People are soooooo quick to throw out the idea of stadiums in the same group as museums, theaters, exhibits, etc. because a lot of people (for whatever reason) question the cultural value. They constantly complain about how "why should I have to pay for your football experience?"VikingLord wrote:Why not expand the scope of the discussion beyond stadiums? Whatever funding source they come up woth can include improvements to the civic center, museums, and yes, sporting venues depending on the need.
People also need to be reminded of the monetary returns generated by these projects. There are jobs directly and indirectly created by these types of projects and taxes paid back into the state and city coffers by them (not just stadiums, but all civic projects like this). People get sticker shock when they look at upfront costs, but the overall cost is much less if the project costs are spread over the life of the result. The Metrodome has been around for 30+ years now and, last I read, it was making money for the Met Sports Commission.
To which I respond "I pay for your museums, theaters, and whatever else...don't use them, and I don't complain about it."
The thing I don't understand is...the ROI in a stadium is MUCH greater in terms of jobs supported, taxes, and supporting surrounding business (like restaurants, bars, and hotels) than any theater or museum can even compare with. Those civic projects are just as valuable to me as any stadium project...and the stadium has the ability to generate far more than any of those other projects. It's so hard to rationalize with those kinds of people though.
