The Panthers Want $200 Million In Public Funding To Renovate Their 17-Year-Old Stadium

[RockaFowler]

I almost thought this was the Florida Panthers and I was gonna scream . . .

http://deadspin.com/5984053/?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Bank of America Stadium is a perfectly modern and lovely venue that hosts 10 football games a year. But Panthers owner Jerry Richardson wants more! He wants new escalators! A new video board! Better wi-fi in the stadium! And he wants you—the fan who already pays to attend games—to pay for most of the upgrades.

We've seen this play out across the country. In just the last month, the Bills got their taxpayer-funded improvements, while the Rams and Dolphins made a case for their public funds. Every owner wants a new stadium—they just don't want to pay for it. This is fair only if you believe the league-trumpeted line that a franchise invigorates the local economy, and disbelieve the studies that find there's no such correlation.

The Panthers' master plan, which would see construction begin after next season, is estimated to cost between $261 million and $297 million. They'd like $144 million of that to come from a Charlotte tax hike, and $62.5 million to come from the state. Not in taxes, just a $62.5 million payment from North Carolina. For escalators and such.


These Owners need to put up their own money unless they are willing to give the tickets away . . .

[Carnage251]

1. Seeing that most owners are rightwing has any recently built stadium been built without public funds

[bluedigger]

2. Gillette Stadium, home of the NE Patriots, was privately financed.

That was over a decade ago, though, and I am not aware of any since then.

[KamaAina]

4. Ha! Kraft is one of the few owners who isn't right wing.

[TZ]

3. FedEx field

Home of the Redskins was built entirely with Jack Kent Cooke's money. I know that Snyder would never do that though.

[RockaFowler]

5. I just googled and there are quite a few

MetLife Stadium in Jersey was financed by Jets Development LLC and Giant Stadium LLC in a 50-50 joint venture

San Francisco's AT&T Park was privately Financed as well


I found this little tidbit, too:
Since 2000, 28 new major league stadiums have been built costing over $9 billion dollars. More than half, over $5 billion, of the costs of the new stadiums were funded using public dollars. In Utah, 4 stadiums have been built since 1991 costing $386 million in today's dollars; $200 million (in today's dollars) of that total was paid out of the coffers of Utah cities, Salt Lake County and the State of Utah.