Aren't Taxpayer Subsidies of Pro Football Stadiums & Pro Basketball Arenas Socialism?

[dlk]

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Mega Big Time!

[Strelnikov_]

2. Absolutely not!

From the R Double Think Dictionary, no policy that benefits the top 0.1% is socialism.

[TheBlackAdder]

22. Public money for a few wealthy, claimed to be for public good, but less thasn 50% like football.

[malaise]

3. Of course and that is their new model

as long as it's socialism for owners and billionaires, it's fine

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Double Socialism, too.

Taxpayers pay once for the building of the things, then have to pay to even attend events.
Not even a discount.

[NCjack]

20. But the jobs they bring to the community! Peanut, popcorn, pizza slice, and beer

sellers. The cleanup crews after the games to remove the peanut shells, popcorn boxes, pizza wrappers, and beer cups. Whole communities have been lifted out of poverty thanks to those stadiums.

[MyOwnPeace]

25. And Robert Craft, the owner of the Patriots,

gets extra spending money to buy, well, "favors!"

[malaise]

23. And as another DUer pointed out recently, after taxpayers fund the buildings

Last edited Sat Mar 2, 2019, 07:33 PM - Edit history (1)

the corporations put their names on them - not even a hometown hero gets a name on a stadium today.

[erronis]

34. and when the owners need a new paladium, they leave that hunk of concrete

taking up 100s of acres for the taxpayer to clean up.

Watta Deal!

[malaise]

36. Indeed

It's madness

[dogman]

4. Nope, Grand Theft.

[BlueJac]

5. Totally agree!

[Horizens]

31. Exactly

It's not socialism. Their payoffs in return for campaign contributions.

[defacto7]

6. No because stadiums and arenas aren't social. You have to be human for that.

(sarc)

[dlk]

8. This Would Make a Great Dem Talking Point

They could ask Republicans if want the NFL, NBA & owners to reimburse taxpayers (with interest) since they don’t believe in socialism & handouts.

[Mendocino]

9. Support the right

to separate sport and state.

[Yavin4]

12. I think that pro sports leagues should be nationalized.

Let the city/states own the teams instead of billionaires. Imagine if the people of Cleveland acutally owned the Browns.

[Mosby]

15. baltimore would own the browns.

[Yavin4]

17. baltimore would own the Colts

The way God intended.

[Mosby]

19. I met Johnny Unitas

I was too young to understand, but it was one of the greatest days in my dad's life.

Mostly all I remember is how tall and polite he was.

[Yavin4]

21. The history of Baltimore, MD.

Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner there. Then nothing significant. Then Johnny Unitas was traded there. Then the Colts moved to Indianapolis.

The End.

[erronis]

35. Oh, come on. What about the Murder Capital of the US? Where The Wire was filmed?

Actually, balmer is a great city, from the waterfront to the neighborhoods. Like many older cities with decaying infrastructure and white flight it has struggled for sufficient resources.

[MyOwnPeace]

27. THAT is correct

BROWNS @ CLEVELAND
COLTS @ BALTIMORE

THAT is the way Gawd planned it!

[MyOwnPeace]

26. No,

that was an example of a greedy owner tearing the heart out of his fans and filling his wallet.

BROWNS @ CLEVELAND!

[OldEurope]

10. No. It is what Roman Emperors did to deflect from the fact that...

… ancient Rome was no longer a republic. Panem et circenses - bread and games - would keep the majority of the people quiet.

[Yavin4]

11. It's not Socialism if public money goes to rich White guys. See the Wall Street bailout.

Silly goose.

[Mosby]

13. are baseball stadiums different?

[JHB]

14. No, they're boondoggles and giveaways

[DURHAM D]

16. Lawrence O on MSNBC has mentioned more than

once on his program that it is. Perhaps you can find a video.

[Brother Buzz]

18. What do you call it when the franchise loans the city the money to do the legally required...

infrastructure work, then lets them pay it back ONLY when the stadium is turning a profit and is paying tax revenue to the city?

The city of Inglewood has a sweetheart deal with the LA rams, and it just may become the business model for other sports ventures in the future.

[dlk]

24. There is Definitely Room for Creative Solutions

Dems need to counter the Republican socialism bogeyman. It’s so obviously false.

[dameatball]

28. I think it is more like blackmail than socialism. First the team owners get a stadium or arena

built and then 10-12 years later when the owners consider it "outdated" (means not as profitable to them as it could be), they threaten to move to another city or state unless they get what they want.
The sad part is the city/county leaders usually cave in and eminent domain forces people from their homes just to appease the billionaires..

[NBachers]

39. That's the point where they should be evicted. "Find someone else to fleece, ya bums!"

[Sneederbunk]

29. The American way of socializing the costs and privatizing the profits.

[watoos]

30. Green Bay is the only stadium

Where the fans(share holders) are the owners, right?

[guillaumeb]

32. Socialism is fine for th rich and connected.

But not when it benefits workers.

[former9thward]

33. No. I wish I could blame socialism.

But its called corporate welfare.

[Ferrets are Cool]

37. Only if it comes from the mouth of a liberal...if it is said by a repug

it is Capitalism at its finest.

[Mendocino]

38. Socialize the costs,

maximize the profits, is the American way!