Saturday, May 26, 2007

I'll come right out and say I'm not a sports fan. I'm happy for friends and family when their teams win, but, generally, it's sorta not on the radar for me. Going to live games with friends is fun. Hockey is actually exciting. I generally don't think of it much and am happy for things to stay that way, but recent local news means you'll have to suffer along with me as I vent spleen for a moment.

Starting some years back, there was much flap and hoopla about where the Dallas Cowboys' next stadium would be. Local municipalities vied for that honor, including Dallas and the city of Arlington (where Six Flags and the Texas Ranger Ballpark are located).

Now I don't know how they do things in other cities, but let me tell you how it's done in Dallas. Some enormously, staggeringly wealthy person (who could afford to build the stadium on their own) proposes that the city contribute massively to building the venue. The city puts forth a bond package (to raise taxes to generate funds for the project) to the voters. Drooling sports fanatics will pay anything to have the stadium/hotel&entertainment revenue/traffic hazard brought to their fair city. The voters opt to build the stadium on the public dime, and all the profits for the venue - which will technically be owned by the fatcat (Perot, Cuban, etc.) - will go to said fatcat. Oh, and for building this enormous income-generating facility, fatcats get huge tax breaks. Goody goody gumdrops. How wonderful for them.

The Cowboys' new stadium is being built in Arlington, and the recent news was that the 2011 Superbowl has been slated for this venue. OK. Fine. Whatever. Again, I'm happy for the excited locals, and on a huge level I'm pleased that dubious honor will go to Arlington rather than Dallas.

There was bound to be a fly in the ointment, though, because in the local news, the bitching has already begun. In man-on-the-street style interviews, the whining is already reaching fever pitch. The most prominent complaints are that the common person won't be able to afford the tickets, and that the traffic is going to be a nightmare. No doubt the crying-in-the-beer will whinge on for 4 more years.

Um, hello? Y'all wanted that thing in your neighborhood, so get over it. Put on your big girl panties and suck it up and deal. Oh, and shut up, while you're at it!

12 comments:

Kevin said...

That's why we don't have a major NFL team here in the LA area since the Rams and Raiders left. Every time a team is proposed, it seems like the taxpayers have to take a huge hit to get the ball rolling and so far the taxpayers haven't been too cooperative, which is fine by me. I don't think taxpayers should subsidize stuff like this. NFL teams are hugely profitable as it is, so it doesn't seem like a real big risk to take; and even if it is, oh well - welcome to the free market. If your product (team) has value to me, I'll buy (tickets/snacks/soda).

Attila the Mom said...

LOL! Amen Sista!

g bro said...

Boo-de-friggin'-hoo!

Here's in Houston we slapped some exorbitant tax on car rental and hotels to cover the freight. We got two nice stadia and an indoor arena out of the deal. And 2 of them (baseball and basketball) are DOWNTOWN, not in some far-flung suburb (The Irving Cowboys? Seems there was a movie by that name.) It's a win-win for me - all these middle class people wandering downtown streets after hours, games nearby and I don't rent cars or hotels in my home town.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

hahaha - put on your big girl panties. Oh, Phlegmmy, you do have a way with phrases.

Enjoy your stadium-free long weekend.

phlegmfatale said...

kevin - "NFL teams are hugely profitable as it is, so it doesn't seem like a real big risk to take"
Zackly. why do those rich bastards need us to subsidize a venue which will funnel money into their coffers anyway? People are so brainwashed!

attila t.m. - uh huh!

g bro - wow, and y'all did that with no bond package or public-dime routine? Must be nice.

barbara - I prolly owe credit for big girl panties to dick, or kelly, or zelda or some clever person on my blogroll. All the cool kids are saying it.

The Atavist said...

I just realized that we could have been neighbours, sort of. I have two cousins who live in Plano and I was looking into buying some small apartment buildings there when property values were really low during the oil bust years ago. Foolishly, I didn't follow through. I could have been rich! I promise, though, that I would not have gone to the taxpayer to pay for any of my toys, whether stadia or anything else. That sort of thing ticks me off too.

HollyB said...

Tax Abatements...Welfare for the Rich.
Every time I see Jerry Jones I just want to throw something at the Tee Vee! Dahm that leech makes my teeth ache.

phlegmfatale said...

atavist - Yup, Plano's right next door. Yup, you coulda been rolling in dough!

hollyb - Bastards! Remind me to tell you some gossip about Jerry Jones next time I see you.

FHB said...

Well said. I recently heard some radio guy saying that Dallas should force them to stop calling themselves the Dallas Cowboys, spend the money to rebuild a cool new stadium at the cotton bowl, and start again. Glad I'm not payin' taxes up there, is all i can say.

Kelly said...

There's only one rule in our house.

If the Eagles are in the Superbowl in 2011, we're getting tickets somehow.

I doubt we have much to worry about.

phlegmfatale said...

fhb - Thanks. I wish I weren't paying taxes for this mess, frankly.

kelly - Well, Kelly, if the Eagles make it in 2011, I'll paypal a contribution to your ticket fund. You never know.

Becky said...

Wow, I'm kind of surprised that Arlington got it, but I guess they have the land available to do so, and it's somewhat in the middle of the Metroplex. Is Jerry Jones going to have anything to do with the new one?