Posted on 03/24/2024 8:55:56 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
As sports stadiums built in the 1990s show their age, many professional sports teams are looking for new facilities — and public money to pay for them.
“We are just in the heating up phase of the next stadium construction wave,” said J.C. Bradbury, a Kennesaw State University economics professor who has researched the issue. “That’s part of the reason why you’re seeing a lot more stadiums happen.”
It isn’t just the Washington Commanders, who are obligated to play at FedEx Field in Landover until 2027 but are looking for a new home somewhere in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. FedEx opened in 1997.
Across the country, pro sports teams are gearing up to improve or build new stadiums and arenas. In Chicago, both the NFL’s Bears and the MLB’s White Sox are exploring moves. Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals are all working toward new or improved stadiums. So are the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers.
D.C. and Virginia are currently fighting over the Washington Capitals’ and Washington Wizards’ desire to build a new arena in Alexandria, Virginia. And Maryland and the Baltimore Orioles just inked a deal to keep the baseball team in Charm City for 30 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at marylandmatters.org ...
The issue is the way that the pro leagues are all closed shops (no promotion relegation) so the only way other cities can get a pro team is by “stealing’ and existing team, this means current teams have leverage to use against the city.
eg. in England there is no way that Liverpool FC are going to threaten to move to another city.
And people like me that probably will never set foot in the place have to foot the bill.
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What i noticed, the new stadiums are not bigger than the old ones. They are not even too much an upgrade.
They do not care about an average Joe Shmo
What they do, is putting in there million dollars suites, so the corporate honchos can entertain their customers and other VIP. They have VIP services and pay huge money for getting these services.
For our money, the honchos get their VIP treatment.
I am wondering, if in the next generation of stadiums, they will get rid of all individual seats, and all those annoying Joes, and just make stadium consisting out of corporate suites only! I am sure they would love to do it.
If building and operating a professional sports stadium or arena were profitable, the teams would insist on building it themselves.
They did that in LA and NY.
I see the Kansas City Royals are on that list. Their record last season: 56-106, last in their division again for the third or fourth year in a row and they want 2.5 billion taxpayer dollars for a new stadium. How about getting some players who are actually capable of playing major league baseball before you want money?
They're reducing the capacity from 45,000-50,000 to 35,000-40,000 and making the tickets more expensive.
What my city wanted to do is make it a dome stadium.....it’s too hot they whined.
They been playing in an open stadium in Miami and Tampa a lot longer than here and I don’t see a move there to dome the stadiums.
Our problem is we now have a little woke liberal female mayor here.
Ping.
Average Joe has to pay arm and leg! After the taxes we all have to pay!
It used to be that the tickets were affordable. I went few times to watch.
Nowadays, the prices are huge! I am better off now, so I could presumably afford them, but I will NOT!
It is an outrage!
You have to be really a fanatic or millionaire to afford them.
I am wondering, if one day people just decide to stop going to those events. Just boycott them. as I am doing for quite a while!
The NBA isn't what it used to be. The NFL is way too expensive. So I'm like you, for most part, what's the point?
For those who don’t know—an excellent web page on stadium ripoffs—all cities, all sports:
https://www.fieldofschemes.com/
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