Texas government corporate welfare = Austin's F1 race track

[mikeyyc]

Originally Posted by cBach

The NFL has played around 7 seasons in London now and the games are tremendously successful.

They are thinking of having the Jacksonville Jaguars play half their season in London.

If that's successful, look for Jags to permanently move to London.

Then it's expansion from there.

I think you're more likely to see a team permanently in Mexico City before London. The NFL is like the carnival that comes to town a few days a year. There's enough niche poplularity to support a few days, but not enough of a presence to actually support a franchise, never mind the five hour time change to the East coast, or eight to the West.

Premier League soccer teams tour the US each offseason too, drawing huge crowds, but I doubt there's a realistic thought that you could expand to the US, and support for that would be much higher than support for the NFL in the UK.

[Restrain]

Cities and states routinely push to get the Super Bowl to come in. After DFW did the Super Bowl at Jerryworld. They did an analysis, no uptick in sales tax revenue, hotel revenue. No economic benefit.

Conversely, Texas Motor Speedway has two Cup races a year plus Indy Car, etc. it was privately funded, dumps millions into the local economies (essentially paid for new schools in the school district, etc)

F1 is as said earlier, Bernie's plaything, primarily for Arab Sheiks. F1 has dumped race tracks for a lack of money to F1, and teams are declining.

The best thing that could happen to the Austin track is NASCAR to add it as a road course. But that won't happen for at least 5 years now.

[NickelsTX]

Originally Posted by Restrain

Cities and states routinely push to get the Super Bowl to come in. After DFW did the Super Bowl at Jerryworld. They did an analysis, no uptick in sales tax revenue, hotel revenue. No economic benefit.

That doesn't sound right. I can tell you first hand that big local events make a huge impact in the hospitality industry. Could you post a link to that analysis?

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by cBach

If that's successful, look for Jags to permanently move to London.

There are lots of issues that need to be ironed out for that to happen. Euro sports (aside from the Russian KHL) don't even have drafts, for starters.