The Vegas Athletics

[HalfSmokes]

Not really, if you can get a guarantee from the owner that the team will stay in said city for X number of years, you will reap millions of $ on players' salaries via income tax, and millions via sales taxes.

Depends on a number of factors, but yeah-- most recent MLB-built parks were publicly funded.

Obviously Canada & Quebec are different since a big chunk of their public money goes into their welfare/health care coverage for all residents.

The nats with mega contacts don't live in DC and in the DC metro, you pay income taxes where you live not where you work.

[Elvir Ovcina]

The nats with mega contacts don't live in DC and in the DC metro, you pay income taxes where you live not where you work.

That's sorta unique to DC.  Normally it depends on reciprocal tax agreements between the two jurisdictions.  If there's no such agreement, you absolutely do get taxed where you work.  DC just has universal reciprocity. 

[bluestreak]

Congress has made it illegal for DV to charge tax for people who live elsewhere and work in the district. NYC for instance has a tax on people who work in the city.

[HalfSmokes]

That's sorta unique to DC.  Normally it depends on reciprocal tax agreements between the two jurisdictions.  If there's no such agreement, you absolutely do get taxed where you work.  DC just has universal reciprocity. 

There are other metro areas with reciprocity and it’s not just DC- VA and MD have agreements too

[blue911]

There are other metro areas with reciprocity and it’s not just DC- VA and MD have agreements too

I believe the difference is the district’s is federally mandated.


But the point is still valid. Income tax revenue isn’t a big earner.

[blue911]

 It’s my understanding that players file state income tax returns in every state in which they have played in that tax year.

[HalfSmokes]

It’s my understanding that players file state income tax returns in every state in which they have played in that tax year.

The numbers aren't enough to make stadium economics work, but they aren't nothing either

https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/what-is-the-jock-tax

[Elvir Ovcina]

There are other metro areas with reciprocity and it’s not just DC- VA and MD have agreements too

Yes, that's what I said.  The difference is that DC has it literally everywhere: you can work in DC and live literally anywhere and you don't pay DC taxes.

[OfftheBat]

The nats with mega contacts don't live in DC and in the DC metro, you pay income taxes where you live not where you work.

As Elvir mentioned, I think that this is unique to DC.

[Dave in Fairfax]

It’s my understanding that players file state income tax returns in every state in which they have played in that tax year.

I've noted before that there is a tax advantage, however slight, to playing for a team like the Rangers or Astros, since all you home games are in a state with no income tax, and your away games against the other Texas club and the Mariners also incur no state income tax. That used to mean at least 100 games, before they reduced the number of in-division games. If the A's do move to Nevada, those games will also be in a state with no income tax.

The Marlins and Rays also have their home games in lower tax jurisdictions, but most of their away games are in higher tax places like New York City.

[UMDNats]

I think the economics vary with the sport.

I don't think football works at all. The big parking lots used for very few dates does not work.   I infinitely prefer the model Bob Kraft ended up taking, with some limited infrastucture improvements, private capital for the stadium, and the opportunity for Kraft to grab any synergy by owning and developing the surrounding land. He gets to use the lots for Patriot Place when the Pats aren't playing. he bought the land himself. It's not like Angelos asking the state to buy the land for him so he can make money. Frankly, do that, he should get no money for the stadium since he profits off the development.

I do think both Nats Park and the Gallery Place arena (MCI/Verizon/Cap 1) probably catalyzed some of the development. Whether it was going to happen regardless is another question.  Largo ended up finding an alternate use, so the Arena in particular was a good thing. I think if you have a baseball park or both hockey and hoops in an arena, at least the facility is used 80+ nights per year. I think a two team arena is a bit better an investment than a baseball park just because there can be more concerts and other uses like college sports. 

There are definitely transformative developments but 90% of stadium deals now are simply cash grabs but the richest people alive, and the bootlickers who think they're "good deal for the city" are just rubes. A baseball stadium in Nashville might help develop a new neighborhood, but it also probably was getting developed anyways, and the people benefitting the most are the developers, landlords who sell and friends of the owners who get fat, fat contracts. A demo-and-rebuild football stadium does nothing except make the rich get richer, the poor stay poor and the fans pay more.

The soccer stadium in Nashville was privately funded with the city taking the cost of infrastructure around it and it's definitely helped the neighborhood a ton! But you know what is great: the city is only paying for things the whole city can benefit from, not a new owner's suite.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

agree that rebuilds are basically rich guy extortion. Ideally, relocations within a city lead to reuse of the old location and stimulus / catalysis in the new.