NY Times article about what rip-off sports stadiums are

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by texdav

By the same standards public transportation is a bigger ripe off for taxpayer nationally. But then we do not always want what is only profitable. Basically the want of big time sports by city is what drives it much like museums because people want them; plain and simple.

What bugs me about critics of public transport is they complain it doesn't sustain itself. But it helps people get around every day. And it's been shown that it attracts private investment at about six times the public investment. Yet public agencies are willing to build stadia for billionaires that sit empty most days. And often within twenty years the owners say it's obsolete and want taxpayers to build them a new one. So far the second largest city has resisted building a stadium to attract an NFL team, but I fear not for long.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by texdav

By the same standards public transportation is a bigger ripe off for taxpayer nationally. But then we do not always want what is only profitable. Basically the want of big time sports by city is what drives it much like museums because people want them; plain and simple.

No, it isn't. If public transportation were privately owned and the subway threatened to move to Los Angeles if taxpayers didn't fund new tracks every twenty years, then maybe. Or if the sports teams were publicly owned and required public investment.

As it is now, the public pays for stadiums and private owners receive the profits. I can't think of one part of the political spectrum that believes the government should be involved in redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich.

[sunsprit]

I saw this happening many years ago when growing up in San Diego, which had no "major league" pro sports teams at the time. The pro ball teams got their public funding, and within a few years, they demanded new larger facilities. Which were again publically funded.

A classic case of privatizing the profits but socializing the expenses, even upon those who would never utilize the facilities or watch the sports events. And an oft repeated story in many other cities across the nation.

One of the criteria I had for leaving my last state of residence was to find a locale where such nonsense wasn't part of the public teat.

I have no issue with those who enjoy these activities, but I think the pro sports generate enough revenue between gate admissions, sponsorships, and broadcasts to more than pay their own way as a business. And make no mistake, it's a very big business.

[BradPiff]

I don't blame the owners. All I have to do is threaten to move to a new city and I get a brand new stadium built