Nightline 11/29: Should the public pay for pro sports stadiums?

[Bozita]

Broadcast should begin at approximately 1am EST. The following is from Nightline's daily email.


If you build it, will they come?

November 29, 2004

Building new sports stadiums. Is it fair to put the burden on taxpayers?


Today's broadcast:

I'll never try to match the standard Leroy set, but here's a sense of today's broadcast, which will follow Monday night football.

There's a raging dispute about how to fund huge new sports stadiums in cities around the country. The question: should public money be used because they are an economic boom, or is this simply a taxpayer rip-off?

Arlington, Texas voted on Election Day to put more than $300 million into a new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. Tomorrow, the Washington, D.C. City Council votes on public funding for a new stadium for the city's new major league team, The Washington Nationals. San Francisco is being asked to build a new stadium for the 49ers. Correspondent Jake Tapper reports.

Our guests: Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys; Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco; and Kevin Delaney, associate professor of sociology at Temple University and author of Public Dollars, Private Stadiums

Tom Bettag & the Nightline Staff
Nightline Offices
Washington, D.C.

[rwenos]

1. No - Al Davis Poisoned the Well

When he ripped off poor old Oakland for about $180 million to remodel the Coliseum.

Let the rich bastards pay for their own stadiums. If they can't afford it, let 'em get the money from television.

[HuckleB]

2. No.

There is no justification for it whatsoever.

[brainshrub]

3. No. Unless they are willing to give free tickets to all the locals.

And half-off booze for locals during games.

That sounds equitable.

[Must_B_Free]

4. YES

every time we buy a ticket

[devilgrrl]

5. That's what I like about Los Angeles...

The 2nd largest TV market without a NFL franchise. Say what you want about decadent Los Angeles but every time some fuck-wit with pie-in-the-sky ideas about tax payers footing the bill for a new stadium - they get their asses booted. L.A. has better things to do than to pay for a piece of shit stadium/mall featuring a shitty football team.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

6. lol, best. rant. ever.

[Ima]

7. Go LA!

Why sould I pay? I don't even watch it.

[devilgrrl]

8. L.A. already has two football teams.

The USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins. Cheaper tickets, nicer crowds.

[rwenos]

9. Say It, Girl

Isn't it funny that the billionaire bullshitters who run those plans up the flagpole on the front page of the LA Times ALWAYS want public money? Like the folk OWE them a sports palace.

Great rant. From your lips to God's ears.

[Bozita]

10. For Sale: One slightly used Silverdome (less than 30 years old)

Seats over 80,000 for a football event. Hosted a Super Bowl in the late '80s.

Serious offers requested.

Contact:
City of Pontiac, Michigan

[TahitiNut]

15. Used by a team that never went to the Super Bowl.

Detroit: the stupidest sports town in the U.S.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

11. Not only no, but FUCK NO!

biggest waste of tax dollars ever.

Boon? To whom?

[proudbluestater]

12. Never

If the rich owners cannot afford to build their own expensive stadiums, maybe they'll have to cut the overpaid athlete's salaries. I don't go to these games, no way should I pay for them.

This is just another example of corporate welfare. I would rather, given the choice, pay for food for somebody trying to raise two kids on $5.15 an hour. But no, our compassionate conservative government cannot do that. HELP is reserved for only those who do not need it, nor deserve it.

[Bozita]

13. For Sale: Tiger Stadium -- memories of world-famous athletes abound

Ty Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Al Kaline, Bobby Layne, Joe Schmidt, more.

Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe Dimaggio, Bob Feller, Mantle and Maris, more, lots more.

They all played here.

Ernie Harwell's broadcast booth included.

No extra charges for reliving old memories.

Contact:
City of Detroit, Michigan

[SmileyBoy]

14. It's easy to say no when you live in a city with relatively new stadiums.

Unfortunately, the people in Minneapolis watch their sports in an underfunded, bargain-basement, obsolete air-domed stadium.

It's easy to say no when your team isn't being rumoured around to relocate.

[TahitiNut]

16. Let the fans DONATE money, then.

Maybe they should get a share of stock in the team?

[devilgrrl]

17. Erie County, New York gave Ralph Wilson the bank to keep the Bills there!

Hey, let's blow all the money we don't have on gazillionaires. Then Buffalo has this new hockey arena that no one ever goes to - specially this year since the NHL locked out - that cost nine hundred bazillion dollars the community doesn't have either. Pfft!

[TahitiNut]

18. Only in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Owned by the people. Great team.

Notice how they keep building new stadiums for the wealthy to wallow comfortably in enclosed boxes and get their clients and customers drunk on tax-subsidized (deductible) dollars?

No?

Oh.

[devilgrrl]

19. Correct me on this but I think the Edmonton Oilers are going...

'Community Owned' as well. I think I heard something about that but I could be wrong.

[TahitiNut]

21. Not that I know of.

They were recently taken over by the Edmonton Investors Group, a private group of investors in Edmonton headed by Cal Nichols.

http://www.canoe.ca/Slam021025/col_jones1-sun.html

[noiretextatique]

20. hell no...i detest football

i'd rather pay for better schools and roads and hospitals and fire trucks and policemen and water treatment facilities and...well, you get the picture.