It’s not stealing if they beg you to take it. These corporations are making the right financial decision for them. I’ll never fault anybody for making the right decision for them. The layers of government shouldn’t be making these offers, dozens of studies have been done showing they ALWAYS lose on these deals (not just the sports deals, all the “lure” deals), and yet they keep making them. If the governments would make the right decisions for them the offers wouldn’t exist, they don’t, so then the corporations get to make the right decisions for them, which is take the deal. If somebody offers to pay for you to have a new house built, you spec it, you hire the contractors, no feature is too crazy, whatever location you want, and don’t worry about cost over runs, what should your answer be? Welcome to the world of sports, factories, retail, any other “desirable” company.
The taxpayers don’t name the offers. At best, the team owners are receiving stolen goods. At worst, it’s s extortion.