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NFL teams have upper hand in stadium negotiations
Buffalo News ^ | 07/28/2014 | Tom Precious

Posted on 07/30/2014 4:40:09 PM PDT by Kid Shelleen

The trend of professional sports team owners holding the upper hand over state and local politicians with new stadium construction demands is a long one, stretching across all sports in large, medium and small markets.

And the power comes from one handy threat almost all team owners pull out: We will simply move.

It’s a story line seen from Baltimore to Minneapolis to Jacksonville.

(Excerpt) Read more at bills.buffalonews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
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It’s not enough to gouge the public for new stadiums, now the owners are squeezing us for stadium upgrades. No wonder the NFL is so politically correct.

"over a billion dollars being spent will go towards improving Wi-Fi, new scoreboards and new concessions stands around the league."
Stadium upgrades latest trend for NFL teams
1 posted on 07/30/2014 4:40:09 PM PDT by Kid Shelleen
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To: Kid Shelleen

I have been a HUGE pro football fan since the 50s. All of these cities should tell the NFL just where they can shove their stadiums.


2 posted on 07/30/2014 4:43:03 PM PDT by RIghtwardHo
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To: Kid Shelleen

NOTHING stirs the heart of a local politician like the computer simulated view of the playing field from his comp tix in the new stadium luxury box.


3 posted on 07/30/2014 4:43:38 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: Kid Shelleen

Wi-Fi???????????????????????

Why?

I thought the game was the thing.

.


4 posted on 07/30/2014 4:46:17 PM PDT by Mears (thanks !)
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To: Kid Shelleen
The most profitable thing to happen to the NFL has been to not have a team in Los Angeles. Now ever time a stadium starts looking a little grungy, the owners threaten to move to Los Angeles unless the taxpayers are turned upside down and their wallets are shaken loose of a billion dollars for a new stadium. If there was a team in Los Angeles, the threat to move a team to Portland, Oregon just wouldn't instill fear in the hearts of city councilmen as the threat of the LA Bengals, LA Vikings, LA Bills, etc. etc.

For a billion dollar stadium project, the team gets the equivalent of a $4.16 million dollar subsidy for every single home game for thirty years.

5 posted on 07/30/2014 4:50:22 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (The IRS: either criminally irresponsible in backup procedures or criminally responsible of coverup.)
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To: KarlInOhio

Public funding of stadiums is STUPID


6 posted on 07/30/2014 4:53:08 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: nascarnation

and they will fund a “study” that will show the city becomes an economic nirvana with a new stadium. Studies show what the funders want it to show, of course.


7 posted on 07/30/2014 4:54:03 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: KarlInOhio

That LA ploy certainly worked for the Irsays in Indianapolis.
$725 million from the taxpayers AND they get the money from all the non-NFL events held in the stadium like concerts and conventions.

Absolutely ridiculous due to crony capitalist Democrat mayor Bart Peterson.


8 posted on 07/30/2014 4:54:32 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: GeronL

And surprisingly (!) the study itself is usually performed by some crony capitalist affiliate.


9 posted on 07/30/2014 4:55:32 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: nascarnation

Yep and it probably cost a half million to a million for the study


10 posted on 07/30/2014 5:01:30 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: GeronL

AGREE. There is no GOOD reason for tax supported sports.


11 posted on 07/30/2014 5:09:44 PM PDT by hoosierham (Freedom isn't free)
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To: nascarnation

That’s why new stadiums are getting solar panels and wind turbines.


12 posted on 07/30/2014 5:14:36 PM PDT by Kid Shelleen (Beat your plowshares into swords. Let the weak say I am strong)
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To: Kid Shelleen
We're even doing it with our race track, LOL


13 posted on 07/30/2014 5:16:28 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: Kid Shelleen

Soccer is socialist. Oops, never mind, wrong thread.


14 posted on 07/30/2014 5:25:39 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Kid Shelleen

As long as the majority of football fans are apolitical selfish, overgrown children (think of a 40 year old wearing a jersey of a 25 year old while checking his fantasy football stats), this will continue. The NFL is swimming in cash, but they can’t pony up for their own the “necessities” of a modern stadium.


15 posted on 07/30/2014 5:30:06 PM PDT by JacksonCalhoun
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To: RIghtwardHo

I am a Green Bay Packer shareholder, they can not move


16 posted on 07/30/2014 5:41:25 PM PDT by UB355 (Slower traffic keep right)
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To: JacksonCalhoun

I know plenty of those overgrown children. They are addicted it seems to the phony religion of sports and can’t seem to pare it down any. Sports first and anything else is second.


17 posted on 07/30/2014 5:54:12 PM PDT by wally_bert (There are no winners in a game of losers. I'm Tommy Joyce, welcome to the Oriental Lounge.q)
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To: nascarnation

Here’s the deal with the crony capitalist government funded projects. It’s true whether you are talking about Lucas Oil Stadium, the Carmel Center for Performing Arts (Palladium) or public transit.

1. The capital costs of the brick and mortar is projected to be $X.

2. The actual costs of building same wind up being least $2-3X. And the promoter of the project knows this.

3. The revenue projected to be generated by the project is $X (so the project is supposed to fund itself).

4. The actual revenue projections are wildly inflated. For example, Carmel’s Palladium had a business plan to pay for itself with four sold out performances per week every week of the year. That has never happened, it’s never going to happen, and the promoters fully know this. The real revenue is some fraction of $X.

5. The business plan to sell it to the government NEVER takes into account operating costs to keep the lights on and the staff paid. It’s only bricks and mortar capital costs.

6. Once the public facility is built and commences operations, it’s suddenly “news” that the revenue isn’t paying for the project. The operators go to the public fiscal body and expect them to make good the inevitable shortfall. That has to come out of the current budget every year, or be the subject of an additional bond issuance. Either way, it is not backed by the revenue from the facility, but instead from general property tax or local income tax funds. Of course this leaves less money for real civic services like police, fire, roads and parks.

7. Once the fiscal body agrees to make good the shortfall, it is forever on the hook to continue the subsidy. And once that happens, any incentive for efficient operation as a business model is gone. Why look to contain costs when the local potentates have undertaken the policy of writing a blank check every year?

8. The private operator, event manager or sports team owner forever guzzles at the government money trough, until such time as they grow tired of same and seek a new playground. Then the process is repeated.


18 posted on 07/30/2014 5:59:48 PM PDT by henkster (Do I really need a sarc tag?)
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To: RIghtwardHo
All of these cities should tell the NFL just where they can shove their stadiums.

Houston and Cleveland did just that. They ended up shelling out four or five times what they would have spent to keep the original franchises in getting the NFL to return.

19 posted on 07/30/2014 6:13:50 PM PDT by Tonytitan
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To: Kid Shelleen

The latest here in Vikingland is that after extorting a billion dollars out of taxpayers to build a new palace for Zygi Wilf, the Audobon Society is angry because they are afraid birds will fly into the glass windows and kill themselves.

I’m assuming any bird that flies into downtown Minneapolis in December is really, really lost.


20 posted on 07/30/2014 6:17:07 PM PDT by Colonel_Flagg ("Compromise" means you've already decided you lost.)
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