NY State plans to subsidize Buffalo Bills new stadium

[ch33zw1z]

Buffalo Bills Strike Deal for Taxpayer-Funded $1.4 Billion Stadium (Published 2022)

The agreement calls for $850 million in New York State and local funding, the largest taxpayer contribution ever for a National Football League facility.

www.nytimes.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/try4iz

Thoughts?

Personally, this kinda stuff always grinds my gears. The owner is worth billions, but NYS is gonna pay for 50+% of a new stadium.

The existing stadium is old, I'm not saying it doesn't need replacing, and I really don't care about that.

I care that states fund professional sports at this level.

 

[Fenixgoon]

i agree, states should not fund this kind of stuff. sports stadiums are almost always economic losers, IIRC

Should Cities Pay for Sports Facilities? | St. Louis Fed

Taxpayers can get more bang for their buck on other projects, but saying ''no'' to the home team is hard to do.

www.stlouisfed.org

Sports Stadiums Are a Bad Deal for Cities

But cities can fight back.

www.theatlantic.com

Sports, Jobs, & Taxes: Are New Stadiums Worth the Cost? | Brookings

Brookings Review article by Roger G. Noll and Andrew Zimbalist (Summer 1997)

www.brookings.edu

https://econreview.berkeley.edu/the-economics-of-sports-stadiums-does-public-financing-of-sports-stadiums-create-local-economic-growth-or-just-help-billionaires-improve-their-profit-margin/

 

[SmCaudata]

It's disgusting considering how little in taxes the NFL and billionaire owners already pay. They pay less than their fair share and we grovel and give them more. America's worship of those with money is absurd.

Also, NY cut about $800 mil in children and family services before making this deal.

 

[Brainonska511]

If it is such a good investment, these billionaire owners should have no problem getting private financing for their stadium projects.

No public funding for billionaire sports franchises.

 

[MrSquished]

Read about this the other day, it makes me ill.

 

[Moonbeam]

When I was young I used to spend hours and hours a day playing sports with friends. I could play everything and had a world of fun. The whole point was the pleasure of physical being and camaraderie. But I wouldn’t go across the street to watch someone else playing a sport for money. That would be like watching porn where somebody else has the orgasm.

Who wants to live vicariously. Who wants to spend hard earned money to wear the brand of some herd. Who wants his tax dollars spent on a place where grown men offer up their brains for early Alzheimer’s to make a buck. How do I take care of a brother who is an idiot?

Now I can get more athletic genius than any human could muster by playing with my cats.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

But but but, the Bills could leave!

 

[brycejones]

But but but, the Bills could leave!

Then what would there to be complain about in western NY?

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Then what would there to be complain about in western NY?

Seemingly endless snow?

 

[fskimospy]

Well Upstate is an area that needs serious investment in economic development. If I were to do that it would be to build a business park for a billionaire that would be used eight days a year.

 

[iRONic]

Way OT: I saw The Stones there in ‘75 or ‘76. It was called Rich Stadium.

 

[Zorba]

I am seriously against state/city funding of sports stadiums.

The only exception I would give is if the facility was fully owned and operated by the city, and the sports team was paying tenant. And that would only be if there was a true benefit of the infrastructure beyond the sport. An example would be like an NBA arena that can handle many other types of events. Many cities, like Tulsa, put those in even without a professional sports team to occupy them.

NFL stadiums have got to have the worst ROI of any of them, they are used a few times a year for their intended purpose and only a handful of other events need that much space.

 

[K1052]

Let Vegas have half a dozen teams. Who cares. Taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for these monstrosities.

 

[pete6032]

I wouldn’t go across the street to watch someone else playing a sport for money. That would be like watching porn where somebody else has the orgasm.

What the fuck did I just read?

 

[fskimospy]

I’ve been a fan of Hochul so far but this is a gigantic mistake. I love football and really enjoy going to games but the amount the state should contribute to building facilities for a private business is $0. If they want to leave, let them leave.

I am fortunate that, as an Eagles fan, I am confident my team will never leave town I guess though. Partially because of the deep roots and long history with the community, but mostly because if the Eagles tried to leave the citizens of Philadelphia would hunt them down and kill them. That’s how you keep a team in town - fear.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Superbowls should be forced to be played on randomly chosen high school fields.

 

[sactoking]

Let Vegas have half a dozen teams. Who cares. Taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for these monstrosities.

The Raiders got a shit ton of taxpayer money to move to Vegas.

 

[K1052]

The Raiders got a shit ton of taxpayer money to move to Vegas.

At $750M per I sort of doubt they do more than one more but teams could share facilities like LA.

 

[Homerboy]

Superbowls should be forced to be played on randomly chosen high school fields.

funny thing is that this new stadium will NEVER get the SB. It has no dome and it's in Buffalo.

I LOVE sports (though I have grown a strong distaste for the NFL) and would cry a river if the Brewers or Bucks left Milwaukee due to lack of stadium. But I do not like the idea of local or state gov't giving money to build these ridiculous buildings. Franchise owners are ruining every sport - it's nothing but a glorified, guaranteed 401k for billionaires.

 

[SmCaudata]

funny thing is that this new stadium will NEVER get the SB. It has no dome and it's in Buffalo.

I LOVE sports (though I have grown a strong distaste for the NFL) and would cry a river if the Brewers or Bucks left Milwaukee due to lack of stadium. But I do not like the idea of local or state gov't giving money to build these ridiculous buildings. Franchise owners are ruining every sport - it's nothing but a glorified, guaranteed 401k for billionaires.

Rams got a huge subsidy for their last stadium before leaving early (renigging on their agreement) for LA.

Basically, giving money to the team doesn't guarantee they stay either.


Let the billionaires play their games. I'd rather my money go to health care, education, and infrastructure.

 

[Pens1566]

Terrible waste of public money. NFL prints money as is, they should be on the hook themselves.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

It's bullshit to have the locals foot the bill for this. 100% bullshit, each and every place it happens.

 

[Aikouka]

The local government here furnished a new sports stadium, and while the stadium does make the city money, the current guesstimates (based upon released numbers) are that it would take the city 40 years to make back its investment. On the other hand, that figure does not include any notion of how the city might have been able to make money through investments or spending it on a different project.

 

[fskimospy]

It's bullshit to have the locals foot the bill for this. 100% bullshit, each and every place it happens.

Even more annoying is it's not the locals footing the bill, it's the entire state and in New York State that mostly means downstate is footing the bill.

I'm all for helping upstate economically develop as it's a really depressed region but I want my tax dollars to go to something useful, not a fucking football stadium for a billionaire.

 

[SmCaudata]

The local government here furnished a new sports stadium, and while the stadium does make the city money, the current guesstimates (based upon released numbers) are that it would take the city 40 years to make back its investment. On the other hand, that figure does not include any notion of how the city might have been able to make money through investments or spending it on a different project.

It probably doesn't include other associated costs like increased police on game nights, increased road wear and rear, adding roads/lanes to accomodate increased volume a few times per year, etc... My guess is that putting in greenspace and investing the saved money would be a much better ROI for everyone involved.