Game analysis, highlights and everything else that is happening in the NBA.
Cool, subsidizing billionaires who will lock out the league to get more money, and then pay wall the games on idiotic RSNs.
Never again.
publicly funded means publicly owned franchises
Billionaires the ultimate Instagram models convincing us they are doing taxpayer favours by gracing us with their presence
Hopefully they don't find it. Corporate socialism needs to end.
I will never understand why public funds should pay for >50% of the funds for a privately owned sports clubs arena
That's just it, they're not owned by the billionaires. Billionaires know what a pain in the ass owning commercial real estate is, so it's a lot easier and cheaper to be a tenant.
Cause this is America and the country caters more towards the 1% than the 99%
This is one of the biggest taxpayer rip-offs in the country. Under the guise of the limited jobs it creates. Study after study proves what a rip-off it is. New York taxpayers are about to foot 1 billion so the Bills can keep coming up short of expectations.
no one realistically expects anything from the bills
The fact that it's coming from the state and not the municipality is the truly wild part of the Buffalo stadium deal. It's one thing if the money's coming from the area because, even if they're still atrocious "investments" when it comes to public funding, at least it's still the people that will gain whatever benefits there are to be had from having a stadium and NFL team. The vast majority of NY state taxes come from NYC, though, and I feel damn confident saying that at least 99% of NYC residents are literally never going to see any benefit in the slightest. That's next level fucked, IMO.
It’s also because no politician actually has the balls to do what is right.
At the same time the public cries for this but you bet your ass if you let a team leave under your watch you’re gonna pay for it politically
Of course you will pay for it politically and that’s why it hardly happens. It’s also why we get what we vote for.
Because billionaires can ask and hold moving the team over the heads of the council and mayor. Making one of the reasons to own a sports team as "real estate scam."
They shouldn’t, but generally there’s a city somewhere with an idiot mayor that will think it’s beneficial to their city and make an offer so the team moves
Bill Simmons' best ever take is the "billionaire should pay for their own stadiums" take.
Sounds like those billionaires need to just lay off the avocado toast and fancy coffee, pull theirselves up by their bootstraps, and write that check.
But think about the trickle down! (/s)
Booo, booo this team
the taxpayers shouldn't be footing that bill. okc needs to open up ownership and find a wealthy donor to help fund the cost of the new arena.
It's straight up extortion. As much as I hate OKC I never wanna see a city lose a team especially because of this bullshit.
That being said, I can't say I wouldn't love to see the Thunder moved back to Seattle for ostensibly the same reason they left.
No NBA team deserves to be moved more.
What else does OKC even have? They should fund it. Small businesses probably rely on it
Joe Exotic
What “small business” relies on a taxpayer funded vanity & entertainment aren that all the profit goes to a single entity?
Play the Bill Simmons quote.
It ain't gonna happen. The idea fans are gonna OK this when the stadium the Thunder play in now isn't even in bad condition....not happening.
"now it's the thunder" as if it's not the same team/owner
Billionaires should pay for their own fucking stadium
i wish governments would collectively band together and say that they aren't paying for this anymore.
i can understand a loan for a stadium, but definitely not charity.
The flair. The exact quote. It can only be him.
You have leverage when the second biggest cultural contribution to Oklahoma is Joe Exotic
ITS BEEN 15 YEARS ALREADY!!!
Welcome to the full Clay Bennett experience, OKC.
If the public pays for the arena, then it's a public work akin to a park or a library and therefor events there will be free to attend, right? right??
How fun would it be to have a city owned team? Residents get to vote on a team owner and GM? All profits from the team get sent back to the city? All the players and team staff are technically city employees.
If you want nice things pay for it. The owners own the teams, and if they don't want to pay for the arena they do not have to. It's not that big of a deal, and i hope the people in oklahoma can just pay for the arena and move on with their lives. I would hate to have another sonics situation were lazy fans don't pay for something because they didn't value it, then complain.