This post is from the Citizens Against Government Waste site https://www.cagw.org/reporting/fields-of-failure  and it has special meaning to me since I was at the home of friends hosting a fundraiser for a Congressional candidate many years ago in San Diego, CA. During the Question and Answer session, I ask the candidate why he was focused on getting a new stadium built for the San Diego Chargers versus the care of our much needed improved water supply infrastructure. The candidate was very upset with me for asking this question but I wanted to know as I had recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal in 1998 about how the taxpayers always had to pay more in taxes for these sports projects. This article by Citizens Against Government Waste was particularly interesting to me and thus I want to share this with all the sports fans who read our site. Keep in mind at the time, we already had a beautiful sports stadium but they wanted something more.

Professional sports provide benefits by building community spirit and pride, but unfortunately, they often have a negative impact on taxpayers. Since 2000, states and localities across the country have spent $43.1 billion to build professional sports stadiums. Elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels of government should take steps to rein in stadium subsidies that hurt taxpayers and leave fans subject to the whims of the owners of their favorite teams. Download this special report on the subject matter titled Fields of Failure: The Scandal of Taxpayer Funded Statiums https://www.cagw.org/sites/default/files/pdf/FieldsofFailure.pdf 

According to the www.cagw.org site…

“Unfortunately, aside from instilling civic pride, sports teams have become a detriment to taxpayers in many places.  Recognizing the power they have over local communities, team owners and league leaders have sought to use their positions to force local residents to finance the construction of the stadiums in which their teams play.  According to a December 22, 2022, CNBC report, since 2000, publicly constructed facilities have cost taxpayers more than $43.1 billion.¹  Stadium subsidies are so pervasive that a blog, “Field of Schemes,” was created in 1998 to examine and publicize how approximately $2 billion annually is provided in public subsidies for new professional sports facilities.²  Team owners and elected officials have long justified this substantial use of the taxpayer’s money with claims that they would lead to increased economic growth and development.  Many studies, however, show that publicly funded stadium projects provide little to no economic benefits to local communities.

Citizens Against Government Waste has long argued that taxpayer funded stadiums have become a scourge on the nation, costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year in new expenses and lost tax revenues.  But with the exposure and publicity of these issues come opportunities for reform.  Proposals range from changes to the tax code to greater civic participation to increased accountability to voter input on stadium financing.  Without such changes, taxpayers across the country will continue to subsidize billionaire team owners and some of the richest sports leagues in the world while fans watch their beloved hometown teams leave town at the whims of owners seeking a better deal.  While no one is suggesting that teams can never move from one location to another, steps should be taken to help protect taxpayers from being forced to cover bad investments.”

Read the full story here about taxpayer subsidiaries https://www.cagw.org/reporting/fields-of-failure

After reading this information, please provide your commentary on the topic below.