The NFL Takes Taxpayer Money but Doesn't Have to Pay Taxes

How is the government using (abusing) the tax code to pick winners and losers in any way a reflection on the free market?
 
An older but good article about it: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keown/080930 I usually go to it when this kind of debate comes up.

But I don't know if this particular issue is left-right. In San Francisco Giants Stadium was built without public funds, while in another liberal land New York taxpayers will pay over $550 million for Yankee Stadium.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't really say there is a free market in professional sports. I never understood why Congress was involved in the steroids scandal. Who cares? A lot of people, which is why professional sports get such breaks in some ways and scrutiny in others. They get free advertising every single night on the local news and it's ingrained in the culture. Franchises and local governments can be so cozy that I wonder if these are really private companies anymore.

But that's the way people want it, so I don't get too worked up over it.
 
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ALL gov'ts love public sports..

Without public sports Rome would of failed and fall a long time ago...

For peanuts on the dollar they get to keep a placated mass!!!  Now that is a deal

Still wondering what does a person who can throw a ball into a basket can contribute to society compared to a scientist and engineers, if we are talking $$$ to value of society ratio.

 
Finger_Shocker said:
ALL gov'ts love public sports..

Without public sports Rome would of failed and fall a long time ago...

For peanuts on the dollar they get to keep a placated mass!!! Now that is a deal

Still wondering what does a person who can throw a ball into a basket can contribute to society compared to a scientist and engineers, if we are talking $$$ to value of society ratio.
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Posted on a videogame deals website.

 
willardhaven said:
Video games can be quite subversive. Look at Final Fantasy VII... it depicts a group similar to the ELF as its main heroes.
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Then there's Mario. If you eat enough mushrooms and try to fuck a princess, eventually a turtle with spikes on his back will ruin your day.

 
Why does the NFL get the tax breaks much like a religious institution??? Because it's THE religious institution in the good ol' US and A (Borat reference)! People worship sports and NFL takes the cake. Jesus could only wish he could get as much attention and idolatry! 

 
Spokker said:
An older but good article about it: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keown/080930 I usually go to it when this kind of debate comes up.

But I don't know if this particular issue is left-right. In San Francisco Giants Stadium was built without public funds, while in another liberal land New York taxpayers will pay over $550 million for Yankee Stadium.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't really say there is a free market in professional sports. I never understood why Congress was involved in the steroids scandal. Who cares? A lot of people, which is why professional sports get such breaks in some ways and scrutiny in others. They get free advertising every single night on the local news and it's ingrained in the culture. Franchises and local governments can be so cozy that I wonder if these are really private companies anymore.

But that's the way people want it, so I don't get too worked up over it.
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Maybe that is the first article of yours that I appreciate! Here is another one. People who support this are just uninformed idiots suckered in by the emotional attraction of mob frenzy. Here is another read on what a waste of dollars subsidizing these stadiums are.

Why Do Mayors Love Sports Stadiums?
Numerous cities are littered with “downtown catalysts” that failed to catalyze.
http://www.thenation.com/article/162400/why-do-mayors-love-sports-stadiums#

"As University of Chicago economist Allen Sanderson memorably put it, “If you want to inject money into the local economy, it would be better to drop it from a helicopter than invest it in a new ballpark.”"

 
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This was my favorite part-

The reason NFL executives’ pay is known is that in 2008, the IRS moved to strengthen the requirement that 501(c)6 organizations disclose payments to top officers. The NFL asked Congress to grant pro football a waiver from the disclosure rule. During the lobbying battle, Joe Browne, then the league’s vice president for public affairs, told The New York Times, “I finally get to the point where I’m making 150 grand, and they want to put my name and address on the [disclosure] form so the lawyer next door who makes a million dollars a year can laugh at me.” Browne added that $150,000 does not buy in the New York area what it would in “Dubuque, Iowa.” The waiver was denied. Left no option, the NFL revealed that at the time, Browne made about $2 million annually.

 
joeboosauce said:
Numerous cities are littered with “downtown catalysts” that failed to catalyze.
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It happens time and time again. Local politicians push big projects, be it light rail, a stadium or some freeway widening, and the costs are underestimated and the benefits over estimated. They love to cut the ribbon on opening day in front of the cameras, but getting streets repaved or existing bus service funded is not often a priority.

The best thing to do in my opinion is to choose to live in a fiscally conservative but socially liberal city, but both major parties in the U.S. love their big projects so it can be difficult to not be on the hook for this stuff as a taxpayer.

 
Spokker said:
It happens time and time again. Local politicians push big projects, be it light rail, a stadium or some freeway widening, and the costs are underestimated and the benefits over estimated. They love to cut the ribbon on opening day in front of the cameras, but getting streets repaved or existing bus service funded is not often a priority.

The best thing to do in my opinion is to choose to live in a fiscally conservative but socially liberal city, but both major parties in the U.S. love their big projects so it can be difficult to not be on the hook for this stuff as a taxpayer.
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Couldn't have said it better myself. How else can politicians get publicity? If not by plastering their name all over one of these big projects.

Basically 3 or 4 issues move the political needle. Crime, education, economy and big projects. The former 3 are all fickle things, hard to control and get results, but that last one, that one is easy. Anyone can come up with a big project and plaster their name all over it. The press eats it up. The public loves it. You are viewed as a "job creator" and your approval numbers skyrocket. Even if the project turns out to be an absolute disaster you'll still be remembered. Par for the course in today's politics.

 
Finger_Shocker said:
ALL gov'ts love public sports..

Without public sports Rome would of failed and fall a long time ago...

For peanuts on the dollar they get to keep a placated mass!!! Now that is a deal

Still wondering what does a person who can throw a ball into a basket can contribute to society compared to a scientist and engineers, if we are talking $$$ to value of society ratio.
Click to expand...
Yep, you nailed it. In all honesty, nothing more needs to be said. TV keeps the masses occupied and distracted and as long as that remains status quo, like it has the last 25+ years, politicians can continue doing whatever they want. They will do whatever is necessary to make sure that doesn't change and that includes giving the NFL whatever it wants. This is one of the main reasons Congress got involved with the steroids scandal with Baseball. They spent over 120 million dollars of taxpayers money plus a huge amount of time that could have been spent on legitimate issues. Nope, Congress had to get involved as it didn't want to risk a scandal like this disenfranchising fans, especially younger fans. The younger you get them hooked, the better the chance that they will remain fans for life. Again, the government will do whatever is necessary to keep the professional sports machine running.

In regards to interest in government, the US has one of the most apathetic populations in the entire world. Our local news station did a piece a few months back where it walked around and asked civilians basic questions about the government. It was one of the most shocking pieces I have ever seen. There were college graduates that couldn't even name who the last president was and didn't know that the presidential elections are held every 4 years. You had people that still thought there were 48 states in the US. Out of all the people questioned, which wound up being around 40 people, only 1 person was able to name the 3 branches of the US government. Again, it was one of the most shocking news pieces I have ever seen. My wife and I just sat there in utter disbelief. Of course, this is exactly what the US government wants and it will do whatever it can to ensure things remain this way.

 
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