The truth about Philly Stadium

Over winter break, at a family Christmas gathering, I got into a lengthy debate with my cousin over Philadelphia's plans to build a new stadium. The city has approved a new stadium project that will erect new homes for the football team, the Eagles, and the baseball team, the Phillies. The price tag is a whopping $1.01 billion. \nPennsylvania has agreed to throw up $170 million and the city is responsible for $304 million. The Phillies will fork out $172 million and the Eagles will add $320 million to the pot. Question: Where's the other $44 million coming from? Let's put that on the back burner.\nThe city has also agreed to pay the $90 million post-construction maintenance and operation costs of the new Eagles stadium. So now the money coming from city coffers has risen to $394 million. City Councilman David Cohen couldn't have put it better when he said, "The Philadelphia taxpayers are paying through the nose."\nHere comes the compassion. Both teams have agreed to contribute a combined $60 million ($2 million a year for 30 years) to a city children's fund. The children's fund hasn't been officially established, no one knows which children will benefit from its efforts and the alleged director of the fund is the mayor's wife. I hope you find this situation as disturbing as I do. The teams will also donate $22.5 million to a special-services district. \nHow is the city going to pay this huge tab? Mayor John Street has proposed a 2 percent tax on rental cars and an increase in sales, business and wage taxes. Mayor Street is notorious for squandering taxpayer money. When the city revealed the price tag to renovate the offices for him and his chief of staff, Street's chief of staff promptly resigned. Amusing, isn't it?\nThere is something very, very wrong with this whole picture: Government financing sports. And since government has no money of its own, Philadelphia citizens, whether they like it or not, are financing the sports industry. You argue, "But Vince, I like going to the games." I do too, but once again, let's look at the numbers and think about this logically.\nFrom the aforementioned figures, we know that Philadelphia citizens are paying at least $394 million. The latest estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that Philadelphia has a population of 1.4 million. The average Philadelphian therefore pays $280. Undoubtedly, many people will pay much more/less than others, but this gives us a satisfactory perspective. What do the citizens get for their money? Sky-high ticket prices and overpriced concession stands that make one game cost a whole week's paycheck. Sounds like a good deal right? Give me a break!\nLet's say I walked around Philly flattening tires all day with my new switchblade. The auto repair and tire industries would be booming but I doubt that car owners would be content with forking out big money for replacement tires. In other words, more jobs would be created but only at the expense of those car owners. This very same principle applies to Philadelphia's new stadium. Now matter what comes out of the stadium's construction, somebody has to pay, and that somebody is the Philadelphia citizen. If creating jobs at the expense of others is the priority of government, why not subsidize malls and amusement parks? \nFinally, people often complain about the ridiculously high salaries of professional athletes. The sports industry is one of the most marketable industries in America today. Why, then, must we pay for the facilities? Perhaps Alex Rodriguez wouldn't receive a $252 million contract if public monies were cut from the arenas.