Publicly Funded Baseball Stadiums

[HammerDown]

It's a complex issue. What say ye?

 

[calsnowskier]

Essentially free market.

If Anytown is willing to pay for a team's stadium, than Big City is forced to so as well. Cities give perks to big companies to come or stay, so why not teams?

 

[Erie Warrior]

The Rangers are getting a new stadium now? Is this a fucking joke? What a huge waste of money.

 

[tducey]

No tax dollars should ever go towards a sports stadium. The money these teams make and pay their players should allow for them to pay for their own stadiums.

 

[The Derski]

The Rangers are getting a new stadium now? Is this a fucking joke? What a huge waste of money.

They made a mistake when they first built their current stadium. Fans routinely have to sit in 100+ degree temperatures with significant humidity. Should have been a retractable roof from the get-go.

 

[calsnowskier]

No tax dollars should ever go towards a sports stadium. The money these teams make and pay their players should allow for them to pay for their own stadiums.

And teachers SHOUKD make $1M per year.

"SHOULD" has very little to do with the real world.

The fact is that sports teams do quite a bit for tourism, civic pride, surrounding businesses, etc. It is in the city's best interest to keep them around or to steal a team from another area.

 

[Villain]

No tax dollars should ever go towards a sports stadium. The money these teams make and pay their players should allow for them to pay for their own stadiums.

Sources of tax revenue:

The players, team, local businesses (hotels, restaurants, etc) who benefit from the stadium, concessions bought at the stadium, property, etc etc etc.

One hand washes the other, my friend.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Publicly funded stadiums are almost always not the answer- but fans are willing to pay for them, thus there is a market. It is what it is, even if I'd never vote for a publicly funded stadium.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Publicly funded stadiums are almost always not the answer- but fans are willing to pay for them, thus there is a market. It is what it is, even if I'd never vote for a publicly funded stadium.

I don't think that you're confused or anything, probably just spoke/wrote too quickly. But I would say that it's more accurate to say "fans are willing to let government force everyone to pay for them". If it were only willing fans picking up the tab I don't think anyone would have a problem with it.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I don't think that you're confused or anything, probably just spoke/wrote too quickly. But I would say that it's more accurate to say "fans are willing to let government force everyone to pay for them". If it were only willing fans picking up the tab I don't think anyone would have a problem with it.

I'm way too lazy to look em up right now, but numerous stadia have been paid for by public money after a referendum on whether or not the city/county should do so passed.

Although I think today such referenda would be much more unlikely to pass given what's happened in recent years in some cities (*cough* Miami *cough*).

 

[The Q]

There's books out there that have looked at this issue in the past.

But those are getting a bit long in the tooth at this point. Someone needs to write a book about these new age stadiums.

 

[soxfan1468927]

And teachers SHOUKD make $1M per year.

"SHOULD" has very little to do with the real world.

The fact is that sports teams do quite a bit for tourism, civic pride, surrounding businesses, etc. It is in the city's best interest to keep them around or to steal a team from another area.

Than those businesses should pay for them.

 

[soxfan1468927]

Publicly funded stadiums are almost always not the answer- but fans are willing to pay for them, thus there is a market. It is what it is, even if I'd never vote for a publicly funded stadium.

51% of the population should never be allowed to vote to take money from the other 49%.

 

[soxfan1468927]

Essentially free market.

If Anytown is willing to pay for a team's stadium, than Big City is forced to so as well. Cities give perks to big companies to come or stay, so why not teams?

That is not free market when the money comes from tax dollars. It would be free market if the money came from businesses in the area who see the upside of having a new stadium and give the money voluntarily.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I'm way too lazy to look em up right now, but numerous stadia have been paid for by public money after a referendum on whether or not the city/county should do so passed.

Although I think today such referenda would be much more unlikely to pass given what's happened in recent years in some cities (*cough* Miami *cough*).

But all of the people that voted "no" in the referendum still had to pay even though they didn't want to, right? As long as a certain percentage voted "yes"?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

But all of the people that voted "no" in the referendum still had to pay, right? As long as a certain percentage voted "yes"?

Yes, but that isn't exactly the point. I mean, if I vote for one party and the other party wins by a slim majority do I get to live under the losing party's policies?

Also, those votes are usually to pass bonds or tax increases to pay for stadiums, not direct "should we pay for Team A's new stadium" votes.

 

[soxfan1468927]

But all of the people that voted "no" in the referendum still had to pay even though they didn't want to, right? As long as a certain percentage voted "yes"?

Ding ding ding!

 

[The Q]

Ding ding ding!

That's how all referendums work dude. Why should this one be different?

 

[soxfan1468927]

Yes, but that isn't exactly the point. I mean, if I vote for one party and the other party wins by a slim majority do I get to live under the losing party's policies?

Also, those votes are usually to pass bonds or tax increases to pay for stadiums, not direct "should we pay for Team A's new stadium" votes.

But even the winning party's policies are limited to the constitution. At least they are supposed to be. We don't live in a democracy for that exact reason, to protect the rights of the minority we live in a constitutional republic. No matter who is in power, their power is meant to be limited.

 

[soxfan1468927]

That's how all referendums work dude. Why should this one be different?

They all should work this way, I'm not saying it should be different because it's a stadium, it's just a topic that we are interested in because we enjoy sports.