The Simpsons and Money....

[Deleted]

Does anyone here watch the Simpsons? I love that show.
In one of their last episode, that you can watch for free here: www.hulu.com/watch/225440/the-simpsons-love-is-a-many-strangled-thing

Homer say to his kids while at a game :
I hope you kids are enjoying yourself today because you and your children will be paying for this place long after the team moves to another city.

Marge goes find the therapist and asked him what happened (he was homeless and he says:
It's the damn economy: when it went south the first thing people stop spending money on are expensive therapists. So we all live here now, along with the other unemployed luxury professionals: wedding planners, personal shoppers, aromatherapists, high end caterers"

So brings 2 questions:
- Why are taxpayers always left with the tab for those expensive stadiums?
- What happened to those luxury professionals? How did they make out thru the recession? Do you know one?

I can answer question 2: My wife cousin the lawyer also had a side business as a "life coach" prior to the recession and was even thinking of doing it full time. I haven't heard about that in 2 years, I am guessing the life coach business did not survive the recession.

[thyme4change]

The argument is that professional sports teams bring quality to a city, and therefore the citizens will gladly pony up the cash to have the stadium. Living in an area that has built 4 facilities in 20 years - I have my own opinions on that. Of course, the football stadium was built with taxes on hotels and rental cars, so technically we aren't paying for it. I think it is total bull-crap that we pay athletes such crazy money, and then we have to pay crazy money for their facility. Especially in a town where everyone moved from somewhere else, so everyone hates all of our teams.

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

The argument is that professional sports teams bring quality to a city, and therefore the citizens will gladly pony up the cash to have the stadium. Living in an area that has built 4 facilities in 20 years - I have my own opinions on that. Of course, the football stadium was built with taxes on hotels and rental cars, so technically we aren't paying for it. I think it is total bull-crap that we pay athletes such crazy money, and then we have to pay crazy money for their facility. Especially in a town where everyone moved from somewhere else, so everyone hates all of our teams.

Add insult to injury, many pro sports leagues are now charging season ticket holders what they are calling personal seat licenses, that run in the 10s of thousands of dollars.
Giants fans who have had season tickets for 40 years, in addition to paying 1000s for the tickets each year, many now have to pony up in the range of $15,000 to even as high as $30,000 for the right to buy these tickets.

[thyme4change]

Even without the PSL's - ticket prices are stupid. They have gotten so high it is unreasonable to think that an average family could afford to go to a game. Our hockey arena is empty - but tickets are a hundred bucks a pop! I guess when you have a loved team, you can fill the stadium with rich folks - but when the stadium is empty - maybe, just maybe your ticket prices are too high.

I also believe that filling the basketball stadiums with "corporate" ticket holders has totally ruined the sport. No one claps or cheers or even looks like they care. They have to pump music and cheering in over the loudspeaker just to keep the energy up and fans just don't seem engaged at all. The last two times we were at a game the people behind us yelled at us for jumping up during a tense and exciting play. I guess basketball is more like church - and not those fun Baptist churches - more like those boring methodist churches. Maybe it is more like the symphony. Stay in your seat. Watch quietly, and leave orderly when it is over.

[jkapp]

>>I can answer question 2: My wife cousin the lawyer also had a side business as a "life coach" prior to the recession and was even thinking of doing it full time. I haven't heard about that in 2 years, I am guessing the life coach business did not survive the recession.<<

Yep, when life actually kicks people in the nuts I think they realize they can be their own "coach"

[azphx1972]

Mar 29, 2011 10:23:30 GMT -5 jkapp said:

Yep, when life actually kicks people in the nuts I think they realize they can be their own "coach"

;D

[steph08]

As for sports stadiums, I think too many cities don't do enough analysis before building and/or bringing a team to the city. Like Florida - people in Florida seem to really hate sports, especially football. Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Miami Dolphins, I can't remember - I think last year they said the only games they had sold out were when the Steelers and one other team came to town because those teams' fans bought all the tickets. They have no fans of their own.

I am about 60 miles from Pittsburgh and those are our sports team. It is a sports city and we have a football stadium, a baseball field, and a hockey rink all under a decade old. The Consol Energy Center just opened this year and the Pens marked their 200th sold out game. Steelers have a waiting list probably 100k names long. The Pirates, well, they're the Pirates and stink but tickets are cheap and well attended and PNC Park is very nice.

I have no problem if a stadium is needed - all of Pittsburgh's were several decades old when they were replaced - and if it has the support of the city and fans. But some are just unnecessary - that billion dollar monstrosity of Dallas's comes to mind.

[Tred]

One of my former roommates was a massage therapist who did house-calls. She was adamant about how "important" her job was, but her workload got slashed by the effects of the recession at the end of 2008...from 15 hrs/wk to 5 or 6 hrs/wk.

To make extra money, she began cleaning houses, and her customers were massage clients who took pity on her situation. There's no shame in cleaning houses, of course, but when I saw her struggling to carry her vacuum, mop, broom, cleaning solutions, paper towels, bucket, etc... to her car, I couldn't help but replay the soundbites in my mind about how crucial her massage gig was.

[hurley1980]

Mar 29, 2011 8:25:10 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

The argument is that professional sports teams bring quality to a city, and therefore the citizens will gladly pony up the cash to have the stadium.

The only thing the Kings have brought to Sacramento in the last decade is shame! I hope they go to Anaheim, since they couldn't sell tickets to save their lives here! Who wants to pay $100 a seat +$10/beer just to watch their team get humiliated!

[thyme4change]

Who wants to pay $100 a seat +$10/beer just to watch their team get humiliated!

The Arizona Cardinals fill the stadium with fans of the visiting team - that way people pay $100/seat and $10/beer to watch their team win.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Up to a couple of years ago, my brother would take his sons to Lambeau Field for a pre-season game. They'd drive up and pick up tickets there, for under the face value. Granted it was preseason but it was doable. I don't know about food costs, I thought Lambeau was still one of the cheaper stadiums overall for prices but I've never gone.

And the Brewers have family nights and dollar hotdog days. Plus the Uecker seats (obstructed view that go on sale for $1 the day of the game) and named for Bob Uecker, former catcher and long time announcer for the Brewers.

[thyme4change]

It is a disgrace that the stadiums are filled with fat, middle-aged men with their jiggling bellies while the parents with kids cannot get a sniff at a decent seat or even go at all.

Even if you can afford to go, half the time the games start at 8 pm (west coast.) I'm just not one of those moms who habitually keep their kids out until 10:30 pm on a school night. Maybe now that my kids are starting to get a little older, we could do Fri & Sat night games.

[Deleted]

Question: Why are taxpayers responsible for the costs of those stadiums?
Aren't they owned by the team or team owners?

Mar 29, 2011 1:37:08 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

All those luxury providers will do fine so long as their clients are actually wealthy, and not middle-class with pretensions. In every down-turn, the truly wealthy become even wealthier as they have the opportunity to scoop up deals at a better price.

True and a good point.
I guess the only times those jobs would really be at risk was if the clients could not afford them to begin with or job security was not there.

[thyme4change]

Question: Why are taxpayers responsible for the costs of those stadiums?
Aren't they owned by the team or team owners?

Nope. They are built and owned by the city.