Quote:
Originally Posted by burnsy
My whole thing is why do these cities pay for it? A very similar thing is going on in Buffalo with the Bills. The stadium is already in the burbs but they need to tear it down and build a new one, which they really need to be updated. But why is a gun put to the tax revenue? These owners are billionaires and the NFL certainly is not hurting for money. It’s like they hold these municipalities at ransom knowing how much the new stadium means . Legal extortion with no remorse. Of course , the idiot I am , I’ll be at the game Sunday…….. lol
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One big reason, and I can say this from experience in Los Angeles, one of the few places that has been resistant to providing public financing, is that there's a disconnect between what taxpayers want and what politicians, the media, and local tycoons want.
New stadiums are great for politicians, the media, and local tycoons. Politicians get free tickets in luxury boxes. The media get beautiful new press facilities and a team to cover (which means jobs). Local tycoons get to entertain clients in luxury seats at partial taxpayer expense (through both direct subsidy and a tax deduction). So as a result, proposed new stadiums always get massive support from politicians and local media.
Meanwhile, the public often gets ignored. The big reason why LA held the line is the public was not ignored. It became very clear on several occasions that politicians might lose elections if they voted to subsidize stadium spending. But in other cities, that hasn't happened (it kind of did in San Francisco which is why the Giants and 49ers privately financed).
