4 ms·
Why do we not buy Microsoft office space? Why do we not buy Delta planes? Why do we not buy factories for Ford?
by jeffwask 5y ago
Why do we not buy Microsoft office space?
Why do we not buy Delta planes?
Why do we not buy factories for Ford?
- jeffwask 5y agoThe exception here would be if teams wanted to sign their rights over to the local municipality and be community owned like the Green Bay Packers.
- mbg721 5y agoThe leagues explicitly forbid it now; the Packers were grandfathered in.
- jeffwask 5y agoOf course they do... smh. Capitalists must capitalist
- bombcar 5y agoThe city can't own a sports team but Nintendo can own the Mariners. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/that-time-when-nintendo-bought-a-baseball-team/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/that-time-when-... The Green Bay Packers ownership style should be encouraged, not forbidden.
- Chris2048 5y agoDidn't know MS built office spaces. But AFAIK we do fund airports and industrial parks.
- JeremyNT 5y agoIt's best thought of as the city providing a huge subsidy to lure the team (or keep the team from leaving). In this vein it's akin to the tax credits and other kickbacks that companies like Microsoft or Ford get when they move to "lower tier" cities. The exact nature of the transaction is different, but the net result is that it's part of the "package" that cities use to lure in a sports team in the same way they lure in businesses. I'd never argue for my tax money being spent on such frivolous things, but if you think about this from an "up and coming" city perspective - especially in a place where professional sports are popular with the locals - you can understand why they might be willing to accept a loss leader on the hopes of some kind of nebulous "real city" cred that comes with having a team in town.