I’m not obsessing about anything. We are talking at cross purposes here. I suppose it’s true, the deals the pro teams make are good fir their businesses. But it’s crony capitalism. The taxpayer gets hosed every time. The city of St Louis threw A LOT more money at Georgia Frontiere than they did at Stan Kronke. It’s a myth that cities benefit from having an NFL team.
“If they city had kept their half the bargain the Rams would still be in St Louis.”
Maybe, maybe not. They may have found another way to wiggle out. He wanted OUT of St Louis. He had no desire to stay. Kronke is a developer and he’s developing the land in Inglewood in ways he NEVER would have be able to in St Louis.
Sure it’s crony capitalism. That’s life in the big leagues. Happens with all the big businesses. I never said cities benefit from NFL teams. Or most of these deals. If you look at what happens down stream on these things the city almost always comes out behind. But the elected officials get the bragging rights which gets them re-elected.
I remember when the Tucson city council threw all kinds of benefits at MS to put a support center here. They wanted the “prestige” of a “major” MS business in the area, with all kinds of “once they’re here maybe this that or the other thing will happen”. Well what happened was 6 months later MS sold their entire support business to another company. And none of the pipe dreams of the city council came to pass.
He didn’t want to stay but they opened the door for him. Gave him the easy excuse. And showed they weren’t willing to work with him. Maybe if they’d have started working on a refurbishing deal they’d have showed a willingness to develop that would have been a good deal to him. Maybe he would have been able to do in St Louis what he’s done in Inglewood. But I don’t think they understood it’s business. So they lost.