Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam
A few reactions:
1. I hate the NBA and am not a fan and wouldn't care if it went away and they never played another game.
2. If the tax subsidies were taken away the teams would pay their players less and raise ticket prices. So the result would be both good and bad.
3. Communities have a legitimate interest in wanting a major league team in one of the three major sports in their community--it unites the community and makes people feel proud of their town when the team does well, it can spur redevelopment of an area faster than any other method, I'm sure there are others. Ask the average Seattle citizen how they feel this week and even if they aren't NBA fans, they have to feel a twinge of sadness.
4. Tax subsidies is just another market mechanism. The citizens of various towns, through a referendum or their elected representatives, can engage in a bidding war for teams. Ok wanted it more then Seattle did and they won the bidding war. I don't see how this isn't a free marketplace.
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Strictly speaking you're right. But the true market here is not a market for custo$ers (fans), it's a market for teams. For some of us, this debate is about values. Why are cities and states participating in this market? Personally, I'd rather see govwrn$ent in gambling. At least there's a return on investment.