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I found an interesting article on why the approval was so smooth:
Quote:
During the first meeting, in January at the Government Center, the Panthers owner reminded city leaders he had not only provided Bank of America Stadium for the finale of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, he also assured it a larger TV audience. (Rain forced the event to be relocated to Time Warner Cable Arena.)
Richardson, who co-chaired the search that led to the hiring of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, called in a major favor from the commissioner last year. President Obama’s acceptance speech at the stadium was scheduled for the first Thursday in September, the same night the first nationally televised NFL game of the regular season would air on NBC. Pro football routinely attracts the largest TV audiences. Translation: Fewer people would see the city’s big moment on the national political stage if the broadcast went head-to-head with a prime-time football game.
Instead, the NFL moved the game back a day. Richardson explained the genesis of that move to council members in a brief monologue that, no doubt, had the intended effect.
This stadium is over 2000 years old and still in use. I'm sure it hasn't cost that much to maintain
No. At least, not exactly. There's so many holes in this I don't know where to begin.
First, a dictator with a legion of slaves tends to not have high labor cost. Yes, you've got to feed, clothe and house your slaves but I bet it's still cheap. I bet the pyramids in Egypt also didn't cost that much.
That's not the stadium it was. It was rebuilt in the late 19th century for the first modern Olympics. It was funded by a rich guy though. It would be like Bill Gates coming behind and sprucing up some other slave built facility.
The seating was originally wood. Maybe St. Paul preached there. That would be cool.
And the owner, the Greek government may not have put much in to the stadium, they haven't done a great job with the other things they built.
First, a dictator with a legion of slaves tends to not have high labor cost. Yes, you've got to feed, clothe and house your slaves but I bet it's still cheap. I bet the pyramids in Egypt also didn't cost that much..
No dictators.
The stadium is Greek. At the time the marble stadium was built, ancient Athens was a full functioning democracy. Citizens of that time had more say in the government than we do now.
In regards to the Pyramids, the current thought, because there is no archaeological evidence to support it, was that the pyramids were not built with slavery. Instead, people volunteered to work on it.
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Contrast that to today. Property taxation is the modern form of indentured servitude. Government encumbers your property with taxes so they can give money to the wealthy. If you refuse to pay, they take your home and throw you out onto the street.
I know that the money the city has given up to the Panthers and the team’s incredibly wealthy stakeholders is a bitter pill to swallow. I feel that just like everyone else. However, when I was thinking about this, I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like for Charlotte to actually lose its major NFL team. This is a city that rose quickly, and the stadium/team is a testament to its growth and prominence. It would be incredibly difficult for the region’s morale to lose such a major emblem of its identity, particularly as we are still climbing out of a challenging post-recession period. As unsavory as these tax-payer funded dealings feel, I think it might be a necessary evil when we consider the big picture, right?
I know that the money the city has given up to the Panthers and the team’s incredibly wealthy stakeholders is a bitter pill to swallow. I feel that just like everyone else. However, when I was thinking about this, I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like for Charlotte to actually lose its major NFL team. This is a city that rose quickly, and the stadium/team is a testament to its growth and prominence. It would be incredibly difficult for the region’s morale to lose such a major emblem of its identity, particularly as we are still climbing out of a challenging post-recession period. As unsavory as these tax-payer funded dealings feel, I think it might be a necessary evil when we consider the big picture, right?
I agree with you wholeheartedly!
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