I thought there were two excellent opinions pieces in the paper today, both asking why we need a stadium. First, from the editor of the Deseret News:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660192952,00.html
Why the push for a stadium?
Deseret Morning News editorial
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. needs to explain to Utah taxpayers why an independent analysis by Economic Research Associates is incorrect. He needs to explain exactly why he remains committed to pushing a soccer stadium deal the firm said would be a bad public investment.
For that matter, Huntsman and other political leaders need to explain exactly why a rejection of the stadium, and the subsequent departure of Real Salt Lake to either St. Louis or Philadelphia, would be, as Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson put it, a "black eye" for the community.
Ever since Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon had the audacity to put the public purse ahead of professional sports by rejecting the stadium deal, politicians in this state have been scurrying to make the stadium happen anyway. Now the governor says everyone has until Friday of this week to give RSL the money before the team moves. But a couple of points seem to have been lost in all the panic.
The first is that taxpayers do exist at various levels. In other words, there are no federal taxpayers, county taxpayers and state taxpayers. Every adult in Utah answers to all the above. Corroon was elected to guard Salt Lake County's budget. He decided, with the help of experts such as ERA and the county's debt review commission, that the stadium deal would amount to gambling with public funds. Now state lawmakers, with the governor's support, are working on a plan that would take money from the county and do virtually the same thing as the deal Corroon rejected. But the county would be left with the debt and loss of revenue.
This goes beyond micromanaging. It would be just plain irresponsible governing. Unless, that is, the people pushing this plan can provide convincing empirical evidence, on the order of ERA's thorough research, as to why a stadium would be a good investment.
The other lost point is that, rather than being a maverick, Corroon is following a nationwide trend in which communities are beginning to reject public handouts to wealthy professional team owners. If his decision was a black eye to the county, what was a decision by Seattle voters, by an overwhelming 74 percent, to reject a new NBA basketball arena last fall? That the Sonics are threatening to move to Oklahoma after 40 years in Seattle.
What was the overwhelming rejection of a new Kings arena by voters in Sacramento, Calif., last fall, which may mean the loss of their NBA team? What was a 72 percent vote in Pasadena, Calif., to reject public funding for a renovation of the Rose Bowl that would have been used to attract an NFL team? What was the defeat of a soccer stadium ballot item in Overland Park, Kan.?
It seems black eyes are popping up all over the landscape. Either that or people are getting fed up with paying taxes for pro sports. Opinion polls have shown Utahns strongly support Corroon's decision. The governor and others need to explain why that's wrong.
And then from one of their columnists, Doug Robinson:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660192999,00.html
The stadium that simply wouldn't die
By Doug Robinson
Deseret Morning News
The last thing you want to read, hear or see is anything more about Real Salt Lake and the never-say-die, soccer-stadium/concert arena.
So this column will not be about The Stadium, because enough is enough already.
However, if I were going to write about The Stadium, which I'm not, I would probably marvel at this fact: Nothing can make it go away. It's made more comebacks than Cher. It's like Dracula: Nobody can kill it.
Not Peter Corroon, the Salt Lake County mayor who said no, then yes, then no.
Not the Salt Lake County Debt Review Committee, which voted unanimously against funding it with public money because, after looking at RSL's business model — which included sell-out games, sell-out concerts and escalating ticket prices — the committee decided the plan had more holes in it than Dennis Rodman.
Not an independent financial consultant's report that said the same thing.
Not a front-page newspaper story that said Get Real to RSL's dreamy plan to put on more than a dozen concerts annually that would sell 17,000 tickets — a feat accomplished in Utah only 11 times in five years.
Not 2 1/2 years of futility of trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, unsuccessfully, which ought to tell the politicos something but doesn't.
Not polls that show 59 percent of the people are against public funding of the stadium, or that 70 percent of the people supported Corroon's decision last week to reject the use of public funds for the stadium.
This thing is like a bad cold or Hillary Clinton — it refuses to go away. You probably thought Corroon's rejection was the last nail in the coffin. Silly you.
But of course I'm not going to write any more about Real Salt Lake, because we're all sick of hearing about it. This subject is more tired than Brad and Angelina. Aren't you just weary of all things Ray-AL, Ree-al, whatever?
But if I were writing about it, I would marvel at the arrogance of state legislators, who, despite all of the above, are now trying to pull an end-run around county citizens and officials. The county — and taxpayers — overwhelmingly rejected the use of public money (hotel taxes) for the stadium, and yet state legislators and other politicians say they will now try to do exactly that anyway, which is not so much a slap in the county government's face as it is a punch in the mouth.
Leading the way: Senate president John Valentine, R-Orem, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan. Valentine even uttered that tired old phrase that public funding of stadiums produces economic development, one of the biggest lies ever sold to the American public.
But of course I'm not writing about that today, because it's futile. The politicos are determined to ram this thing through, no matter what.
But if I were going to write about it, I would marvel further at some of the nonsense pouring out of the politicians' mouths lately.
"This is going to be a black eye for our community for a long time if we aren't able to bail it out," Anderson said.
To listen to this man, you'd think people in cities around the nation are wringing their hands over this. Get Re-AL. Nobody outside of Utah knows or cares. A little perspective, please: We're talking about soccer in America.
Gov. Huntsman and Valentine say the use of hotel-room tax is paid for by out-of-state visitors, so the money would not be coming out of Utahns' pockets. Follow this logic: If that money is used for things that otherwise would have to be paid for by Utah taxpayers, or if it could be used for other things we pay for now, then it is coming out of their pockets.
For his part, Dave Checketts, the Real owner with his hand out, said he wasn't bitter about last week's rejection. Of course this was right before he accused Corroon of blocking the stadium project to advance his political career.
But, surprise! the stadium project isn't dead. It never is. Meanwhile, haven't you had enough of the whole subject? Good thing I'm not writing about it today.
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