Every Mayor in America Should Look at What Just Happened in St. Louis

[Algernon Moncrieff]

Link to article at Mother Jones

On Tuesday, the league's owners voted to let the St. Louis Rams move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season and to build what's supposed to be the NFL's biggest stadium on the site of a one-time racetrack. (The NFL also gave the San Diego Chargers a year to decide whether to join the Rams or work out a new stadium deal, and promised $100 million to the Chargers and Oakland Raiders if they stay put in their respective markets.) Los Angeles officials already have lauded the Rams' homecoming as an economic boost to the region; the state-of-the-art stadium in Inglewood, expected to open in 2019, could cost upwards of $3 billion, with the Rams likely playing in the Coliseum until then.

Meanwhile, the city and county of St. Louis will still pay at least $6 million apiece per year until 2021 to pay off bonds sold to construct and maintain the Edward Jones Dome, which opened in 1995. (The Rams paid a meager $500,000 per year to use the dome.) And then there's the more than $3 million in public funds used to develop a $1 billion riverfront stadium proposal to keep the Rams—a pitch NFL Commissioner Roger Gooddell knocked as "inadequate" and "unsatisfactory."

[Warpy]

1. This is news? This isn't the first time it's happened

with a wealthier market taking on more debt to build a bigger, glitzier stadium with even more high priced sky boxes.

It's a complete racket. It's time for a rebellion among host cities.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

2. It is inasmuch as St. Louis lost their team and is left holding the bag for a 20 year old stadium

[tazkcmo]

3. They lost their team twice.

And I'm sure they'll jump at a chance to lose one a third time.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

4. They will now be a "move bait" town

...so now cities like Jacksonville will be threatened with losing their team to St. Louis if the city won't meet demands.

[tazkcmo]

5. Sure they will.

And the folks that live there will be all for it. If they're not, they have ways of making their displeasure known but I doubt it'll happen.

[yuiyoshida]

6. Sure Glad the Raiders are

staying In Oakland!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/120461246

[Truprogressive85]

7. I love sports

But these stadiums are nothing but molders day Roman coliseums

[DirtyHippyBastard]

8. This is why we can't have nice things. We are sheeple.

In America, it is sport that is the opiate of the masses. Russell Baker