Stadiums (To pay, or not to pay)

[Nitrofish]

After what happened with Bud Adams and our beloved Houston Oilers. This video hit home for me so I thought I would share it for those who have not seen it already. I kind of expected the Oilers to be mentioned to be honest. While I am, and was elated when it was announced the NFL was returning to Houston. I can't help but wonder why we allow these guys to do this to us. What are your thoughts? I even included a poll to piss off those who hate polls! Gotta admit though. I am looking forward to that Instant Replay when it is invented. lol

 

[infantrycak]

At least locally it is generally more accurate to say they are financed partially rather than paid for. The favorite repayment plans are traveller/tourist taxes and fees.

 

[paycheck71]

The leagues/team owners will have the upper hand as long as pro sports remain a major source of entertainment for Americans and as long as there is a limited number of franchises to go around, so that metro areas can be encouraged to bid against each other.

On the one hand I hated it that NRG was partially financed by the taxpayers, but on the other hand I loved it that Houston had a team again. And not much is going to change as long as the last part of that statement is winning in the minds of the voters. And it's easy to sway the average voter by just saying "Hey, it's not even your tax dollars, it's the visitors who will pay for it."

My rational mind tells me it would be much more beneficial for the community if Houston had a real public transportation system to take the load off the ridiculously wide freeways that still can't handle all the traffic, but the fan in me would probably still vote for the stadium if it meant the team could leave. Don't know the numbers but I wonder how much the tax payers are on the hook for between the three stadiums in Houston.

 

[Double Barrel]

Fair use for pro football stadiums. Waste of taxpayer money for any other sport. Yeah, I'm a little biased.

 

[Marshall]

Fair use for pro football stadiums. Waste of taxpayer money for any other sport. Yeah, I'm a little biased.

The Romans actually provided their "entertainment" through the taxes they confiscated from their Empire. I suppose we can expect no less from the revived Roman Empire. But Capitalist Owners are blind to how close they are to being bypassed.

 

[texanhead08]

I don't like it but its the way of the world, but at some point we have to realize there aren't a lot of cities without teams that are capable of supporting a team.