How the NFL Fleeced Taxpayers

• Commander of Awesome

  

  http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/
  
  Anyone else see this article?
  
  Basically owners are profiting from stadium deals. I was particularly embarrased about Lerner and the Browns. Taking money from Cleveland taxpayers, a hard hit town by the recession, and putting it into Lerner's pocket, a billionaire pissed me off.
  
  Scenario is Lerner gets $100 to build stadium, but the stadium only cost $75, the extra $25 went into Lerner's pocket and not back to the city of cleveland is the way I took it.
  
  Anyone else surprised to find out that the NFL operates as a non profit?
• sleeper

  

  Perhaps the extra $25 is the incentive for the billionaire to build a new stadium/keep the team in the city. Not sure why you pretend the world isn't about money especially when I presume you don't work for free either.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  There was going to be a team in cleveland regardless. Also the nfl owner profits are more than enough enticement for the team owners, they don't need extra from the tax payers IMO. Never said it wasn't about the money, nice reach fail though.
  
  Also if you read the article, you didn't, it talks about the benefits that the NFL receives such as non profit status, thus no corporate tax. I was surprised to learn that. That's a blatant abuse of the non profit status.
• sleeper

  

  Commander of Awesome;1535113 wrote:There was going to be a team in cleveland regardless. Also the nfl owner profits are more than enough enticement for the team owners, they don't need extra from the tax payers IMO. Never said it wasn't about the money, nice reach fail though.

  Oh you mean the same team that was shipped to Baltimore 2 decades ago? Billionaires are no different than you and I; not sure what you are upset about.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  sleeper;1535118 wrote:Oh you mean the same team that was shipped to Baltimore 2 decades ago? Billionaires are no different than you and I; not sure what you are upset about.

  So you're bringing up the POS art modell as your example? Read the article than we can discuss. Thanks.
• Raw Dawgin' it

  

  Commander of Awesome;1535105 wrote:http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/
  
  Anyone else see this article?
  
  Basically owners are profiting from stadium deals. I was particularly embarrased about Lerner and the Browns. Taking money from Cleveland taxpayers, a hard hit town by the recession, and putting it into Lerner's pocket, a billionaire pissed me off.
  
  Scenario is Lerner gets $100 to build stadium, but the stadium only cost $75, the extra $25 went into Lerner's pocket and not back to the city of cleveland is the way I took it.
  
  Anyone else surprised to find out that the NFL operates as a non profit?

  Great article. This paragraph made me go "wow"
  

  For Veterans Day last year, the NFL announced that it would donate cash to military groups for each point scored in designated games. During NFL telecasts that weekend, the league was praised for its grand generosity. The total donation came to about $440,000. Annualized, NFL stadium subsidies and tax favors add up to perhaps $1 billion. So the NFL took $1 billion from the public, then sought praise for giving back $440,000—less than a tenth of 1 percent.

• Raw Dawgin' it

  

  This part too
  

  While Public Law 89-800 was being negotiated with congressional leaders, NFL lobbyists tossed in the sort of obscure provision that is the essence of the lobbyist’s art. The phrase or professional football leagues was added to Section 501(c)6 of 26 U.S.C., the Internal Revenue Code. Previously, a sentence in Section 501(c)6 had granted not-for-profit status to “business leagues, chambers of commerce, real-estate boards, or boards of trade.” Since 1966, the code has read: “business leagues, chambers of commerce, real-estate boards, boards of trade, or professional football leagues.”
  
  
  The insertion of professional football leagues into the definition of not-for-profit organizations was a transparent sellout of public interest.

• sleeper

  

  Commander of Awesome;1535120 wrote:So you're bringing up the POS art modell as your example? Read the article than we can discuss. Thanks.

  No I'm just saying that incentives from an outside perspective may seem unfair to the layman but the reality is these guys are going to chase the money 10/10. Perhaps if Modell was offered more money to keep the team here he would have.
• sleeper

  

  Raw Dawgin' it;1535129 wrote:Great article. This paragraph made me go "wow"

  Yeah that's ridiculous. But wasn't it you that said Komen is okay because even $1 in additional money for Cancer research is worth the fraud?
• Raw Dawgin' it

  

  I think his point is, people in these cities love these teams, and in return their bending them over for more of their hard earned money.
• sleeper

  

  The easy solution to this is to stop watching the NFL.
• Raw Dawgin' it

  

  sleeper;1535138 wrote:Yeah that's ridiculous. But wasn't it you that said Komen is okay because even $1 in additional money for Cancer research is worth the fraud?

  0_o
  
  no.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  Raw Dawgin' it;1535129 wrote:Great article. This paragraph made me go "wow"

  Yeah that was eye opening. Again, once sleeper reads the article we can discuss with him.
• jmog

  Commander of Awesome;1535113 wrote:There was going to be a team in cleveland regardless. Also the nfl owner profits are more than enough enticement for the team owners, they don't need extra from the tax payers IMO. Never said it wasn't about the money, nice reach fail though.
  
  Also if you read the article, you didn't, it talks about the benefits that the NFL receives such as non profit status, thus no corporate tax. I was surprised to learn that. That's a blatant abuse of the non profit status.

  Franchises are NOT non-profit, the NFL as a whole is. BIG difference since the owners most definitely pay taxes.
• Pick6

  

  Ill check out the article in a bit, but judging by the author, who has a degree in poli science (lol) and journalism, I wouldnt be surprised if he lacks understanding. Also seems to get his hit by attempting to create controversy rather than good journalism.
• sleeper

  

  Raw Dawgin' it;1535142 wrote:0_o
  
  no.

  Then you hate women and support Breast Cancer.
• sleeper

  

  Commander of Awesome;1535149 wrote:Yeah that was eye opening. Again, once sleeper reads the article we can discuss with him.

  Why read the article? It's the same shit; different moron writing it. I'm personally tired of the vilifying of all rich people when the poor morons at the bottom of the totem poll don't know how the world works and just want to blame the rich for their stupid decisions. I'll sum the article up, rich people made money by being smarter than everyone else and its unfair. QQ. GFY.
• queencitybuckeye

  Yet another reason other than the economics never to vote for public funding of entertainment facilities, and to vote against anyone who somehow does it without needing the consent of those he serves (i.e. Mike Coleman).
• justincredible

  

  queencitybuckeye;1535180 wrote:Yet another reason other than the economics never to vote for public funding of entertainment facilities, and to vote against anyone who somehow does it without needing the consent of those he serves (i.e. Mike Coleman).

  Agreed.
• Footwedge

  sleeper;1535137 wrote:No I'm just saying that incentives from an outside perspective may seem unfair to the layman but the reality is these guys are going to chase the money 10/10. Perhaps if Modell was offered more money to keep the team here he would have.

  No surprise that you'rer a big fan of corporate welfare. And that's what it is....welfare for the wealthiest.
  
  And today....Banner was pleading his case to extort 65 million from the city of Cleveland to upgrade the football stadium. Upgrade for what? the fuckin place is all of 14 years old. The city already paid for it once.
  
  You are right about one thing though. The easy solution is to say fuck it and not support the NFL. The NFL is not a success story of free market enterprise. It is a story of how monopolies are the antithesis to free markets. And the NFL is by pure definition...a pure monopoly.....and true violators of any and all anti trust legislation.
  
  For a business major, you sure missed out on a lot regarding what laissez-faire was supposed to be.
• sleeper

  

  Footwedge;1535295 wrote:No surprise that you'rer a big fan of corporate welfare. And that's what it is....welfare for the wealthiest.
  
  And today....Banner was pleading his case to extort 65 million from the city of Cleveland to upgrade the football stadium. Upgrade for what? the fuckin place is all of 14 years old. The city already paid for it once.
  
  You are right about one thing though. The easy solution is to say fuck it and not support the NFL. The NFL is not a success story of free market enterprise. It is a story of how monopolies are the antithesis to free markets. And the NFL is by pure definition...a pure monopoly.....and true violators of any and all anti trust legislation.
  
  For a business major, you sure missed out on a lot regarding what laissez-faire was supposed to be.

  What's stopping a competing league from forming? Oh wait they've done that and no one gives a fuck. lol
• Raw Dawgin' it

  

  sleeper;1535176 wrote:Then you hate women and support Breast Cancer.

  K.