Just got through sweating out the Cowboy's Monday night debut; by sheer luck they covered a Dallas and under parlay. Newman got lucky or Big D fails to cover the spread. Dallas defense better step up, or it's repeat of last year in a tough division.
I couldn't help but notice: the commentators mentioned several times the wonderful $1.3 Billion facility in Irving which has replaced the old Texas Stadium. They even mentioned the potential $50 million problem of a low scoreboard punters have no problem hitting. I have been a Cowboys' fan since before they started winning, but if I were a metroplex resident, I don't care if the resurrected ghost of Tom Landry were for it, I would have oppossed the use of tax money to build this sports palace.
OK, sports events stimulate spending. Problem is, most of that consumerism would be locally generated and locally spent anyway, just on other things. Perhaps the same family goes to Red Lobster and a movie instead of the game. I did not notice a huge contingent of the 105.000 faithful fans present who had travelled from Carolina. I'm sure there were some, but how far did their money on motel rooms and eats go towards covering a $1.3 Billion tab?
Jaws mentioned the stadium was employing about 7,000 people as ticket-takers and concessionaires. Let's see; 7,000x $7.50/hr/x 5hrs, throw in tips and slop, be generous and call it half a mil a game, the economic impact of the new stadium will pay for itself in roughly 2,000 years.
Folks, I am a big sports fan, but I also believe people should pay for their habits. Tennis fans should pay for tennis courts and lights. Hockey fans should pay for ice to play on. Verging on the heretical here, high school football fans should pay for the suits of armor our local players battle less than successfully in, not to mention their less than successful coaches salaries.
Old saying, slightly twisted, "Money's tight and times are hard, pay for your own kickoff card". Another old saying; "You want to play, you gotta pay".
It's not in Irving.
ReplyDeleteI happen to live in the MetroMess, as some folks describe it, and I basically have had a gutful of having CowboyMania stuffed down my throat. As was described in a cartoon strip carried in the DMN, professional sports teams are corporations and the players are employees... in nearly all cases brought in from all kinds of places. They have no loyalty other than that owed to a paycheck, so why should I worship them just because I live in the area in which they practice their craft?
I love Cowboys fans who, when talking about the team, use the word "us"... like they're on the roster. It's all silly to me.
I have driven by The Jerry Jones Tribute To Jerry Jones (in Arlington, not in Irving, not in Dallas, not even in Dallas county, and partially financed by a humongous snow job levied on the good people of Arlington and property for which was obtained mostly through eminent domain). Big whoop. Unless the second coming of Christ is held there, I will never go in the place.
Color me unimpressed by the whole thing.
Ex_Pat
Thanks Ex_Pat, I should have caught that. My only excuse was being focused on the point of public funding of sports.
ReplyDeleteThanks also for bringing up eminent domain, I should have brought that into the discussion. The State Constitutional Amendment on eminent domain does not go as far I would like, but it is an improvement. Combined with the amendments on Appraisal District practises, these changes might have been sufficient to head off the Jerry Jones Express.