Sports For the Low, Low Price of $100 Million
posted by on August 2 at 11:03 AM
Today the Tacoma News Tribune reports:
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels reaffirmed his commitment on Wednesday to work toward a long-term solution to keep the Seattle SuperSonics in town.But he expects the Sonics’ ownership group to make a significant contribution in return.
How about $100 million for a starting point?
“If the Sonics were willing to put $100 million dollars into a new arena, or if they’d be willing to invest that in KeyArena, I think we could come up with some public resources to match that and to make it a long-term home for the Sonics,” Nickels said. “Those are the kind of general conversations I hope we get a chance to have.
“We have offered a number of different ideas to the past ownership and to the current ownership, and we’re looking forward to hearing their responses.”
UPDATE: Sonics owner Clay Bennett has responded to Nickels:
“In issuing our call to action last month, we were hopeful the Mayor would use his regional leadership platform to rally support for a solution. Instead he focused on old unworkable concepts that are not acceptable.”“It is clear that if all we have to discuss is the renovation of KeyArena, then a meeting with the Mayor will not be productive or necessary.”
“We can only hope that business, civic and elected leadership can step up quickly and offer real solutions to help build a new building. We stand ready to engage in those discussions.”
(Via Enjoy the Enjoyment.)
Fuck that. It's welfare for the rich. They can stay for free, or they can GTFO.
At least, that's my two cents.
Ol' Boss Hog Nickels is wheelin' and dealin'!
Guess that 75% (or whatevs) vote to tell the Sonics to F*^k Off didn't register at City Hall.
-$50 million for a solid gold all you can eat nacho bar.
I wonder what the mayor will spend the rest on?
Probably some other brilliant transportation scheme like a hovercraft that runs from his office to Mighty O Donuts
This boy Nickels is crazy. Why would these owners pay 100 mil when other cities wouldn't make them pay a dime? Nickels is a fool, y'all.
Because the open-ended commitment is always on the government end. They're fixed at $100 mil; what are we fixed at? $100 mil? or $200, 300, 500 mil? The Sonics want a $500 mil facility. Let 'em pay for it.
I wish that my hbbies were subsidized to the tune of 9-digit figures.
Supergp, he wants them to pay $100 million, not the other way around.
I hope that Gridlock Greg remembers that he is not a member of the State Legislature and he does not speak for them. If he wants to waste public funds on corporate welfare for sports millionaires he better do it with City of Seattle or King County funds be cause if he tries to get a dime out of the State Government (Like the NASCAR Scam artists did) we will fight him every step of the way in Olympia.
Hmmm...it's a good start on their end of the $300 million stadium. Now if he raises that to say, $300 million, I can get behind his plan.
@7: I understand that, but look, they're talking a half-billion-dollar stadium. That means if they pay $100 million, the city's ponying up four times that.
OOOOR we could pay $0 and the Sonics could take their sorry asses and go lose in Oklahoma.
I willingly choose to live in a high-tax city for the benefits of public art, (potentially, maybe someday) good transportation, blah, blah, blah. That doesn't mean I'll put up with the tax burden being made even greater to subsidize a sports industry hardly in need of financial help.
Um, $100 mil IS nine figures.
I prefer my public entertainment in the form of theatre, rather than basketball. Can I demand $100 million for my theatre company, too? Or do we have to cobble together our own funding from a combination of private donations, grants, bake sales, ticket sales, etc., etc.? Can I demand the city build me a theatre, then reject it a few years later and demand a larger, fancier one?
What makes sports so much more special than other forms of entertainment that they deserve to be taxpayer-subsidized?
Geni, most people actually watch sports. Theater, not so much. Sorry to break it to you, but life is just like high school.
Drama boring, Sports GOOD.
Um, theater, and opera, and the symphony, and the ballet are all heavily subsidized. We built the symphony and the opera new buildings. Not that we should do it again for sports -- the Sonics, unlike the opera or symphony, are a for-profit business -- but the arts DO get a heavy subsidy.
"Geni, most people actually watch sports"
They why the hell does the Sonics what tax payer money for corporate welfare? If it was so popular and profitable the market should have supported what ever they want for a stadium.
"The private side gets rich. The public side gets screwed."
"We might as well dispense with calling these things public-private partnerships, because they really aren't," - Washington State Treasurer Mike Murphy
@16 Sort of. Each of those things you mentioned also had significant private financing. The ballet/opera hall was built with 57% private money, the symphony hall with 67% private money. The Olympic Sculpture Park was 75% privately financed.
For comparison, the combined costs, public and private, of ALL those projects (about $330 million) is roughly on par with what the Sonics want taxpayers to pitch in for a new building. The arts do get subsidized, but "heavy subsidy" is a relative term. (All these numbers from the Seattle Times, by the way.)
@16: The NEA's entire annual budget is smaller than the proposed subsidy for this one stadium.
The gummint also requires OTHER people to subsidize art, through various "1% for art" thingies on construction projects (which ALWAYS result in super-duper art that enriches MY life all the way, to the max, if not yours). I'm just sayin', there's some gravy on both sides of the plate here.
Jake, the reason they do it is because they CAN. You'd do it to, if you knew that you could get away with it every frigging time. It's pro sports blackmail. That's why there are two reasons to say no to the Sonics: one, to save the money, and two, to maybe get a little trend going the other way for a change. SF said no to the Giants, and they built their ballpark themselves. Who else will pick up that ball and run with it?
Hmm. How about NO.
At least that's what I RECALL.
Seattle DID say No to the Sonics! Chris Van Dyke's (Who helped me kill NASCAR in my hometown)People for More Important Things's ballot measure passed with a massive massive mandate.
I'm *fairly* new to the area (only been here four years) and live waaaaaay out on the East Side, so...
Can someone please explain to me why you all keep electing Greg Nickels mayor? This fuck walks like a Republican, talks like a Republican, governs like a Republican. WTF?
what if it's his secret way to get rid of the sonics. keep asking them to fork out their own money and sooner or later they will get the hint.
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