Gothamist: New Sports Venues and the "Government Cookie Jar"

sonyactivision

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:19:29 -0500

These teams have become nothing but parasites. ...and that new stadium looks like shit.

takethecanoli

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:43:52 -0500

f' the franchises.

Tim N.

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:30:09 -0500

zpk... I'm a lifelong Yankee fan, I've been to a few games this year to say goodbye to the old place, and I've eyeballed the new park. And, try as I might, I just can't warm up to the place. I know it's not done, but still... just leaves me cold, like a bank.

EastRiver

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:23:32 -0500

This is part of the reason why there's no NFL team in Los Angeles, as the lack of a team in a huge metro area that should have one The other reason of course is that people in LA didn't give a damn about either the Rams or Raiders. Games never sold out and many football fans in the region actually cheered the departure of both teams because it meant instead of the local games being blacked out they got to see games from other parts of the country.

moonbeam

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:06:20 -0500

If a sports team can't bring in enough money to keep the team afloat, let them fail. It's absolutely ridiculous to use tax money for something like this.

Peter

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:05:26 -0500

Sports arena funding is the sort of issue that can only be addressed on the national level. Cities which host teams in major sports find it very difficult to resist team owners' demands for public arena funding, because the owners merely threaten to go elsewhere if they don't get the money. Seattle is about to lose the Sonics to Oklahoma City for just this reason. This is part of the reason why there's no NFL team in Los Angeles, as the lack of a team in a huge metro area that should have one gives team owners a very powerful bargaining chip. Now, if Congress passed a law absolutely banning any public support for professional sports facilities, team owners would be unable to threaten host cities, and taxpayers wouldn't be footing the bills.

jibbly

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:30:19 -0500

zpk - I actually thought it WAS a picture of a bank for a second.

burgeon

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:15:18 -0500

I say, force them to sell naming rights. I picture "Summer's Eve Stadium"

Flynncity

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:14:28 -0500

Glad to see there's at least a little outrage corporations using our money for their own personal profit.

JMH

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:58:54 -0500

Brodsky is a huge fan of closed-door Soviet-style meetings unless he's not invited, in which case he loves the opportunity to grandstand about them.

zpk

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:57:01 -0500

Is it just me, or does the new Yankee Stadium look suspiciously like a bank?