World Cup matches were going to cost Boston taxpayers virtually nothing…until now
Today, Boston 26 argues that the city is in “jeopardy” of losing the matches unless $20 million in taxpayer money is given to them. Keep in mind that Boston 26 was first trying to demand almost $40 million but they have since brought that down to $20 million mark. But didn't Boston 26 say they wouldn't ask taxpayers for help? That everything was already in place?
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St. Louis City SC owners do not need or want public money…just the many millions of taxpayer dollars they get every year
Washington University in St. Louis wrote a piece titled “Stadiums don’t have to be a drain on taxpayer dollars − 4 lessons from St. Louis”. This article was pushed to any outlet willing to publish it. Here it is retitled “St. Louis MLS Stadium Offers Alternative to Taxpayer-Funded Sports Venues.” Here are the authors pushing the article in local newspaper comment sections titled “How to build a stadium and keep taxpayers happy.” I have to read this article and understand how these Saints owners…
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Santa Clara is not spending taxpayer money on the World Cup. Wait, yes they are
For those who don't know, Levi Stadium in Santa Clara was selected to be one of 16 cities hosting World Cup games in 2026. The six games at Levi Stadium will be played between June 13 and July 1 of next year. Considering how contentious the history has been between the San Francisco 49ers and the city of Santa Clara, I figured something would blow up with this event. Then I recently saw this headline in the San Jose spotlight (“Santa Clara isn’t spending taxpayer money on World Cup upgrades”)…
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Now that the Buffalo Bills have a new stadium, they want locals to please shut up and be happy with whatever the team gives them
One of the local leaders who helped draft the CBA is now outright stating that the Buffalo Bills are going against what is found in the CBA. It is difficult to see how she isn't correct here. The Bills would not stop talking about how much they would include the community when it comes to giving back to the area. Now? Shut up and take whatever it is that we give you. If the Bills think that these types of statements will allow them to invest more into the community, they have quite the surprise…
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The San Francisco 49ers promise to pay for all World Cup expenses…somewhat…kind of…maybe?
Last week, the San Francisco 49ers publicly vowed to cover Santa Clara’s expenses for the World Cup games. The 49ers will use money that they received from their NFL operations to cover the costs. One estimate claims that it will cost Santa Clara about $50M to stage the games. Except, as the mayor reminded everyone, the 49ers promised to only cover all “approved costs”. That can be interpreted many ways, considering the terrible history between the 49ers and the mayor. Keep in mind that the…
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Headlines say that the Baltimore Ravens “are spending $50M more” on stadium upgrades, forget the public’s $434M share
Even better, the money for the Baltimore Ravens will come from Maryland's state lottery funds, which “otherwise would go to the state’s general fund”. For those who don't know, the general fund for cities and states is the “predominant fund for financing a state's operations”. It is the primary operating fund of a government and accounts for activities including public safety, street maintenance, community services, police, fire, and other things. Thankfully, nobody cares about those…
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Barely a decade after the Minnesota Vikings got their new stadium, they want a yearly source of taxpayer money for whatever they desire
All the economic activity promises made by the Minnesota Vikings, when they were negotiating for a new stadium, have been completely incorrect. The mayor of Minneapolis made a public spectacle of how the Vikings new stadium had "encouraged Wells Fargo to relocate 5,000 jobs" near the venue. The relocation of these employees preceded the announcement of the new stadium deal. Therefore, no new jobs were being created from the creation of this new stadium. The Governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton,…
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Houston Texans stadium continues to haunt local leaders as one of the worst financial stadium deals
Residents of Harris County should pay attention to this part because “taxpayers will have to pitch in to close that gap”. You better because the Texans, a team worth over $6 billion, are “frustrated” at the “lack of maintenance”. When Houston got the Super Bowl in 2017, the team got angry at the county because of their refusal to pay for expensive upgrades that would just be used for the Super Bowl. Don't you worry though, as city leaders got Super Bowl tickets for free, rather than having to…
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“No Tax Dollars” will be spent on a New Mexico United stadium, except this $30 million and multiple other tax breaks
Let's not forget the millions spent by taxpayers at the current home of New Mexico United. When KOAT, another local news station, got their hands on a lease agreement between the team and the city, they found if a stadium was built, there would be “a lot of taxes the New Mexico United soccer club will not have to pay”. Another subsidy would come from the team being allowed to deduct “equipment purchased in the construction” from their gross receipts tax bill. What else? We don't know, and the…
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Buffalo Pro Soccer Team first promised to pay for a stadium thru private investment. Now? Taxpayers need to pay 66% of it.
Buffalo Pro Soccer's owner, Peter Marlette, keeps urging the local government to make a decision immediately. In November of last year, Marlette talked about a supposed “time crunch” on the government with decisions related to the new stadium. Recently, Marlette told the Buffalo News that a decision must be made "any day now". Yet, it has been several months since he said this, and he is just now picking out a location? Perhaps there wouldn't be a time crunch if you had told us where you wanted…
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