The NFL Is Attacking An America That Has Treated It Very Well. Time To End The Tax Breaks

Fox News ^ | 10/15/17 | Matt Gaetz

[Enlightened1]

While we glorify football players for their accomplishments on the field, they are not heroes. I recently visited with a real hero – a young Army sergeant from my congressional district who still gets body tremors when he stands. Bombs bursting in the air exploded over his unit in Afghanistan, leaving shards of metal stuck in his skull.

When I entered his room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he proudly stood at full attention, brimming with nervous energy. I had come to thank him on behalf of a grateful nation, and the sergeant was as respectful as he was inspiring in his patriotism. Although he winced with pain, he would not take the meeting lying down.

We did not discuss his injury or diagnosis. He told me how proud he was of his wife, a teacher at the local high school. And how willing he was to go back to the fight – wherever that star-spangled banner yet waves.

The teacher and the sergeant are the regular folks who make up my North Florida district, which boasts of more military bases than Starbucks, and more veterans than pelicans. These are the folks who do not understand why NFL players would disrespect our anthem or our flag or why the NFL Commissioner's office has embraced this unpatriotic conduct.

Taxpayers pay over 70 percent of the cost of stadiums. Our citizens pay more and more for tickets, and valuations of professional sports franchises have skyrocketed. Player compensation keeps growing. But the NFL Commissioner’s office can choose at any point to stop paying taxes altogether.

Our nation is increasingly diverse in thought, values, and background. Yet throughout our history, America has given proof through many nights that our flag is still here, and that freedom still reigns.

[joma89]

Billionaire nfl owners get a tax free buisness and we get to pay income taxes. Unbelievable.

JoMa

[Lexington Green]

Trump’s apology to the NFL

‘’l understand you’ve taken exception to my calling you sonsofbitches. l’m sorry. l apologize. l ask you to note that l did not call you anti-American thugs, low-life gangster wifebeaters, or pampered ignorant unpatriotic ingrates. But l did say sonsabitches. No escaping that. And for that slip of the tongue... l apologize.’’
—adapted from The Life And Times of Judge Roy Bean

[Go_Raiders]

The NFL has a corrupt Anti-Trust exemption under Federal Law that allows the following unlawful monopolistic practices:

- Price fixing on tickets, merchandise and player salaries

- Prohibiting individual teams from negotiating independent media contracts

- Prohibiting individual teams from relocating without permission of the NFL

- Conducting an arbitrary and capricious policy on player discipline

Source: http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/267970/break-nfls-corrupt-dem-monopoly-daniel-greenfield

In addition, cities and counties are given by the Federal Government the right to float tax free bonds for stadium construction, maintenance and operation, and the stadiums are then rented to the NFL team at absurdly-below-market prices. And because the NFL team is a tenant they can blackmail the city or county for yet another new stadium a few years down the road or move to another city that will fall for the same schtick. This is an ACTUAL tax SWINDLE that adds up to billions of dollars and has virtually bankrupted cities like Oakland and Saint Louis.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nfl-anthem-tax-factbox/factbox-can-trump-kill-nfl-stadium-tax-breaks-five-facts-to-consider-idUSKBN1CF2UC

Please feel free to forward this to the author as a suggested edit.

[Jim Noble]

Our nation is increasingly diverse divided by diversity in thought, values, and background.

Fixed it.

[Atticus]

I agree 100% with you point about the NFL-related tax breaks/perks and neglected infrastructure. As for schools, the problem is waste and bureaucracy, not lack of funds.

[SaveFerris]

Tes, all the extra money for the schookids goes mostly anywhere but.

Sorta like donations to The Clinton Foundation but that’s another story....

[Alberta's Child]

There is nothing unusual about the anti-trust exemption that the NFL has. It's a function of he unique nature of a sports league -- where separate companies must compete on the field but cannot compete in a business environment because the entire industry will cease to exist if they end up like (for example) an auto industry that has only 2-3 competitors left in the U.S.

It's also worth noting that the only people allegedly harmed by the monopolistic business practices you describe are NFL owners and players. NFL owners have no legal standing to challenge this because they signed away their rights to challenge them when they signed their franchise agreements. Same goes for the players when they certified the NFLPA to negotiate terms of employment for them.

[Go_Raiders]

You are wrong wrong wrong. Customers are harmed by higher prices. Taxpayers are harmed by being ripped off. Cable subscribers are harmed by being forced to pay $9 a month for ESPN whether they watch it or not. Innocent wives and girlfriends are harmed by a cult of thuggish behavior, CET and steroid abuse.

You are either trolling, or a brainwashed fan of the America-hating NFL, or both.

[Alberta's Child]

Go back and read my posting history here on FR before you accuse me of trolling about anything.

Suggesting that Federal anti-trust laws should be used to deal with the "harm" to consumers over something as useless and inconsequential as vicarious entertainment tells me that you've got a pathetic sense of misplaced priorities. How f#%&ing hard is it for people who call themselves "conservatives" to turn off the f#%&ing TV?

[chickenlips]

If I owned a shirt printing business I would be all over this. The “End Tax Breaks for the NFL” shirts would be rolling of the presses and I would sell them at cost. Ending the handouts to major league sports is long, long overdue.

[kearnyirish2]

Good point; I just have little discretionary income anyway. The NFL and their advertisers wrote people like me off a long time ago.

[mbrfl]

Time for the courts to stop imposing a minimum wage for millionaires. That’s essentially what we have. The courts ultimately decide how low the NFL can set their salary cap. Why are our laws and courts of this great country being used to protect the salaries of arrogant America hating NFL players?

[tbw2]

I agree with this. They have the right to protest, but it doesn’t mean we have to pay for it all.

[Go_Raiders]

I’m suggesting that corporate welfare for vicarious entertainment should be stopped. It wouldn’t take priority over anything, because Congress clearly isn’t doing anything this term.

Your “conservative” opinion on anything else you’ve posted previously is moot, since your priority has now apparently become defending crybaby athletes and their employers.

[Alberta's Child]

That’s fine. I’m not inclined to take someone with a screen name of “Go_Raiders” seriously anyway — especially on this subject.