8 ms·

Please say "false equivalence" to yourself, as many times as you can. You're going to compare a public park to a stadium? Go to a stadium without a ticket, and

Please say "false equivalence" to yourself, as many times as you can. You're going to compare a public park to a stadium? Go to a stadium without a ticket, and see for yourself just how "public" it is. Really, really large numbers of people use public parks. Small, small numbers of people (by percentage, in large metro regions) ever see the inside of a stadium. While I understand that there are many that enjoy professional sports, I certainly don't want my tax dollars supporting it.

slg 8y ago
You are missing basically the whole point of my comment. You don't have to enter a stadium or even pay a cent to a sports team to get utility from it. You can watch a game on free over-the-air TV or you can enjoy the communal aspects that other comments in this thread have mentioned. The business is generating positive externalities and therefore it might be appropriate to subsidize it. Also, you might not want your tax dollars going to support professional sports, but many people do. That was my other point. We live in a democracy and the people generally are in favor of sports. The exact entertainment value it generates is debatable, but it is enough that these deals can be justified without requiring them to turn a profit. That was the only way I was comparing parks and stadiums. They don't need to be profitable to be a good use of money.
- Rapzid 8y ago
  The game could be filmed in a comparatively cheap warehouse and you could still watch it on TV.
- snapdangle 8y ago
  > Also, you might not want your tax dollars going to support professional sports, but many people do. That was my other point. We live in a democracy and the people generally are in favor of sports. So let the taxpayers vote! If a majority wants to waste their money, then let them. But even then it is an absolute waste no matter your arguments because these are commercial entities backed by obscenely wealthy interests _that can afford to build them themselves_.
- choward 8y ago
  > You don't have to enter a stadium or even pay a cent to a sports team to get utility from it. That is completely not true. But even if it was, why does the stadium have to be brand new and built in a high property value area? What's wrong with existing arenas? > You can watch a game on free over-the-air TV There are very few games that are shown OTA. And on top of that, there are commercials so it isn't free. Good luck trying to watch every game without paying money or doing something illegal. I'm willing to bet that this has never been accomplished by any fan in the history of sports.
  - masonic 8y ago
    There are very few games that are shown OTA. All NFL games are broadcast OTA to the participating teams' home regions.
  - slg 8y ago
    You are just factually wrong here. The NFL mandates that every game that is sold out (nearly 100% of the games in the NFL) must be broadcast in the local market on free OVA TV. And the reason why the stadium need regular upgrades is to attract the team in the first place. If a team doesn't have a new stadium like the St Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, or Oakland Raiders they will move to a market that either offers them subsidies or would simply be more profitable. That is the fundamental cause of all these problems.
    - choward 8y ago
      Oh. I didn't realize this. None of the teams I'm a fan of are in my local area.

slg 8y ago

You are missing basically the whole point of my comment. You don't have to enter a stadium or even pay a cent to a sports team to get utility from it. You can watch a game on free over-the-air TV or you can enjoy the communal aspects that other comments in this thread have mentioned. The business is generating positive externalities and therefore it might be appropriate to subsidize it. Also, you might not want your tax dollars going to support professional sports, but many people do. That was my other point. We live in a democracy and the people generally are in favor of sports. The exact entertainment value it generates is debatable, but it is enough that these deals can be justified without requiring them to turn a profit. That was the only way I was comparing parks and stadiums. They don't need to be profitable to be a good use of money.

Rapzid 8y ago
The game could be filmed in a comparatively cheap warehouse and you could still watch it on TV.
snapdangle 8y ago
> Also, you might not want your tax dollars going to support professional sports, but many people do. That was my other point. We live in a democracy and the people generally are in favor of sports. So let the taxpayers vote! If a majority wants to waste their money, then let them. But even then it is an absolute waste no matter your arguments because these are commercial entities backed by obscenely wealthy interests _that can afford to build them themselves_.
choward 8y ago
> You don't have to enter a stadium or even pay a cent to a sports team to get utility from it. That is completely not true. But even if it was, why does the stadium have to be brand new and built in a high property value area? What's wrong with existing arenas? > You can watch a game on free over-the-air TV There are very few games that are shown OTA. And on top of that, there are commercials so it isn't free. Good luck trying to watch every game without paying money or doing something illegal. I'm willing to bet that this has never been accomplished by any fan in the history of sports.
- masonic 8y ago
  There are very few games that are shown OTA. All NFL games are broadcast OTA to the participating teams' home regions.
- slg 8y ago
  You are just factually wrong here. The NFL mandates that every game that is sold out (nearly 100% of the games in the NFL) must be broadcast in the local market on free OVA TV. And the reason why the stadium need regular upgrades is to attract the team in the first place. If a team doesn't have a new stadium like the St Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, or Oakland Raiders they will move to a market that either offers them subsidies or would simply be more profitable. That is the fundamental cause of all these problems.
  - choward 8y ago
    Oh. I didn't realize this. None of the teams I'm a fan of are in my local area.