minor league team with my dad (Tidewater Tides). Like everything, professional sports enterpises (including stadiums, payrolls, egos etc) have just become scaled too large physically and financially. Sports will be around as long as humans I think, but eventually, like everything it will collapse back to more local.

[ColossalContrarian]

Yeah, we have this Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver when everyone thinks it should be called Mile High w/ out the Invesco part. Supposedly this is somehow good for the tax payer though. I'm not sure why?

[Ferretlover]

No way! In a few years, how are people going to be able to afford the tickets, money for lodging, fuel costs, etc., to get to a game that is not in their city? They won't and there are not enough zillionaires to go to the games.
Those totally out-of-bound players' salaries can just be paid from the owners' treasuries.

[Windmills]

The city of Glendale, Arizona, has been dealing with a stadium financing scam for a while now. A city official recently admitted that stadiums are not a money-making investment for cities. He said they should still be seen as having other beneficial effects, such as raising the profile of the area. I'd rather that profile raising be done strictly with private money. This type of corporate welfare for the rich makes me sick. Bunch of hypocritical closet socialists. Socialized risks and privatized profits, indeed.

[Nefarious]

Yeah it's all a scam! Just like in my town,they wanted the city to help cough up the funds to build a new shopping mall complex. The Contracting company said the city should help pay because it would generate new sales tax income. That won't generate new sales taxes, it just moves Billybob's spending 20 dollars from one part of town to the other. It's going to be the same tax income.
I can't remember if the council voted for it or not, probably did those dumbarses. They are politicians after all.

[Cog]

If you elected people who want to use taxpayer's dollars to finance new stadiums and then find you don't like the outcome, then who is to blame but the people who elected them? Bitching about it and not voting them out is simply on you.

[vision-master]

Cog, those Rethugs like the idea of government tax payer backed Stadium bills.

Why is taht?

[Ferretlover]

who is to blame but the people who elected them? Bitching about it and not voting them out is simply on you.

A stadium is not (currently) on the agenda for the city in which I live. However, as a registered voter AND taxpayer, I can b**** about Any misuse of public funds. So there! Gggrrr!

[Cog]

Cog, those Rethugs like the idea of government tax payer backed Stadium bills.

Why is taht?

When the new Busch stadium was built in St Louis, you would be hard-pressed to find a more Democrat infested place on the planet. So you are generalizing as usual.

[cipi604]

How about tax payers funded tanks & ammunition.
How about tax payers funded bombers & bombs.
How about tax payers funded wars & war crimes.


Stadiums are your last thing to worry or rant about! You people in USA lost any touch with reality. It is really scary what are your priorities these days. Really really scary.

Useless thread, as usual.

[graham]

But think about all of the poor unemployed architects like me......

[ColossalContrarian]

How about tax payers funded tanks & ammunition.
How about tax payers funded bombers & bombs.
How about tax payers funded wars & war crimes.


Stadiums are your last thing to worry or rant about! You people in USA lost any touch with reality. It is really scary what are your priorities these days. Really really scary.

Useless thread, as usual.

I think this is more about corporate attitude and expectation of the people and yes I believe it is something EVERYONE should be worried about. Could you imagine a TEPCO stadium? A little bit of irony.

[Novus]

The thing that gets me angry about the stadiums is they end up getting ripped down after 20 years or so. As soon as the construction debt is paid off the stadium gets torn down so the team owners can ask for a new one. All the stadiums I remember going to as a kid have all been demolished. There was nothing wrong with these stadiums. The Roman Colosseum lasted 400 years of operational use and still remains as a tourist attraction almost 2000 years later. American stadiums barely last 20 years. Perfect example was the Seattle King Dome which was said to be designed to last 1000 years and survive an 8.0 earthquake. It lasted 22 years before it was imploded in the year 2000 by controlled demolition. We truely are the most wasteful society on Earth.

[ian807]

Makes me mad just thinking about it. Talk about misallocation of resources!