Cobb County, GA, has an $86 million school budget deficit, but plenty of $$ for a baseball stadium

[marmar]

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/11/atlanta-braves-new-stadium-cobb-county


(Mother Jones) Baseball's Atlanta Braves are planning to move to suburban Cobb County, Georgia, leaving behind their within-city-limits home of 17 years. "The issue isn't the Turner Field we play in today, but instead whether or not the venue can remain viable for another 20 to 30 years," the team wrote on a website explaining the move, essentially conceding that the current stadium is fine—but that it might not be in 30 years.

Although the price has not yet been finalized, reports claim the new stadium will cost $672 million, with $300 million coming from Cobb County (motto: "Low on taxes, big on business&quot . This is the same Cobb County that faced an $86.4 million school budget shortfall this year, forcing employees to take furloughs. While local officials are hoping a new stadium will eventually pay for itself in local economic impact, such claims are often exaggerated. And a look at some recent stadium boondoggles should be enough to give any municipality—or taxpayer—pause.

Here's what $300 million in stadium subsidies could mean to folks in Cobb County:

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Money and race.

It's all about those two. Suburbanites don't want to come into ATL and deal with 'those people.'
They're moving from an intown stadium w/fairly good access to rail and bus shuttle to transit-less Cobb.

The GOP chair from Cobb said: “It is absolutely necessary the (transportation) solution is all about moving cars in and around Cobb and surrounding counties from our north and east where most Braves fans travel from, and not moving people into Cobb by rail from Atlanta."

Remember their past: Anti-gay resolution preceding Olympics: "The packed room reacted with applause, laughter and “Amens” when the vote 3-1 in favor, posted on the electronic board. Outside the chamber, anti-gay protestor Clelland Jordan held a sign that read Praise God for Aids."

At that time... "Newt Gingrich, the combative House Republican whip, represents 70 percent of the county."

https://sites.google.com/site/cobbantigayresolution/

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Similar scenarios play out wherever major-league sports stadiums have taken up residence

Cleveland Browns expected to announce today renovations at FirstEnergy Stadium
http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2013/11/announcement_expected_today_re.html

This is another example of wealth transference from the taxpayers to the 1%ers. As I don't own a business establishment that would benefit from Browns fans' patronage, this proposal picks my pocket with no apparent benefit. As in Atlanta, it depletes revenue that would be infinitely better spent on education - along with a host of other purposes.

[leftyohiolib]

9. this is one big reason i left cleveland. every team had to have it's own stadium the

city wanted a convention center a medical mart . everything goes to downtown and the rest of the city get policed

[JHB]

3. This is the area that sent Newt Gingrich to congress for 20 years.

I confess I feel conflicted at the prospect of them getting fleeced, but then I remember that some future Newt clone will come along and point their anger at some version of The Peoples Republic of Escape From New York, just like Newt did.

[BlueToTheBone]

4. Children don't vote or pony up money

but Baseball club owners do.
As in most cases, follow the money.

[progressoid]

5. Sports rule.

I've seen small towns vote to build a new gymnasium while cutting teaching positions.

The mind boggles.

[Initech]

7. No - the money is what rules.

There's money in sports. No money in education. Surely any Heritage Foundation PR person will tell you that!

[RebelOne]

6. I live in Cherokee County just next door

to Cobb County. I used to work in Cobb and I am glad I don't now. The traffic around that stadium will be horrendous.

[CatWoman]

8. exactly!!!!

and right at the 285/75 corridor!!!!

I'm still wondering what they plan to do about the additional traffic, as the present traffic situation completely sucks.

Cobb is one of the counties that kept out MARTA expansion as well.

I'm glad I don't live or have business dealings there.........

[kenny blankenship]

10. I trust the Braves will fuck over Cobb Co. in just the same way

they're fucking over Fulton Co. and the City of Atlanta right now. To hell with them. A well deserved ass kicking is coming for anyone in Cobb who's gullible / greedy enough to believe in their lies: eg "This will be a Huge Win for your community! You won't be sorry! We'll put down roots here, we'll pay back every cent of your investment in our new stadium a thousand times over, and we'll stay as a contributing member of the community forever!"

The year renovations on the new Cobb stadium becomes a pressing issue, it'll be, Goodbye Cobb! HELLLOOOO Gwinnett County! And on and on in a neverending rotation of new host communities.

[Mopar151]

11. And the Red Sox have done so badly in their old dump

Public financing of single-sport stadiums has a lousy track record - except when it comes to getting VIP seats for politicans.

[Fearless]

12. To be fair the new ownership did want to build a new stadium next door

But fans basically told them to take a flying leap.

[CatWoman]

13. where would the money come from?

Atlanta has already agreed to a deal to expand/rebuild the Falcons stadium. Two historic black churches were paid to relocate.

That deal cost several million.

The Braves wanted an additional half billion.

Fuck the Braves.

And I'm not happy about the Falcons deal, either.

[Fearless]

15. I agree with you. I was just being fair.

It was never decided where the money would come from, if I remember correctly. I believe at one point they had suggested that it would be private money, late in the game after there was intense pressure to simply renovate the old park. In the end they spent about 250 million of private funds to renovate it, which was definitely the better option.

[LuckyLib]

14. Another community fleeced by a major sports team? Wow!

Read this -- very interesting on the continual rip-off by major league sports:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/

[Major Nikon]

16. Arlington ponied up $325 million to build Jerry Land

And it's not just sports stadiums. To be fair these deals are generally approved by voter referendums, but it's still legalized extortion by businesses who pit communities against one another.