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A good friend and baseball fan (currently living
out of state) read about the prospect of a new Twins stadium on
www.baseballprospectus.com. The summary article
includes a link to the MN Department of Finance which
is soliciting
comments about the proposed project (The Department's deadline for submissions is Jan 15). Though this friend is a dedicated fan, he strongly believes no public funds should be used to finance stadium construction. His argument is well reasoned and I wanted to share it with others in the local area that are concerned about a potentially misguided public subsidy. Rachel Foran
Crocus Hill, Ward 2
St. Paul
Good day, I am currently a resident of Rochester, NY who intends to move to the Twin Cities next summer. As such, I have a vested interest in what happens with the Minnesota stadium situation, beyond that of being a sports fan. It is my strong suggestion that any funding for a stadium to be used by Major League Baseball and/or the National Football League come from private sources, and that no public monies be used on the construction of said stadium. There are 750 players on Major League rosters, each making an average salary of $2.5 million on Opening Day 2003 (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2003/04/03/salaries_ap/). That is to say that Major League Baseball pays out salaries of $1,875,000,000 per year so that baseball players can make salaries that you or I can only dream of. Now, this money already comes from you and I, or at least me, in the form of ticket prices, merchandise, concessions, and allowing networks to advertise to us. Given these salaries it is able to pay out, the business of Major League Baseball, quite frankly, has no excuse for not drawing a ridiculous profit. In addition, the business of Major League Baseball has no excuse for demanding public support for stadium projects from which they and they alone will reap the financial benefit. If Major League Baseball diverted $500M per year from salaries into a stadium fund, each team would be able to build a new stadium every 30 years. Meanwhile the average salary would drop to $1,833,333 per year. I think you can agree that as a business, it is within the means of Major League Baseball (the owners and players) to make this happen. The players would cry foul, of course, but there is no reason I should have my tax money diverted so that these players can earn 113 times my salary. As far as I'm concerned, they will have to make due with just an 83-fold increase. A market correction would be necessary, but if it's required to keep the business solvent I believe the owners and players will do what is necessary, eventually. Do not fall prey to the misleading statements of Major League Baseball and its representatives. They are fully capable of funding their own stadiums, and if more communities would take a stand and not give in to demands and threats, we'd all be better off. Except perhaps the players. Somehow, though, I believe they would get by. I do not have as much information on the National Football League, but I hypothesize one could make a similar argument. Thank you for soliciting public opinion on this matter. I look forward to my move to Minnesota, and perhaps enjoying some world-class sporting events in a new privately-funded stadium. We can hope, at any rate. Sincerely, Nick Rollins Rochester, NY |
