Oakland has until Wednesday to present the NFL with a financing plan to give the Raiders a new stadium, but city officials say that no plan is forthcoming, Rachel Swan of The San Francisco Chronicle writes. Instead, Oakland will send a letter to league officials simply updating them on the city’s efforts to persuade the Raiders to stay in town. The NFL has been looking to pressure Oakland (as well as St. Louis and San Diego) into coughing up tax dollars to finance new stadiums, but right now it looks like Oakland is not willing to play ball.
Here’s more on the Raiders, Chargers, Rams, and Los Angeles:
- A decision on Los Angeles will happen within the month of January, an NFL source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News (on Twitter). A path to the 24 votes needed to relocate a team, he adds, will happen one way or another.
- The St. Louis Stadium Task Force announced that it has submitted its official proposal to the NFL today, a day ahead of the deadline to file, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The proposal calls for the Rams to contribute “no less than $250MM to the project, with the NFL investing $300MM.” Meanwhile, the plan calls for the city and state to invest $400MM through “traditional public funding sources.” The local stadium authority would work with the Rams to design a stadium that would include PSLs. The proposal calls for the Rams to hold a 30-year lease to go along with an “enforceable non-relocation agreement.” The plan also calls for the Rams to “accommodate a MLS tenant under a market rate lease term.” The total cost of the project? – a cool $1.1 billion.
We, the tax payers, shouldn’t pay a dime to build anything. We have to pay the outrageous ticket prices and other costs to see crappy football. The NFL is so damn arrogant.
Then it’s simple…..don’t pay and watch your team move elsewhere. Try very hard to understand that although football is a sport, first and foremost it’s a business. The #1 priority of a business is to make a profit. No profit, no product. We’re waiting patiently here in LA to get a team from one of the cities where “taxpayers” feel put upon. I’ll gladly pay more taxes to have a team here.
You’re welcome to give all the money you want to “your” team. Many taxpayers don’t even pay attention to sports. Why should they have to pay taxes for your enjoyment. You watch them on TV.
While an undertaking like this seems absurd to fans, think about all the taxpayers that this will benefit. Giving people jobs in construction, stadium hospitality, etc. It can be construed as an investment in the local economy.
Not sure if there are any numbers to support that assertion, but at face value I don’t think it’s all bad even if the team sucks.
Then let’s start funding all school systems with equipment and more coaches. More money spent on new schools, larger classrooms, new computers, paid masseuses for the teachers. GET IT? We should NOT subsidize billionaires. Besides we all don’t pay attention to sports. Why should someone on fixed incomes pay for a sports stadium, when the billionaire that owns the team can pay the whole bill.
As a teacher, I like all of those ideas. With the amount of spending currently in education, we could make adjustments and probably afford all of that.
You are correct no taxpayer money for sports stadiums. It’s welfare for billionaires.
The Chargers owner should accept cash from the Rams owner and trade teams, surrendering his rights to LA in exchange for a city that wants to build a stadium. The cash from the Rams owner could make the STL stadium happen.
Chargers and Raiders in LA.
STL gets a stadium, an owner that wants to be there and they keep their team.
As long as the taxpayer doesn’t have to pay a penny, I’m all for it!
NO taxpayer should have to pay a penny for a sports stadium.
Why are you on a sports page complaining about paying taxes for a stadium, you should be on a local government page complaining that your city is offering to pay it.