Couldn't agree more but that last statement about taxpayers footing the bill for a stadium is ***** insane to me.
I didn't think anyone would agree to let their tax money go towards the construction of a privately owned stadium. It's one thing to shell out for tickets and merch. It's an ENTIRELY different matter to ask the public to fork over billions for a stadium that they will have to shell out even more money for just to watch a team. Personally, I think if you're going to ask the public to fund a stadium, then the fanbase should get stock options and be labeled as legitimate investors and not just "fans".
But, the A's owner is a giant ass-clown so him asking for public funds to build a new stadium while he hoards billions in profits is the billionaires way...
There's also this too:
A Nevada teacher's union is challenging a bill that would use taxpayer funds to help the A's build a new stadium.
theathletic.com
Being the owner of a professional sports franchise is a great grift, if one can manage to join that exclusive club.
Getting people to involuntarily invest in your private business, to enhance its value and your own personal wealth, when you're already a wealthy person? How can I sign up for that?
There's a Stanford economics professor who specializes in studying sports business, and he finds that the promised economic benefits associated with such projects are often unrealistic, and the operational numbers just don't add up.
At least with a baseball stadium, it's guaranteed 81 events per season. A multi-billion dollar football stadium will host eight games, plus maybe a couple pre-season games, or a playoff game or two.
Other events, like concerts, dirt racing, and such, can be used to flesh out the calendar and better utilize a facility, but a city like LV isn't exactly lacking in event venues, is it?
To add insult to injury, with the A's, the local city and county governments co-owned the land under their existing stadium. But, in a stunningly dumb move, the county sold its interest to the team's owner, without securing any sort of requirement that it would stay, so he not only gets to skip town, but still owns the land.
Understandably, the county was compelled to bail, because it wanted to liberate itself from the albatross of the facility, and the sweetheart deal used to lure the Raiders back to the city, but local taxpayers will still be paying the price for
that grift for years to come.
Now, one has skipped town for Vegas, and the other is going to as well, and local taxpayers in both areas will be on the hook.
