Recent reports say the Buffalo Bills will get a new stadium, with an estimated opening date of 2026. The new crib will be just a short walk from the existing stadium which is now the home of the Bills. The stadium’s cost was originally estimated to be $1.4 million, $550 million of that cost to be shared by the NFL and the Bills’ owners, and the remainder to be paid by state funding, aka state taxpayers. was to be done. York.
It was also hoped by a candidate running for governor of New York that he would fund state health facilities with more than a billion dollars to be able to accommodate more patients in more staffed, larger hospitals. wanted to do.
During the pandemic at its peak, the government helped people through stimulus checks sent to deserving people. This amounted to the roughly $3.5 trillion Congress approved, the $4.5 trillion given so far.
My first question, after this supposed generosity of the government, which has been finalized, or will be finalised, which has a printing press in its basement, is all this publicly advertised “free money?”
Let’s go back to what Bills Stadium has to offer. First, how are the costs to the NFL and owners so low compared to public funding? The NFL could take $1.4 billion out of its left pocket and cover the cost of building that stadium, without having to put the other hand in its right pocket. In addition, each team owner gets revenue in television contracts, ticket prices, parking fees, concessions, merchandise, and everything else they promote, which costs fans money, and considering all that money. Which is to cover the ridiculous salary they already have. ‘The free agents are paying, and the bonus money they give even with the salary restrictions looks like they (the owners) can use it too “chump change” in his left pocket to cover the cost of the proposed stadium. So let’s talk about getting bang for your buck. A typical outdoor stadium for professional football is used for home games a total of 11 times (possibly 9 regular season and 2 pre-season games.) The stadium may also be used for outdoor concerts in the summer, or Some high school playoff games may be scheduled. In some cities, however, estimates of football stadium usage in an average year range from 11 to perhaps 20 times per year. The $1.4 billion cost to build the outdoor sector is not of much use. Retractable roof stadiums are much more viable for many sports, allowing for many more uses, the elimination of rain in baseball, and more comfort for fans in those cold winter cities to the north and northeast. And remember, $8.5 million of that cost (estimated to be upwards of $1.1 billion later) is coming out of the public pocket (BTW, we’re chumped in the above description “chump change”), as is the common name for what is referred to as public funding, used in the hope that some people will actually buy into the idea that the government itself is picking up the tab.
The same goes for publicly funded building of medical facilities, or expansion or improvement of existing facilities. If you really want to know where that money comes from, stand in front of a full-length mirror and watch game owners/executives, and company CEOs, government officials with their hands in each of your pockets. Look back. There you’ll see the actual funders of these massive facility proposals designed to allow team owners, major sports leagues, insurance companies, or the government to fund the construction of college facilities, high school facilities, community arenas, and stadiums. , medical facilities, public buildings, and pandemic aid under the guise of giving free money. A lot of proposals come with big print saying that some projects will cost taxpayers only 2 to 3 per cent, and the rest will be given by the government. The small print reminds us that we fund the government, as I knew, the government gets money from the pockets of the taxpayers, so go back in the mirror and see whose hands are really in our pockets.
If all of these proposed changes come to fruition in New York State or nationally, the cost of ticket prices, parking costs, the cost of concessions, team jerseys, or other souvenirs will increase significantly. Also, count the steep increase in the cost of health insurance and/or medical costs, and taking our federal taxes to new heights. And to answer the question asked in the title above, if you guessed “We,” Congratulations, you won!