Falcons owner wants new stadium to replace decrepit Georgia Dome

If Blank thinks he'll get a publicly-financed stadium just ahead of an economic downturn, he's dreaming.

Then again, I'm helping to pay for the Devils' new arena down the block and I didn't even get to say whether I wanted it or not.

 

Bullshit. It shouldn't even be on the table.

And, to everyone talking about "tax breaks" -- the huge, huge majority of all 'major-league' sports franchises pay no taxes at all, already.

None.

Plus, the "stadium deals" the owners all like to bitch about almost invariably involve 'reverse rent' -- the local governments pay the sports franchises money for every game they play in the taxpayer-financed stadium. When the owners say they want a "better deal," what they mean is that they want to be paid MORE to play in the taxpayer-financed stadium. (By the taxpayers, of course.)

 

Go ahead and do it.

 

It hits the pockets of the residents if you don't go there anymore.

 

Ah, no.
As poindexter -- and, on this issue, we are like brothers -- has pointed out, study after study after study, from the Cato Institute on the right to Brookings on the left -- has shown that publicly financed stadia are a drag on the general local economy, whatever short-term boost the area around the stadium may get. You can google them all up.

 

Whoops. Forgot about Jacksonville. But then again, the Jags are very forgetable.

 

Yeah, LA is weeping at nights because it doesn't have a team.

 

Jack Kent Cooke built the Redskins stadium and when his estate sold the team to Danny Snyder, the stadium went with it.

FedEx Field is in a lousy location, it's rarely used, no one who goes there likes it and there's no life around the stadium. Snyder makes a fortune charging the highest prices in the league. If it's used 20 times a year, I'd be surprised.

 

The Falcons' deal for the Dome calls for them to continue playing there until the bonds that were issued to build it are paid. That was originally scheduled to be in 2020, but the payments are ahead of schedule and it's thought that it'll be paid off by 2017. And I wouldn't be surprised if Blank anted up for his own stadium. He was willing to drop $150 million for improvements if Atlanta got another Super Bowl, and he still seems willing to dig into his own pockets for that sort of thing. The Falcons aren't going anywhere. I'll also second what Luggie said -- they need to take advantage of Atlanta's weather in the fall, because it feels plain weird watching indoor football when it's 70 and sunny outside.

 

I think with a new stadium would come a better place to tailgate. As of right now there's just tailgaiting in parking decks or under a bridge. Not the best enviroment.

 

Is that what happened in Seattle, where the voters got two new stadiums they didn't want and are now responsible for approximately 80 percent (about $800 million) worth of the total costs. By the way, is the Kingdome's debt paid off yet?

Exactly. By the time the taxpayers are done paying for a $500-million stadium PLUS the supporting infrastructure, the team is already screaming for a new facility.

 

First, I have no problem with the item coming up for a vote. We are a democracy and, no matter how stupid the idea, a measure to build a major facility in the community with tax dollars should be decided by the public.

Now I didn't say I supported such a move.

Let's not kid ourselves, though, misuse of funds on this level is not limited to sports. In Boston, Mayor Mumbles decided to build a $1 billion albatross of a convention center that supposedly was going to pump up the economy, but at best all it's done is provided folks in South Boston a nice place near the waterfront to hold community fundraisers. All these promises of a revenue-generating facility have fallen by the wayside. A Boston Globe story last year said the place has been about 25 percent to 30 percent booked, IIRC. Menino also gave away tax breaks to build all the hotels down near Fan Pier.