Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

[Woodman]

Erie County Executive- Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved - NBC Sports

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred recently bungled not by believing communities need to be willing to pay for sports stadiums but by saying it out loud. It’s something that doesn’t ever need to be said, because it’s a given.
In Western New York, for example, it was a given that the Bills would have moved without free money to build their new stadium. In an interview with Tim O’Shei of the Buffalo News, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz made that belief crystal clear.
“The NFL is a business,” Poloncarz said, via Sports Business Journal. “You’re negotiating with one of 32 of the owners of the business. They have the ability, like a lot of the other businesses that we’ve seen in our town, to move if they feel it’s better for them. They have a business goal in mind, which is, in general, to make as much money as possible.

[Forward_Lateral]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Of the current 32 teams, guess how many stadiums were built without tax payer dollars?

Three.

Met Life, Gillette and So-Fi. So-Fi the only recent one.

[Bill Cody]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Of the current 32 teams, guess how many stadiums were built without tax payer dollars?

Three.

Met Life, Gillette and So-Fi. So-Fi the only recent one.

Yeah it's obscene

[Goobylal]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

And if Buffalo didn't do it, some other city would have.

[Night Train]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

That's true of any small market that receives revenue sharing.

If we let Jones and other big market owners call the shots, half the NFL teams would be dissolved.

[YardRat]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Bull****. Polencarz takes advantage of every opportunity he gets to disparage the Bills, in whatever way he can. Big time little man syndrome when it comes to dealing with the organization, he's pathetic.

[gr8slayer]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Right or wrong, it's the reality of sports in today's world. If you want a professional team, the tax payer is likely going to have to cough up some money.

[Forward_Lateral]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Bull****. Polencarz takes advantage of every opportunity he gets to disparage the Bills, in whatever way he can. Big time little man syndrome when it comes to dealing with the organization, he's pathetic.

I do find it insulting to my intelligence that he just assumes Pegula would move the team. Has Terry every come out and said that? I highly doubt it. But you know how the media works these days, make up crap and apologize after instead of due diligence and making sure you have the facts.

[notacon]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Of the current 32 teams, guess how many stadiums were built without tax payer dollars?

Three.

Met Life, Gillette and So-Fi. So-Fi the only recent one.

Not surprising. NYC & LA are the two largest media markets in the US. Boston is #9. NE is one also of the richest teams, and most profitable in the NFL.

I have no problem with taxpayer money spent on stadiums that are a huge benefit to the citizens in the area.

How about this....

Of all the American cities how many have parks that were built and maintained without taxpayer money? NONE.

Of the 424 National Park Sites, how many are maintained without taxpayer money??? NONE!!!

I could go on and on and on. The fact is that a thriving society uses taxpayer money to advance the interests and benefits to the people that live in that society.

The argument that sports stadiums only benefit the people that attend the games is silly and dishonest. I have visited only a handful of National Park sites. So what???

[Bill Cody]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Not surprising. NYC & LA are the two largest media markets in the US. Boston is #9. NE is one also of the richest teams, and most profitable in the NFL.

I have no problem with taxpayer money spent on stadiums that are a huge benefit to the citizens in the area.

How about this....

Of all the American cities how many have parks that were built and maintained without taxpayer money? NONE.

Of the 424 National Park Sites, how many are maintained without taxpayer money??? NONE!!!

I could go on and on and on. The fact is that a thriving society uses taxpayer money to advance the interests and benefits to the people that live in that society.

The argument that sports stadiums only benefit the people that attend the games is silly and dishonest. I have visited only a handful of National Park sites. So what???

The difference if the government owns the parks, in almost all cases the billionaire owner owns the stadium. Owning an NFL team is similar to owning a dollar printing press. The people getting these public handouts do not need them. It's a form of extortion. I'm all for providing infrastructure support but these billionaire handouts are offensive. It is a zero sum game in this case. The money spent on stadiums is not spent on other badly needed programs for people that actually need the help.

It's like a cyber attack, in this case the pirate is the billionaire. "Give me X or I release your date". "Give me X or I move the team". A lot of times it's just bluster. Bob Kraft threatened to move to CT or RI. MA said "go ahead". He caved.

[Goobylal]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

The difference if the government owns the parks, in almost all cases the billionaire owner owns the stadium. Owning an NFL team is similar to owning a dollar printing press. The people getting these public handouts do not need them. It's a form of extortion. I'm all for providing infrastructure support but these billionaire handouts are offensive. It is a zero sum game in this case. The money spent on stadiums is not spent on other badly needed programs for people that actually need the help.

It's like a cyber attack, in this case the pirate is the billionaire. "Give me X or I release your date". "Give me X or I move the team". A lot of times it's just bluster. Bob Kraft threatened to move to CT or RI. MA said "go ahead". He caved.

If an NFL stadium is mostly funded by taxpayers, the owner doesn't own it.

[Bill Cody]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

If an NFL stadium is mostly funded by taxpayers, the owner doesn't own it.

ok thanks

[Woodman]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

If an NFL stadium is mostly funded by taxpayers, the owner doesn't own it.

He owns the team absolutely.

[Goobylal]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

He owns the team absolutely.

Of course. He paid cash for it. However the new stadium will be owned by the State of NY.

[Woodman]

Re: Without taxpayer help, the Bills would have moved

Of course. He paid cash for it. However the new stadium will be owned by the State of NY.

Absolutely of course.

We need the team he needs the stadium.

Works for me.