Posted on 10/22/2022 9:31:47 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
With news today of the Tennessee Titans nearing a deal to build a $2.2 billion domed stadium, there are now two examples of NFL franchises securing hefty subsidies from state government as well as local taxpayers to build new football palaces. That prompts a logical question about the Carolina Panthers’ ongoing deliberations on a large-scale renovation or replacement of Bank of America Stadium: Will David Tepper’s team seek similar state funding — and would lawmakers be open to the idea?
“I do think Nashville is something we are going to see a lot of cities try,” J.C. Bradbury, a sports economist at Kennesaw State University, told CBJ. “Simply, when you look at the cycle of how stadiums tend to be rebuilt — teams like to replace stadiums after about 30 years, and there are going to be a lot more of these.”
Earlier this year, the state of New York committed $600 million to help pay for a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills. Including $250 million from local government, taxpayers will pay more than half the tab of $1.4 billion.
Bank of America Stadium opened in 1996. Construction costs were $248 million, or $469 million adjusted for inflation. The stadium was privately financed, with the largest source of funding generated by one-time season-ticket fees paid by fans. The only public money was a combined $60 million — $113.5 million today — from state and local government for site improvements and related infrastructure.
Tepper Sports & Entertainment, the Tepper entity that owns the NFL Panthers and Major League Soccer team Charlotte FC, also owns BofA Stadium. Tepper paid a then-record $2.275 billion in 2018 for the Panthers and the stadium. In 2019, he paid a record MLS entry fee of $325 million for Charlotte FC.
(Excerpt) Read more at bizjournals.com ...
The issue I see is that everyone wants domes so they can host the super bowl (and monster truck rallies or whatever but mostly the SUPER BOWL!) However if every team has a dome and the NFL is equitable and doesn’t just say ‘f-you, cleveland. we are going with New Orleans, Vegas, and Dallas every year’ then you get one super bowl every 32 years. The economics of it seem off.
Jacksonville will be next, the team is conducting a survey on what to do with the existing stadium.
Since the Stadium is owned by the city and team wants an upgrade, it will get done, the question is how it will get paid for.
The team will pay a portion, but the city will pay a major portion of the upgrade.
Tax payer funded football stadiums are pure Bread & Circuses. At least the Romans got free admission to attend events at the Colisuem or Circus Maximus.
Be careful who you elect. And recall them all if you can.
LA, New Orleans, Dallas, Miami and Vegas. There you have it. You have a permanent rotation there. Every 6th year, it should be when the team builds their domed stadium, they get to host it once. Indy and Detroit. But that's it. No repeats.
Tennessee Republicans are Business First Chamber of Commerce cronies from Bill Lee on down and so the Titans get the $$$$.
I bet they were more entertaining. But did they have beer?
Where would Buffalo go?
Where would any of them go at this point?
There are only so many cities/states that can accommodate pro teams of any type. There has to be a fan base.
They tried to have hockey in Atlanta twice. Didn’t work. Why? Folks in Atlanta aren’t down with the NHL and the costs associated with seeing a game.
The midwest isn’t all that NFL friendly as college football rules the day.
Sadly, the taxpayers will have no say in anything as the politicians are bought and paid for and DO NOT care one bit. It’s the same as any other big money development that is approved without any taxpayer input. We the politicians just made all of you this gigantic sh*t sandwich and you all have to eat it, while we get to watch the games from the owners box. Oh yeah....think of all the jobs...what a scam all that crap is, too.
St. Louis. San Antonio. Salt Lake City.
Dark horse? London, UK.
The Roman promoters really did things right
They needed a show that would clearly excite
The attendance was sparse so they put on a fight
Threw the Christians to the lions, sold out every night
Give the people what they want
You gotta give the people what they want
The more they get, the more they need
And every time they get harder and harder to please
-The Kinks
Virginia is waiting until the NFL forces Synder to sell the team.
My advice to Synder? Ask MGM if they'll partner and build the new stadium in National Harbor, MD. But I think Synder's reputation is at the point where even the Casinos will refuse to work with him.
My 2cents
Texas already has two teams. If it was viable for it to have a third, it would.
Salt Lake City....I don’t see the Mormons or liberal Californians that are moving there, supporting an team. Especially when they have BYU, Utah and Utah State.
St Louis...hmmmmmm....maybe...possibly...a stretch
London...no way. Travel is too much. How many home games does the University of Hawaii have? But the Brits do tend to fill that stadium every time the NFL shows up. But that might just be the novelty of the spectacle. Soccer still reins and they still play rugby and cricket.
And on a side note. All championships should be played in Vegas. A lot of cities are no longer too eager to submit bids for events, as it costs a whole lot of money in all that overtime, etc. Vegas is designed for all of that.
Believe it or not Governor Lee of Tennessee is eyeing a 2024 presidential run.
The Alamogordo Nukes?...
There were rumblings they could more to Toronto, as a large part of the Bills fanbase actually live in Ontario, but that would obviously destroy the CFL.
Unaware of that. A friend of mine and her family are legit Bills Mafia, they would not be happy.
But, at the end of the day, if any of this were put to the taxpayers and they approved it, legit approved it-not 51/49, then it’s on them. I’d say it would have to be approved by at least 2/3. No more backroom deals between the politicians and owners and then some big announcement how the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for something they know nothing about.
I recall hearing , that with new stadiums being built , the personal seat licenses that most teams charge, in addition to season ticket costs, were to provide a fund to build the stadium.
Do they not use the personal seat license money to build the stadium? I have not kept up with the mechanics of how stadiums get paid for. But I agree with everyone here who says that Stadiums should not be publicly funded.
I also question how is it, that various teams with a stadium that’s only about 20 years old , are suddenly saying that the stadium is too old and obsolete, and now they need a new one.
The Panthers stadium appears to be well maintained. And it's in a good location (downtown Charlotte). But there are two things that work against the stadium.
#1 - no dome therefore it cannot host a Super Bowl (and other events like March Madness)
#2 - no parking spaces controlled by the team - revenues
I remember Super Bowls being played in Detroit and Minnesota. I also note that the NFL has not been back to those locations either. No one but the respective fans of the participants wants to attend a Super Bowl in the north. Charlotte would be borderline. The one year Jacksonville hosted it was ridiculed as a one-horse town unsuited for hosting such a world-level event. Dallas (Jerry World) and LA have set new standards for stadiums. Everyone see wants to keep up.
Lived in Atlanta in the late 70s and there was Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and The Omni. The Braves are on their third stadium since then, The Omni is long long gone, the Georgia Dome came and went and now there is the Mercedes-Benz Dome. In less than fifty years...
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