Tag: New York

Stadium

Can we give a round of applause to the Buffalo Stadium Community Inclusion Task Force?

When the Stadium Community Inclusion Task Force started, numerous local businesses mentioned to them that they were concerned about the construction companies' previous outreach, confused about the application website, and worried about how cumbersome the prequalification process would be. In addition to addressing the above issues, the task force still had to elect a chairman, draft a letter asking for the latest minority business numbers, and review a draft proposal on best practices to include small businesses in the development phase of the stadium. Right before the first meeting was scheduled to be held, several citizens and businesses told…

William Neilson Jr.
Ballpark

Major League Baseball continues to extort taxpayer money out of numerous cities

Several years ago, Major League Baseball decided to eliminate numerous minor league baseball teams. They also updated the ballpark facility standards for minor league baseball teams. What does that mean exactly? What things must be upgraded or built? It is now mandatory for a ballpark to have “larger clubhouses, brighter stadium lights, covered batting and pitching tunnels and other details”. Let's not forget the price of these upgrades, which “will be quite high”.

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

Jacksonville Jaguars President claims a new stadium will bring “numerous benefits” to the area yet we still have no idea what they are

the Jacksonville Jaguars want to be paid in direct money yet want everyone else to be paid with this fantasy money that the Jaguars claim will be produced once their newer stadium is rebuilt. It has been stated so many times, but I will say it again. When cities pay for a new arena, ballpark or stadium, not a single economical stat will increase due to the new sports home. Nothing. It has been proven for years and years.

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

The Buffalo Bills forgot to involve minorities and locals when building their stadium. Whoops.

The Buffalo Bills public answer to all of this continues to be part laughable and part tone-deaf. On one hand, they continue to put out this idiotic PR language that just makes them look like idiots. The construction group for the stadium told the Buffalo News that, contrary to almost all evidence currently, they are in fact “working a well-developed plan.

William Neilson Jr.
Ballpark

Worcester was promised that Polar Park would pay for itself, it has not and will not

In 2018, Worcester, Massachusetts, agreed to finance a substantial portion of taxpayer money to build a brand-new ballpark. Although the city would be borrowing around $100.8 million for this project (making it the 4th most expensive minor league ballpark to be built), city leaders justified this expense by stating how the ballpark would fund itself, if not make the city money in the long term. At the press conference announcing the deal, the city manager told everyone outright that “in essence, the project pays for itself”. What if there are cost issues after the ballpark is built?

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

Buffalo Bills exec promises that, unlike last stadium, developers will flock to the new one

Last year, New York lawmakers gave the Buffalo Bills $850 million dollars in taxpayer money to help the NFL team build a new stadium. The New York Legislature managed to craft one of the worst stadium deals in recent memory. The $850 million dollar figure does NOT include a significant number of subsidies such as maintenance costs and property tax exemptions. Therefore, the bill will likely be at minimum $1 billion. Then again, since the deal was agreed upon last year, the price of it has already gone up 10%, so it could be even higher.

William Neilson Jr.