Scott Myers has made it clear he is no fan of sports owners who lobby for public subsidies. I've even let him guest-write a blogpost.
Now, he's penned a new blog over on IrreverentView.com claiming, "The Glazers fleeced us. Will Stu Sternberg do the same?
He lays out all the arguments against the "sweetheart deal" the Bucs got at Raymond James Stadium - the same deal that elected officials swear will never happen again.
Then, he provides a potential solution to make sure a new Rays stadium doesn't take advantage of taxpayers: force the team to open its books.
Sorry Scott - I, for one, won't be holding my breath.
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As well put together the Myers piece is, no MLB owner will ever open the books.
ReplyDeleteWell if Stu will not open his books, assuming it does come to pass that a stadium will be built in Hillsborough County, the least we tax paying citizens can do is make sure that the politicians that do not make it happen as tax dollars fly out the door, are scrutinized and embarrassed to the MAX!
ReplyDeleteNo taxpayer subsidies of billionaires!
ReplyDeleteDoes it really matter being that like you wrote a few post ago that sports owners can show their losing money when not? Then take account that they're asking a Wall-Street guy that owns a team that's been coined to have the "smartest front office in sports"...
ReplyDeleteRegardless, profit isn't a 4 letter word, sports teams impact on communities goes far beyond profits like tax revenue from millionaires working & spending in the county, charities, etc....
The key to opening books is transparency....so you don't have to trust them when they say they're losing money.
DeleteThat last assumption is an illusion cooked up by franchise p.r. departments that the gullible sheep/fans swallow.
DeleteWith no state income tax on salaries of Rayz and visiting team players there's no benefit there.
Many of the players do not live in the county year-round and so they take their dollars elsewhere, especially the ones from central America.
The "impact" is more of a false pride illusion than reality that the big time sports industries project to justify their hands in taxpayers pockets.
The team's reported profits have little bearing on the relative wisdom of funding (not subsidizing, but funding) a stadium. The key is whether the amount of money invested creates a return that is sufficiently greater than the amount invested AND if the non economic benefits are regarded as being worth the amount of public funding.
ReplyDeleteOf course. But that's why teams don't build themselves stadiums.
DeleteThey make a lot more sense when its someone else's money.