The part I hate is that a host city shouldn’t have any obligations for a privately owned team. The owners get tax breaks and other concessions for building complexes that will be completely private facilities afterwards. Owners and owner groups can easily afford to fund all of this themselves but gain favors by playing on the opportunity for the city to have a sports franchise.
While area businesses may benefit from the presence of a sports team, the general public ends up financing a good chunk with at best marginal returns.
Even worse when you got fans of the team on the council, they cant seem to comprehend that there are other hobbies or interests so paying loads to the arena for ice time for kids while saying to other groups that the commune cant afford renovations on the dance hall or swimming pool (which are also supposed to be funded from the same budget as “young activities”)
I kinda agree. But if a city has enough money to afford a sports team, they should invest more into the local tax base.
But as far as the Stanley cup goes, billionaires aren’t beholden to the Golden rule, so tax the fuck out of them.
Absolutely tax the billionaires.
The part I hate is that a host city shouldn’t have any obligations for a privately owned team. The owners get tax breaks and other concessions for building complexes that will be completely private facilities afterwards. Owners and owner groups can easily afford to fund all of this themselves but gain favors by playing on the opportunity for the city to have a sports franchise.
While area businesses may benefit from the presence of a sports team, the general public ends up financing a good chunk with at best marginal returns.
Even worse when you got fans of the team on the council, they cant seem to comprehend that there are other hobbies or interests so paying loads to the arena for ice time for kids while saying to other groups that the commune cant afford renovations on the dance hall or swimming pool (which are also supposed to be funded from the same budget as “young activities”)