Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Why We Need to Stop Cheerleading for Our Teams When it Comes to Business Issues

I've written before about the media's influence on the Stadium Saga, but I had to ask the following question after everyone acted so surprised this week that the St. Pete council decided not to vote on the most recent Rays proposal (which was old news to anyone who read this blog last week).
ALSO READ: Sternberg Knows Why St Pete Rejected His Latest Offer
ALSO READ: Three Ways the Rays Can Force the Issue with St. Pete
Contrary to what many readers here believe, this author is not asking you to give city council a free pass.  But if you believe the Rays are bargaining in good faith, you owe the same courtesy to the elected officials who don't profit a dime personally from these dealings.

Most of the city councilmembers who oppose the Rays' deal as it currently stands truly are trying to look out for their citizens.  That's their job.  And the media owes it to them to stop assuming they're the enemy...and that the Rays have one foot out the door.  The team owes Tampa Bay at least 13 more seasons of baseball, and not even a stadium in Montreal can change that right now.
This shouldn't be a Tampa Bay vs. St. Pete issue.  This should be a community discussion as to whether the region should spend hundreds of millions of dollars to keep this popular asset.

ALSO READ: Three Things the Stadium Saga Needs in 2015

3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 31, 2015 at 5:46 PM

    No one in media wants to bite the hand. It is as simple as that. We saw this collusion at the national level in the embarrassing coverage of the various NFL scandals this year (most notably, Peter King). If you rock the boat, you lose that precious access, which is what allows you to be first, which is what earns you page-views and ad money. The easily corruptible and the economically desperate become mouthpieces for the industry. Unfortunately, there aren't as many alternative news sources at the local level as there are nationally. What if there was one or two more news outlets covering the farce in Cobb County, Georgia? Would those citizens have resisted more as they lost their shirts? With the Times showing the subjectivity symptoms of economic hardship, objective alternative media in Tampa Bay has become even more important.

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    Replies
    1. scott myersApril 1, 2015 at 7:49 AM

      Anonymous - RIGHT ON!!
      There should be no community discussion as to whether or not the community should give hundreds of millions of dollars to MLB/Tampa Bay Rays. If the Rays 'need' a new stadium, then MLB/Rays can pay for it as they make St. Pete 'whole' for abandoning the TROP early.

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    2. scott myersApril 1, 2015 at 7:50 AM

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