California
Related: About this forumChargers Blackouts: the Ultimate Insult to San Diego Taxpayers
The owners of the San Diego Chargers occasionally like to remind us how much money they have spent hunting for a new stadium in San Diego.
As the U-T put it last Sunday, it is now well in excess of $10 million so far.
Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley has merely gotten 14 years older, and the Spanoses patience no doubt a little thinner, wrote the U-T.
Poor guys. A giant government subsidy for a local business really should be processed more quickly.
But while the teams owners, the Spanoses, might be spending a ton of money looking for a new subsidy, the family is not spending a comparatively tiny amount to avoid TV blackouts of its games.
And each time they enforce a blackout, its an insult to fans and taxpayers who are every year helping the owners generate wealth few of us can fathom.
This Sunday, we may see the second blackout of the year. As of Thursday, the Chargers were 3,000 tickets short.
If it happens, many will blame lackadaisical fans. But that isnt fair. San Diego taxpayers spend millions every year supporting the team.
The Chargers have all kinds of means at their disposal to avoid blackouts. The team chooses not to exercise them.
Lets review.
Ironically, one of the Chargers best arguments for a new stadium is how much taxpayers lose on the old one.
The amount is disputed, but weve determined that the city loses at least $12 million a year on Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers put that number much higher.
Part of that comes from the $78 million renovation of Qualcomm in 1997 that the Spanoses demanded and received.
The city is paying off that debt every year.
The deal is complicated because the debt is wrapped up in a bunch of other debt. But in 2011, the city still owed $52 million.
Its unclear what the Chargers are demanding from taxpayers now. They havent actually put a proposal in front of us for a decade.
But all signs point to them re-introducing a vision the team worked on in 2004 and 2005. In that vision, the Chargers and an investment partner would get the rights to develop the land around Qualcomm Stadium, make money and use some of that money to help build a new stadium.
The team may also suggest that the stadium have a retractable roof. This would give the city a new, enclosed arena and allow us to bulldoze the Sports Arena. Then, they would build homes or other things there, making more money and further helping balance the cost of a new stadium.
All total, the value of the assets the Chargers want from the city will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Which is why its so odd that the team would insult fans and taxpayers now with more blackouts.
. . .
http://voiceofsandiego.org/2013/12/05/chargers-blackouts-the-ultimate-insult-to-san-diego-taxpayers/
sdfernando
(4,896 posts)I was saying: Tell me when the moving trucks arrive and I'll help load them up. The Charges suck and I see no change in their mediocrity in the near future. The team is a reflection of their management. Nuf said!
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Thanks to the dead King Buss and his 20year/multi-BILLION dollar deal with Time Warner, almost ALL games are blacked out in LA (you can watch if you change to TW...there have been a couple of games shown on ABC or ESPN). They never set up arrangements with DISH and even if they play out of town, they won't even show it on NBA TV.
Fuck the Lakers!
Go Clips!
TeamPooka
(24,155 posts)Stadiums are Corporate welfare for billionaires.
LuckyLib
(6,814 posts)by its billionaire owners, the Wilfs. They threatened to leave if they didn't get what will be a billion (with a B) dollar stadium, with the Vikes getting naming, concessions, and parking. A rip-off extraordinaire!! We feel your pain!!!
Response to Addison (Original post)
LuckyLib This message was self-deleted by its author.