Comments on: This Is Not A Kickback, How?

By: dkfj

dkfj — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:19:15 +0000

So, I freely admit I haven’t clicked through to the linked to articles, but come on, the Lad-Peebles BayBears? Really? The Lad-Peebles BayBears are getting a taxpayer built stadium?

The Lad-Peebles BayBears?

By: Johnny Clamboat

Johnny Clamboat — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:28 +0000

There’s a blog run by Neil deMause that tracks public funding for stadiums, along with all of the seedy details and kickbacks. It’s quite entertaining IMO.

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/

By: Tom Woolf

Tom Woolf — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:44:39 +0000

There is a chapter in David Cay Johnston’s “Free Lunch” that goes over the figures associated with public financing of arenas and stadiums. Have some aspirin and/or Tums readily available as you read it – you’ll definitely get a splitting headache and get sick to your stomach. And to think – at one time I actually was building a bit of respect for George Steinbrenner…

By: Jim Collins

Jim Collins — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:32:12 +0000

I’m not sure about how it is in other cities, but I have a problem understanding how the taxpayers of Pittsburgh are NOT benefitting from the two stadiums and will be benefitting from a new arena. It is my understanding that the City gets the proceeds from the consessions in both stadiums, a tax on tickets, income taxes on the player’s salaries and a 48% tax on parking revenues. The parking lots are in use year round, not just on game days. This is besides the rent that the teams are paying for the use of the stadiums, and taxes on the employees who work there.

By: Not Sure

Not Sure — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:14:39 +0000

One positive thing you can say about California in this regard is that the people in SoCal have been smart enough (so far, anyway) to tell the NFL to take a hike whenever one of the owners tries to convince them that raising taxes to pay for a new football stadium (and letting the owner collect the profits) would be a good thing to do.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:04:05 +0000

61 years is pretty impressive. Cincinnati blew up its publicly funded stadium at 25 years so it could build 2 new publicly funded stadium.