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| Posted By: Robert Douglas Posted On: Sep 3, 2002 Views: 117 | The Tragedy Continues... Well, it appears that baseball has been given a new lease until 2007 when we get another shot at getting rid of it. I wouldn't be a bit surprised that if the whole thing was a publicity stunt. Baseball robs taxpayers of their money on a daily basis by supporting stadiums for private, rich owners and players. It is sickening that I live in a city with 3 sports teams. With 2 stadiums (soon to be 3) for the exclusive use of rich people who could buy their own. Professional sports does jack to benefit any city and I quite honestly was on a roll after we lost the olympics. I never had any doubt but there is a God. I especially loved the part seeing those olympic supporters crying knowing Houston has no chance for at least 20 years. HAHAHA. So, I will never set foot in your stadiums or buy your overprices merchandise or beer, rich team owners. Hear that Bud Selig!?! You know you serve no function to the human race. All of the oxygen consumed by you, the players, and owners needs to be redirected to other people. Speaking of functioning, I want someone to tell me how professional sports benefits a city? (Government tax dollars collected from taxpayers-supported high salaries excluded!) What does professional sports do to benefit society and the human race at a whole? |
| Posted By: Baseball trustbuster Posted On: Sep 4, 2002 Views: 107 | RE: The Tragedy Continues... I feel your pain. I used to live in Houston too. In fact as I was reading your letter, I could tell you were in Houston by your description of the various Stadiums that the taxpayers had paid for for the rich owners. I have always been against public money (taxes and other increased city services) going to owners. When I lived in Houston, I really got tired of Drayton's sobbing over how much he has lost. No one has ever opened their books to the public. What the fans have to understand is that baseball enjoys something none of the other sports enjoy. It is called Anti-trust Protection. Until we, the fans, are able to get our congressmen/women to take away that protection, all we will have is a bandage on a bullet hole. The patient will eventually die to loss of blood. The Astros' owner knew that the players had gone on strike 7 times before he bought the team in 1992-3. He knew they were most likely going to go on strike in 1994. If he didn't, he is more an idiot than I gave him credit for in the first place. Anyway, he complains about making bad business decisions. If he were running IBM and made those same kind of bad business decisions, he'd be out on his ass, not getting a new Stadium built for him. Granted, it is a nice park, but I never had a problem with the Astrodome. At least the beer was cheaper there. Baseball Trustbuster |
| Posted By: Baseball trustbuster Posted On: Sep 4, 2002 Views: 106 | RE: The Tragedy Continues... Now an argument from the other side of the fence. You ask what benefit does professional sports do for a city? The answer is bring other businesses into the area. If I am a CEO for a major company and I want to move to a new city, sports franchises along with other major entertainment will be the focus of my search committee. I mean, I wouldn't want to transfer my people from the city they lived in to a cowpoke town that has nothing to do after the lights go out at 6:00PM. That with the tax writeoffs that the IRS code gives us, we can buy large luxury suites that are pretty much a tax writeoff. This, in case no one is watching, is another way the Tax Dollar pays for the new Stadium. Back to my argument though as to what they do. The new companies coming into a city for reasons that that particular city has sports franchises will bring Economic growth to that community. Business Conventions are usually scheduled around a sports Franchises Team Schedule. Again, you have to do something after the meetings are over with and again, the tax dollar pays for it. With the conventions, comes economic advantages such as hotels being booked, Taxis being taken, rental cars being rented. In the deal the Houston Voters signed off on to build Enron, er Minute Maid Park, the taxes of Hotels, Taxis, and Rental Cars went up. This, the owner's said was what was paying for the stadiums, not the Tax Dollar. Nice try politicians. Try explaining that to someone who doesn't know better. You see, if there was no new Stadiums, the city could have still increased the taxes on those items and used that money to fix roads, build bridges, fund schools. But I forgot, that money is now going to the Owners. Hope this tongue in cheek answer helps.... Baseball Trustbuster |