The NFL Loves Local Tax Increases For Stadiums, Except When NFL Officials Have to Pay Them
This narrative is familiar. An NFL team wants more money. Team executives raise smoke signals about leaving for, say, Los Angeles. Local politicians respond with an incentive package of public funding to finance renovations or a new stadium. Twenty NFL teams have built or renovated stadiums since 1997. Nineteen of the 20 projects involved public funding (the Meadowlands had a nine-figure public infrastructure project that does not count as a stadium expense).
Eleven of those 19 projects involved tax increases. Many of those taxes are hotel and car rental taxes, designed to defray the cost from the local population. The NFL loves such taxes, except, of course, when league officials would have to pay them.
Miami and Santa Clara are bidding to host Super Bowl L in 2016. The new 49ers stadium involves a two percent hotel tax. Renovations to Sun Life Stadium would necessitate a one percent hotel tax increase in Miami. The NFL has demanded that league employees be held exempt from local taxes. Santa Clara already agreed, meaning Miami must likely do so as well.
But the region’s rival for the 50th game, Santa Clara, last week announced it would waive hotel taxes for NFL executives. That raises the stakes as the Dolphins lobbying team races to obtain state and county approval of the tax-funded renovation by May 22, when NFL owners will pick a winner.
“It’s pretty mind-boggling what the NFL asks of cities. But they’re a business,’’ said Dan Beerman a City Hall spokesman in Santa Clara, home to a $1.2 billion stadium under construction for the San Francisco 49ers. “I guess if you’re staying for a few weeks, it adds up.”
One might be inclined to criticize, but the league is being rational here. Why should NFL executives contribute to infrastructure improvements that directly inflate the values of NFL franchises? How would that make sense? To be fair to the NFL, Super Bowl demands are trifling compared to what FIFA demands from World Cup hosts.
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March 15th, 2013 at 12:55 PM
Unreal. What a bunch of hypocrites.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:01 PM
Would you rather:
1) Have a decade of your NFL team being highly competitive (think Post 2004 Pats or Falcons of recent years)?
or
B) Have your team win one Superbowl and then not even sniff the playoffs more more than a decade due to incompetent ownership/management?
March 15th, 2013 at 1:04 PM
This is a great question. One of those epic debates I’ve had as a UGA fan, that’s for sure. I think I should choose 1, but I always think about Auburn when this debate arises. They may not win shit for another 5 years or so, but they’ll always have Cam and 2010.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:06 PM
While most, if not all, publicly financed stadiums are terrible violations of taxpayer money…NFL stadiums are the worst of the worst.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:06 PM
The good thing is, as a UGA fan, you’ll never have to worry about winning a national title.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:06 PM
Is this a logic test to see if there are any robots reading, thus making their circuitry explode?
March 15th, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Only time will tell, but I like their chances a helluva lot more than shitty as Mich St. That’s for sure.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:08 PM
I think I tend to gravitate towards winning it all because there is something to be said for winning it all. No one can take it from you. There is no “yeah, but”.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Enough about taxes, let’s talk about Gil Brandt’s tweet! USFL reborn!
March 15th, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Because they take up the most space and bring in the least amount of money back. Publicly funding a basketball or hockey arena means you get at the minimum 40 home games, plus all the concerts and events that will be held there throughout the year. You don’t need to sprawling acres of parking lots that take up space and the businesses around the arena make more money from the more frequent use. NFL stadiums are mainly empty eyesores.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:08 PM
I’m assuming Lions and Browns fans are exempt from this little quiz.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:09 PM
World’s tallest midget
March 15th, 2013 at 1:09 PM
Things are finally looking up for ol’ Gil.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:09 PM
Go Panthers!
March 15th, 2013 at 1:09 PM
Would you rather:
MORE INFO NEEDED: What if other teams in your city have won titles within the past 15 years?
If one of the other franchises in my city has pocketed some titles I might be down for the sustained greatness, but in a vacuum, it’s option B by a landslide.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:10 PM
Shouldn’t a Bills fan answer this as they had both of the choices in the past three decades?
March 15th, 2013 at 1:10 PM
Go Panthers!
/Points to avatar
Federals rule!
March 15th, 2013 at 1:11 PM
Well, the second half of choice B, anyhow.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:11 PM
Shouldn’t a Bills fan answer this as they had both of the choices in the past three decades?
Was JPQ a fan of the Bills when they won the AFL title?
March 15th, 2013 at 1:12 PM
Really don’t like what John Elway is saying about Dumerville. Obviously contracts aren’t guaranteed, but settle down with the “out of whack” shit, when the team gave him the deal, with no intention of honoring it.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:14 PM
Really don’t like what John Elway is
sayingneighing about Dumerville.March 15th, 2013 at 1:15 PM
I’d have said Superbowl at any cost back in 2000. Now that the Pats have one, it’s easy to say “competitive every year”. But it really doesn’t make the pain any less.
Pretty sure whatever state your team is in, you’d want the other. The Falcons fans would give it all up for one title. The Cowboys/Pats fans would give up that last title to avoid all the recent playoff exits. It’s basically the Marlins fan question, and they don’t have any fans to ask.
/CRM blocked me
March 15th, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Don’t talk about the B10 champion that way.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:17 PM
The question is certainly loaded. That’s why I love to hear the different perspectives. Here in Houston, most Texans fans are dying for a SB win. On the other hand, Cowboys fans here already have a handful of them. I think they would prefer Option 1.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:17 PM
For the poker fans
March 15th, 2013 at 1:17 PM
Not a perfect example, but the Rams won the superbowl in the ’99 season, then narrowly lost two years later to the New England Cheaters. They’ve only finished above .500 one time since the ’01 season and were pretty much a joke from 2005-2011. Historic losing can definitely erode a fan base, especially one that doesn’t have at least a 20+ year track record with their team. I’d still pick option B, but the lean years make it very tough to maintain interest and justify ticket prices.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:19 PM
SuperBowl.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:20 PM
We’ll always have the Cleveland Crunch, Indoor Soccer Champions 1996
March 15th, 2013 at 1:20 PM
But if you enjoy watching games or are a fan of the team, that’s shitty. To me, losing hurts way more than winning feels good. I’d go sustained success.
The only team I can think that about is the Preds. And would I give up them ever being good again, to get a picture of me at a random downtown bar drinking out of the Cup? Ummm…
March 15th, 2013 at 1:21 PM
The Jerrahdome is always filled by Jerrah’s massive ego.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:21 PM
Fossil man? He’s got the money.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:21 PM
Super Bowl.
/throws up on field during Super Bowl
March 15th, 2013 at 1:22 PM
I know you are just bitter/joking, but people don’t really think they won because of whatever they did that everyone did, right? There aren’t people that stupid still in the world, are there?
March 15th, 2013 at 1:22 PM
No one hates capitalism like a capitalist.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:23 PM
For UGA I would say being competitive and solid 9-10 wins as opposed to one good year and then 10 shitty ones. For the Falcons I would say take the Super Bowl and then 10 years of crap. It would be terrible to be, say, a Michigan State fan, and have to endure shitty seasons year after year after year with the added fact that you’ve never won anything of note since Tiffany was a pop idol.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:23 PM
If I was a player… Superbowl. But I don’t really participate in the games, so I don’t get to claim any championships, so sustained success is probably better as a fan.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:24 PM
The flipside of that, I have a friend who’s a Patriots fan that insisted Spygate was bullshit because “they’re so good they don’t need to cheat.” He also rocked a Harrison throwback, which seemed about right.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:24 PM
but people don’t really think they won because of whatever they did that everyone did, right?
Of course not, that’s ridiculous. They won because of a big envelope of cash that Kraft left for the refs before the game. Everybody knows this.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:25 PM
Also, I don’t know if any NFL owner has pulled a better scam on the taxpayers over the past decade than Tom Benson. Between demanding a new stadium before Katrina to leveraging to move the Saints after Katrina, he ended up with not only a massive taxpaer-funded renovation of the Super Dome but also a business tower right next to the dome that the state pays him millions every year to rent.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:26 PM
Huskerdawg doesnt celebrate the UGA women’s gymnastics titles apparently. I also recall MSU and Tom Izzo winning some shit.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:26 PM
I bet he sits at the penthouse of that tower bitching about welfare queens.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:27 PM
I don’t see the problem. The NFL is a business and whichever executive is tasked with negotiating the super bowl bids amongst competing cities has a responsibility to secure the best possible deal for the NFL. These cities are under no obligation to comply with the NFL’s request to waive these taxes for their employees.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:27 PM
That’s not what I said when the fumble return TD got called back. I was pretty sure Rams were winning that game at that point.
Jesus. I’m sorry about that… one thing you won’t see me doing is defending Red Sox and Patriots fans. The ones here are all reasonable, but on the whole… oof.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:27 PM
I was talking football only as I don’t care about the other things.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:29 PM
Wanna turn the NFL into a true free market? Take away its antitrust exemption.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:29 PM
Their hockey team won a title a little while ago too.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:30 PM
ATL is going to get $200 million from the city if the current proposal is passed, and they’re bitching about it like it’s no tomorrow. Cracks me up.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:30 PM
WWoS, I agree with you that I hate losing more than I enjoy winning. A decade of defeat will wear you down, no doubt. At the very least, option B would put a serious strain on my marriage.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:30 PM
That’s not what I said when the fumble return TD got called back. I was pretty sure Rams were winning that game at that point.
The Rams offer of a night with Georgia Frontiere was heavily considered but ultimately the envelope won. Come on, man, don’t you ever read a history book?
March 15th, 2013 at 1:31 PM
Hector Marinaro, Otto Orf, Zoran Karic…talk about a dream team
March 15th, 2013 at 1:31 PM
The NFL is a business
Doesnt the NFL file as a non-profit org?
March 15th, 2013 at 1:31 PM
Only an SEC fan with their hive mind mentality would consider this a slight. BIG fans don’t think like that.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:32 PM
It’s not on the list, but the Patriots stadium was entirely private funding, at least initially. I think infrastructure or something ended up being public… but either was it was at least a ‘fair’ deal for the taxpayers.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:34 PM
I’ve thought about it enough now. Winning a championship is worth more to me. I’m an odd sort, I suppose, but I get some enjoyment from rooting for a god-awful team and the highs are pretty sweet. Fuck, I feel like the Orioles won a World Series last year after the terribleness they exhibited for the 15 years prior.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:34 PM
Nor would most people I assume.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:36 PM
http://prod.static.vikings.clubs.nfl.com/assets/docs/stadium/DES-recent-nfl-stadiums.pdf
Here’s a better link with details on the public contributions.
For instance it actually cost the public more for Metlife than it did for Gilette
March 15th, 2013 at 1:36 PM
A fair deal, but also fair to note that at first he signed a deal to move the damn team to Hartford where they would pay for it and the only reason they didn’t was because the location ended up being unusable. In the Brady mold of “he’s so selfless, despite when he isn’t.”
March 15th, 2013 at 1:36 PM
Hector Marinaro, Otto Orf, Zoran Karic…talk about a dream team
/lights KAZ signal
There was a gameworn Umbro jersey online for sale from one of the players but it was a size small!!!
March 15th, 2013 at 1:36 PM
Haha. Husker, you’re so easy to get riled up. I brought some facts about UGA’s lack of success, and you get all butthurt. Settle down.
Also, MSU did win the Big 10 a few years ago in football.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:36 PM
I’m guessing this is why a lot of the new stadiums are the soulless warehouse/airport-looking dome types – Ford Field, Jerry Dome, Lucas Oil, etc. – that can at least host Final Fours, Super Bowls and other events.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:38 PM
FUCK YOU CC SABATHIA. YOU WERE THE DAMN CY YOUNG WINNER, AT HOME, IN A CLOSE OUT GAME AND YOU BITCHED OUT. THANKS FOR SHIT.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:38 PM
It’s insane that they are allowed to.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:38 PM
Split the title with Wisconsin, no? Got dumped down to a lesser bowl than the BCS. I was talking about their last outright win.
And yes, I know you’re picking a fight with me, but I can’t help myself. If you were a Michigan fan I would tip my hat as I respect that program (insert Spencer shot at MICH here). I just find MSU to be a 4th-tier program. And I think their coach is a prick.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:38 PM
Also I have to imagine that Charlotte will be the next ones to get shaken down for renovations at the threat of moving.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:38 PM
BTW,we are trying to pay off a $600 million convention center and my property taxes went up, so if any of y’all want to have a big party in the Music City, come on down.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:39 PM
I don’t know about that, but they have a pretty sweet anti-trust exemption.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:40 PM
I think teams should start threatening to leave for the USFL unless they get a new stadium.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:40 PM
holy shit, the Glazers didn’t spend a dime on Tampa’s stadium? that is diabolical.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:40 PM
There is a sort of train wreck fascination with watching your favorite team devolve into a bad team.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:41 PM
Ford Field aint bad, outside of it being in Detroit. I went to Gold Cup game and Motor City Bowl there and thought it was decent enough for a dome.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:42 PM
Not picking a fight, just cracking jokes. And you can rip on MSU football all you want. It doesn’t get to me. MSU is not a national power, and is not a top tier program in the Big10. I’m not acting like they’re something that they’re not.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:43 PM
Oh, absolutely. And while Brady didn’t break the bank, he did get a big jump in guaranteed money as a 36 year old QB.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:44 PM
I’m still happy from the White Sox sweeping the Astros in 2005. So long as the Tigers or Twins don’t win a World Series, I could live with another decade of futility.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:45 PM
I’m sure you read the Deadspin piece where they got ahold of the financials. Of course the cynic in me thinks it won’t matter and they’ll get whatever they want, but it was pretty damaging; especially considering how loud Richardson (think that’s his name) was during the lockout.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:45 PM
Jacksonville, Carolina… crappy teams shouldn’t get to say how much revenue they bring to a city.
I really can’t see fans storming through the city gates of Charlotte to count Cam Newton tattoos on a 4-12 team.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:46 PM
I love the Dome in Atlanta. It gets so fucking loud. I really hope the new stadium takes noise into consideration. Or the opposite of what Jerry Jones did.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:46 PM
No, no there isn’t.
/2011 Red Sox
//2012 Red Sox
///
2013 Red SoxOptimism, bitches!
March 15th, 2013 at 1:47 PM
Ford Field, Jerry Dome, Lucas Oil, etc. – that can at least host Final Fours, Super Bowls and other events.
Part of this, is your city has to have the necessary hotel space too. If your city has a proper convention space the dome itself isn’t as necessary.
The Bengals have the best deal. Hamilton County is going to be paying millions on that for the next 20 years. Destroyed in negotiations by the Bengals ownership.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:48 PM
I am judging it based on how it looks on television, which I grant isn’t entirely fair. the other two, though…
March 15th, 2013 at 1:49 PM
Red Sox don’t count, yet, WWoS. They’d need to go on a run of at least 4 years as bad as 2012 for you to get the feeling right. Preferably longer than that if you want to do it right.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:50 PM
Yep. I lived there through many referendums on stadium financing for baseball and basketball. If it has to goto a vote, I don’t see any way it’s going to pass.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:50 PM
but I get some enjoyment from rooting for a god-awful team and the highs are pretty sweet
Indians Baseball 1981-1993. Come on down, you had a whole section to yourself for foul balls.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:51 PM
Take your Red Sox crybaby shit and kindly leave.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:52 PM
Love how in 2002, the voters of Charlotte voted down a new arena, then the City Council turned around and voted to build one anyway.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:52 PM
Indians Baseball 1981-1993. Come on down, you had a whole section to yourself for foul balls.
That is like the apex of what I’m talking about. Not only were they hopelessly terrible, they were playing in a city that was losing all of its industry, in a stadium with something like 80,000 seats for baseball.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:53 PM
from 116 wins to 63 in the span of three years. giddy up!
March 15th, 2013 at 1:54 PM
With JBJ, Bogaerts and Webster making HoF cases 3 years into their careers? Doubtful.
Though with these owners and their knee-jerk reactions to everything, who the hell knows. Oh no we have bad chemistry, let’s overpay Gomes/Victorino!
March 15th, 2013 at 1:55 PM
ask a marlins fan or a diamondbacks fan
/crickets
March 15th, 2013 at 1:56 PM
And the voter opinion has been reflected in the attendance every year.
Great minor league hockey arena though.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:57 PM
On the flip side, watching your team go from 119 losses to the World Series in four years is pretty sweet.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:57 PM
Didn’t realize the Chckers played downtown now. They were still playing out on Independence when I left town.
March 15th, 2013 at 1:58 PM
Huskerdawg doesnt celebrate the UGA women’s gymnastics titles
too bad. that’s where the titties are, gymnastically
March 15th, 2013 at 1:59 PM
But hey, the Indians weren’t fingerbanging any drunk teen girls, so there was no problem of culture to contend with.
/ STeubenville’d
March 15th, 2013 at 2:01 PM
Not only were they hopelessly terrible, they were playing in a city that was losing all of its industry, in a stadium with something like 80,000 seats for baseball.
There would be these fireworks nights around 4th of July and they’d sell out. 80k for a baseball game you’d get some crazy noise. Part of it is nostalgia I’m sure but it was unlike anything I heard at the Jake and there were some insane good times there. 1993 last night game, they had a sell out and Carlos Baerga came up to hit, he had a pulled hammy but they let him pinch hit b/c he had 199 hits and he wanted 200. Drops down a bunt. Still possibly the loudest thing I ever heard at the game. God people loved that guy from 92-95 it was absurd how good of a hitter he was, like a coked out switch-hitting Kirby Puckett.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:01 PM
Now there’s an oxymoron for you.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:02 PM
Hector Marinaro, Otto Orf, Zoran Karic…talk about a dream team
if you did this off the top of your head, i don’t whether to congratulate you or pity you
March 15th, 2013 at 2:03 PM
I have no idea who you are trying to insult. However that is untrue. Manny Ramirez fucked more underage girls than Bieber.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:04 PM
Alicia Sacramone is the Dolly Parton of gymnastics.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:05 PM
Manny Ramirez fucked more underage girls than Bieber.
Tim Ryan wishes he didn’t know why this comment is true.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:07 PM
while looking for some proof of ncaa gymnasts racks, i came across this treasure trove for guys who like athletic/workout women
March 15th, 2013 at 2:08 PM
There would be these fireworks nights around 4th of July and they’d sell out. 80k for a baseball game you’d get some crazy noise.
That sounds legitimately awesome. I have nostalgia trips for seeing the O’s at Memorial Stadium and all the D.C. suburbanites marching en masse through Baltimore to get from their cars to the stadium
March 15th, 2013 at 2:08 PM
that’s where the titties are, gymnastically
Now there’s an oxymoron for you.
Alicia Sacramone is the Dolly Parton of gymnastics.
the ones that are starved tittiless are training for the olympics somewhere other than college. the rest compete for ncaa titles
March 15th, 2013 at 2:14 PM
This is the reason I would support a new stadium in Downtown San Diego. If you are already a destination type city, and you build it to be multi-purpose (& most likely retractable roofed) you can bring enough big events to the area to justify the public cost. In SD, I think there is a case for it paying off over years of economic growth spurred on by the number of events it brings to the area. A lot harder to sell that everywhere.
/won’t matter, SD voters will not approve.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:16 PM
it’s pretty astounding to think just how much Bill Bavasi ran the team into the ground. he traded Mike Morse and Asdrubal Cabrera for nothing because he figured the team was set with Yuniensky Betancourt and Jose Lopez in the middle infield. it’s been over four years since they shitcanned him and they’re only barely beginning to recover.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:17 PM
Retractable roof in SD? For noise purposes, I assume?
Reliant Stadium in Houston has a retractable roof. Which is NEVER open, even when it’s 65 or 70 degrees. Waste of money. I believe Atlanta (similar climate) is planning on putting one into their new stadium. Waste of money.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:19 PM
In SD, I think there is a case for it paying off over years of economic growth spurred on by the number of events it brings to the area. A lot harder to sell that everywhere.
You’re looked at about $1.1 BILLION for a retractable seat dome if you still have to acquire the land. Plus the “economic growth” in surrounding areas is just a development shift and not really a net gain for the area. Gains are in the hands of developers and not the city. That’s a huge tax burden for taxpayers who are essentially fronting all the money for these owners who should be able to source it from their own wealth or income.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:19 PM
This is the reason I would support a new stadium in Downtown San Diego.
Where would it go?
March 15th, 2013 at 2:21 PM
Cabrera, Choo, Omar Vizquel. The Mariners love trading with the Indians.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:21 PM
Retractable roof in SD? For noise purposes, I assume?
No, it’s so you can use it as a convention center. L.A. had the same idea with the stadium plan they were trying to push to get an NFL team back here.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Retractable roofs are, by and large, a waste of money. Just gives the team or MLB reason to keep it closed too often.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:28 PM
ATL needs one. Straight up. People won’t go to games when it’s 45 outside. If it’s raining? Oh hell no. It sucks, but it’s true.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:29 PM
on baseball stadiums it’s a total joke, because the weather is typically nice enough during baseball season that a retractable roof is hardly ever used between maybe the first and last weeks of the season.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:31 PM
the Vizquel trade was justifiable because they had A-Rod waiting in the minors. the other two still make my head hurt.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:31 PM
i wonder when roofs are used, is it more often for rain or high/low temp?
March 15th, 2013 at 2:32 PM
the other two still make my head hurt.
choo is not exactly a difference maker
March 15th, 2013 at 2:38 PM
he’s been a decent-to-very good starting outfielder for a few years now, but Seattle gave up on him quickly and traded him for Ben Broussard (a very medicore platoon first baseman/DH).
March 15th, 2013 at 2:40 PM
choo is not exactly a difference maker
Just netted the Indians Bauer in a trade. Was top 10 OBP for three of the last 4 years. 2010 was top 10 in OPS, WAR. 2009-2010 was top 10 in various runs created metrics. Acquired for Ben Broussard, a poor man’s Casey Kotchman.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:42 PM
so he made a difference in trades
March 15th, 2013 at 2:46 PM
he was a .289/.381/.465 20-20 guy in Cleveland; the M’s finished last season with Trayvon Robinson, Franklin Gutierrez, and Casper Wells in their outfield.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:47 PM
the roof is so it can be used for Final Four event. Obviously it is a splurge that isn’t necessary to draw football/soccer/concerts
March 15th, 2013 at 2:49 PM
so he made a difference in trades
you struggling with modern baseball metrics? Go spend some time on baseball reference. otherwise you’re just being a bitch for being shown otherwise that choo wasnt a good player.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:49 PM
For baseball, totally agree, just look at Miller Park. Even when its open, the roof dominates your view. That place feels much more like a football stadium.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:49 PM
They will end up keeping it closed all the time. It’s 70 degrees outside, but we want the crowd noise. Close the roof. Just build a dome.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:52 PM
Roofs are evil.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:56 PM
The cost of that retractable feature is like $300mm, no? That’s like 15-20 state of the art high schools.
March 15th, 2013 at 2:59 PM
you struggling with modern baseball metrics? Go spend some time on baseball reference. otherwise you’re just being a bitch for being shown otherwise that choo wasnt a good player.
no problem with your stats. i didn’t say he wasn’t a good player. i said difference maker, which to me means helps a team win. i know no baseball player can win games alone but good stats on bad teams mean little to me. seattle and cleveland traded him why?
is he injury prone? lots of Ks for a leadoff hitter
guess we’ll see
March 15th, 2013 at 3:00 PM
That’s like 15-20 state of the art high schools.
Or about half of one in L.A.
March 15th, 2013 at 3:00 PM
guess we’ll see
shit is getting REAL!
March 15th, 2013 at 3:03 PM
Excellent point. The $200 million ATL will pump into the new building could really help their shitty city schools.
March 15th, 2013 at 3:06 PM
The cost of that retractable feature is like $300mm, no? That’s like 15-20 state of the art high schools.
screw the schools, fix the fucking airport
March 15th, 2013 at 3:07 PM
Hey, just noticed that all those intrusive new features between the post and the comments, aside from “AroundTheWeb,” are now gone.
Victory for the commentariat?
March 15th, 2013 at 3:08 PM
I remember hearing this same garbage when people were trying to say that Felix didn’t deserve the Cy Young a few years back.
the Phillies and Diamondbacks both traded Curt Schilling. that guy must be a bum!
March 15th, 2013 at 3:09 PM
The hell does that even mean?
March 15th, 2013 at 3:10 PM
the Phillies and Diamondbacks both traded Curt Schilling. that guy must be a bum!
Orioles, too. On the other hand, I do hate Schilling
March 15th, 2013 at 3:12 PM
i didn’t say he wasn’t a good player. i said difference maker, which to me means helps a team win. i know no baseball player can win games alone but good stats on bad teams mean little to me. seattle and cleveland traded him why?
really thin. good players are difference makers. good stats on bad teams mean little to you? god help you. Seattle got hosed b/c their GM sucks, CLE traded him b/c Scott Boras told them they are testing the UFA market. You’re wrong in this discussion about 3 ways. I am a level headed baseball fan but you’re being trolly or obstinate. Either way not worth discussing further.
March 15th, 2013 at 3:12 PM
//Puts down pitchfork.
March 15th, 2013 at 3:14 PM
Well, the state of Rhode Island thinks so.
March 15th, 2013 at 3:18 PM
Agreed scripts. Don’t see how I’m wrong tho. I didn’t say he wasn’t good
March 15th, 2013 at 3:28 PM
“I agree Choo is a good baseball player. He just doesn’t make a difference.”
-Shit that doesn’t make sense
March 15th, 2013 at 3:30 PM
Andrew McCutchen: Great player, but he doesn’t help you win baseball games.
David Eckstein: Fuckin difference maker right there.
March 15th, 2013 at 3:39 PM
Scalia if it doesn’t make sense then you have your own definition of difference maker. What is it?
I can say easily that pitchers make a difference. Much harder for a batter/fielder. I retract the phrase difference-maker for a position player bc I originAlly adhered it to winning team. That’s unfair to one non pitcher
Sorry for any outrage caused and the poor typing from a kindle
March 15th, 2013 at 3:40 PM
300 million does not equal 15-20 state of the art high schools. Try like 4-. I am involved in the development of one right now. Looking at a cool 60 mil to get it going. We already have the bond money to build it, but the high school district is worried the added staff, maint, etc. will put the annual operating budget in the red.
Long story short… add the roof. Get a final 4 to pay for it.