This article reminds me of a report that John Stossel did some years ago on the economics of sport stadiums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bGNIgdOLa0
Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
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Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#12Money a city gives towards a stadium should be returned in the form of shares in the team. Otherwise no deal. St. Louis should be selling their shares to LA for a profit right now...
Unlikely. There is competition from other geographic areas. If a team can simply play one venue against another they do have the upper hand unfortunately.
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#13Between the scam of municipalities losing so much $$ on stadiums, how the stadiums cause urban blight sitting empty most of the time then causing major traffic headaches the other times, and the CTE injury rate, I can't fathom how football still exists today as a popular sport. Seems like the whole thing is a house of cards that needs to collapse.
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#14"This is why no city..." "Any city" sounds more like non English grammar.
That said, I most certainly agree that cities should not be in the business of subsidizing sports teams, when those are private money making enterprises.
St. Louis should sue the NFL and all cities in the same position (potentially liable for stadium costs, if team were to leave) should hold out till the NFL guarantees debts.
Build schools, get more teachers, do something worthwhile with the tax dollars you have.
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#15John Oliver did a good piece on this as well and how crazy it is that the public pays so much for these things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcwJt4bcnXs
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#16I don't know. When cities get involved in a venture like this, it's usually because that is what their citizens want. For example, Levi Stadium in Santa Clara went before the voters, who approved it's funding model (1). On a moral level, I have a real problem with a sport that when played successfully leads to debilitating brain damage (2), but it's pretty clear I am in the minority on that.
1. Without going too far out on a tangent, there was more to the story, see here: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_20107165
2. "Stabler is the seventh former N.F.L. quarterback to be found to have had C.T.E. by Boston University, which has found C.T.E. in 90 of the 94 former N.F.L. players it has examined" http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/04/sports/football/ken-stable...
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sports are a form of entertainment....entertainment can and does drive spending.... and spending can contribute to more jobs and more tax revenue. Seems fair that sports are, in turn, a public concern. That isn't to say that building a stadium or hosting the Olympics is inherently a profitable affair.
I'd be ok with this argument only if the leagues were nationalized.
What is the need for nationalization before a city should foot the bill? This isn't to say that cities should pay for a stadium, but there are definitely dynasty franchises that are guaranteed to generate income for many years. Would I build a stadium for the Rams? Not likely. Would I build a stadium for the Patriots? Immediately.
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#18Between the scam of municipalities losing so much $$ on stadiums, how the stadiums cause urban blight sitting empty most of the time then causing major traffic headaches the other times, and the CTE injury rate, I can't fathom how football still exists today as a popular sport. Seems like the whole thing is a house of cards that needs to collapse.
I don't understand why it exists as a popular sport anyways, it's 5 seconds of action followed by 30 seconds of two guys talking about it. The average football game has 11 minutes of action[1]. Everything but the last ~8 minutes of the 4th quarter is boring. Yet Americans love it. I don't get it.
[1] http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014240527487042812045750028...
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#19Between the scam of municipalities losing so much $$ on stadiums, how the stadiums cause urban blight sitting empty most of the time then causing major traffic headaches the other times, and the CTE injury rate, I can't fathom how football still exists today as a popular sport. Seems like the whole thing is a house of cards that needs to collapse.
> I can't fathom how football still exists today as a popular sport
Your first three points make sense, but don't lead to this conclusion at all. People are not going to rationally say "football leads to traffic so I'm not going to watch it anymore." Football is entertaining, which is why it has an audience. Whether or not the negatives you outlined above are funded by the gov't is an entirely different matter.
Re: Why a city should not build a stadium for an NFL team
#20Between the scam of municipalities losing so much $$ on stadiums, how the stadiums cause urban blight sitting empty most of the time then causing major traffic headaches the other times, and the CTE injury rate, I can't fathom how football still exists today as a popular sport. Seems like the whole thing is a house of cards that needs to collapse.
I don't understand why it exists as a popular sport anyways, it's 5 seconds of action followed by 30 seconds of two guys talking about it. The average football game has 11 minutes of action[1]. Everything but the last ~8 minutes of the 4th quarter is boring. Yet Americans love it. I don't get it. [1] http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014240527487042812045750028...
There's a lot of strategy between plays. Because the action isn't continuous it has a different flavor from a continuously played game like the other football. It's sort of a hybrid between a real-time game and a turn-based game, which is cool. I think it would be much more interesting if there were more time on the field, but i'm sure the NFL and their advertising partners love all that time that can be filled up with ads.
I dislike the game because the players get horribly injured, either immediately, or decades later. The NFL is a company that makes money by encouraging degenerative brain disease in its employees.