Can anyone support the constant waste of public money by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority?
In 2024, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) spent more than $2.2M on “influencers to promote the city.” However, the LVCVA refused to tell the public how much each influencer received because LVCVA claimed it was a “trade secret.” Let me get this straight. A taxpayer-funded agency is giving taxpayer money to a contractor, and the public isn't allowed to know who was paid what?
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Kansas City Chiefs relocation deal still unknown, company hired to do their economic report has questionable past
Essentially, the state of Kansas allows for lawmakers to use a “special incentive program” that was started just two years ago to fund a project like the Kansas City Chiefs. The lawmaker who wrote this law (not including language allowing for the public to vote) claims that the public doesn't need to vote since the sales tax is not increasing. I really do hope that this politician understands that while the sales tax will not increase, the money that it brought in to MANY state functions (like…
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Cavaliers CEO: People should “make sure” to “celebrate” when we ask for $400M
Now that the Browns are moving out of the downtown area, residents are left to deal with two billionaire owners demanding countless amounts of money for upgrades. Most rational people would look at this situation and wonder why an owner like the Cleveland Cavaliers Dan Gilbert, with a net worth north of $20B, is not paying for 100% of his arena upgrades. The answer is because he knows that he doesn't have to pay for much, if anything at all, when it comes to his sports properties. He used his…
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The Arizona Cardinals owner, Michael Bidwill, continues to price out fans and ruin any goodwill left
Michael Bidwill and his family are what I call a Rake Family. They love stepping on rakes and then seem surprised when it comes back and hits them in the face. The Bidwills first few years in Arizona are a perfect example of this. When the Bidwills moved the Cardinals from St. Louis to Arizona in 1987, they did so because St. Louis wouldn't build them a brand-new stadium. Cardinals executives claimed that people in Arizona would. Therefore, the team moved to Arizona, and nothing was built. The…
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When will city and state leaders learn that their new sports venue will not magically increase tax revenues?
This week, the Kansas City Chiefs announced they were relocating to the state of Kansas for a brand-new $3B stadium. The term sheet agreed upon by the team and state is outlandish. Joe Pompliano (who is one of the best at sports business news) has gone over the term sheet and claims it is the “Most Lopsided Stadium Deal In NFL History” thanks to $1.8 billion in taxpayer money being included. But the details of many important parts of the deal are still unknown. For example, we still don't know…
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LA28 promised Los Angeles residents a zero-cost Olympics, now want several hundred million in taxpayer money
In 2017, the International Olympic Committee awarded the City of Los Angeles the 2028 Olympics. Right after being awarded the 2028 games, the mayor of Los Angeles signed a host contract, which forced the city to be the "financial backstop" and therefore responsible for "paying off any debts" that arose from the games. Even better, as the Los Angeles Times wrote in a 2017 story, the city will have "more than a decade to prepare." Most importantly, the Olympic Committee from Los Angeles was clear…
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Denver NWSL owners demand city give them $50 million without limits or else they will leave
The Denver council delayed voting on the release of the $50 million because of a “lack of key information.” For example, council members still do not have a specific breakdown of how and where the money will be spent. The council president seemed flustered that she “had to ask several times” why the team wasn't giving them all the information. When the team's attorney was asked for the project's final cost numbers, she told the council that she didn't have them due to their construction…
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Buffalo is struggling to limit city leaders access to the luxury suites at the Bills new stadium
Last year, the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC playoff game. The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, billed taxpayers for almost $600 worth of wine and a total bill that day of $1923 and change. As the Buffalo News reported, it would eventually come out that taxpayers had paid “more than $6300” for the governor to attend four different games. According to the state and county, this luxury suite is “meant to boost economic development.” I wish someone would explain to me how…
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Port St. Lucie leaders want to build a soccer stadium at the last second
According to Port St. Lucie city leaders, this agreement “is designed to bring economic growth, entertainment, and new opportunities to the community.” In this instance, the taxpayer money given to ESC will come from the TIF revenue. However, for the last few weeks, many city leaders have been trying their best to express one specific thing: taxpayers will not pay for the stadium. This message has been expressed time and time again whenever this subject is brought up.
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Will a USL soccer stadium ever be built in Des Moines, Iowa? Not with their current owner…
In January 2019, a man named Kyle Krause announced his plans to bring a United Soccer League Championship team to Des Moines, Iowa. This project included a new $60 million stadium (early draft documents show the taxpayer paying $45 million of the $60 million). Over the next few years, this project would dangle around because of disagreements between the owner and local governments. Meanwhile, local taxpayers were told very little of the actual details.
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