One thing politicians of all stripes and parties have in common is their affinity for helping wealthy professional sports team owners build stadiums and arenas for their teams at taxpayers’ expense.
The Buffalo Bills, for example, are getting upwards of $850 million in taxpayer support for a new stadium – the most lucrative subsidy deal since 2016, when Nevada taxpayers were taken for $750 million for a new Raiders stadium.
At least the Bills have a winning record.
But the subsidy for sports teams doesn’t end there. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin backed an unsuccessful, bipartisan effort to give Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders the keys to the public treasury in hopes of luring the team to the state. The effort failed once people realized what the pols were up to.
But Youngkin and the bipartisan fanboys are back for a second, more subdued attempt this year:
…Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has proposed spending $500,000 to study ways to encourage the National Football League franchise to build a stadium in the state after lawmakers rebuffed the team earlier this year.
Youngkin included the expenditure among a package of budget amendments he proposed to the General Assembly last week. The money would not come until 2024, the second year of the state’s current two-year spending plan, suggesting that the governor is positioning for the possibility that Commanders owner Daniel Snyder will have sold the team by then.
A spokeswoman for Youngkin did not comment on the timing but noted that Youngkin has said before that he hoped to work with lawmakers next year to explore another stadium deal. “The governor will always put the best interests of Virginia’s taxpayers first,” spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said via text message.
Were that true, Mr. Youngkin would not spend a dime of taxpayer money studying, considering or otherwise planning to lure the Commanders to Virginia.
He would do the right, proper and fiscally responsible thing: allow Snyder, or whomever buys the team, to build their own stadium. They are rich people who, if necessary, can get a loan to build whatever edifice they wish. And reap all the benefits once it’s done.
Everyone wins…especially taxpayers, who don’t get stuck with the tab.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Bull if they want a new stadium let he owners pay for it they can deduct some of the over pay to players none are worth millions of dollars anyway how dum are people anymore not a bit of common sense if taxpayers pay for it then they should have free passes every year plus refreshments never should have to pay for a ticket
But, that would mean Glenn Youngkin and his buddies wouldn’t get free tickets and box seats to all the games. smf…
Even the Caesars built coliseums to keep the people pacified.
But they were dictators. This is a Republic.
Republic? That’s a joke, right???
Jerry Jones built his own stadium, with his own wealth and credit. He has filled the building with events nearly every week, including college games, rasslin’ (as opposed to wrestling), etc. Why must taxpayers foot the bill for billion dollar super deluxe stadia, to be used eight or nine times a year.
Yoakum sounds like he’s a worthless Rhino pile of crap just like all Democrats if you want a new stadium build your own damn Stadium without tax dollars I would like to see the NFL move to China let’s see him get underneath and sniff each other’s crotches during their anthem
If WE THE PEOPLE don’t start screaming and making our voices heard, we deserve every damn thing that happens!