Professional Sports Teams Move - Cities Fight To Keep Them
Professional sports, like most of our popular culture, can be understood only partly by through its exiting plays and tremendous athletes. Baseball and football most of all are not only games anymore but also hardcore businesses. As businesses, sports leagues can be as conniving, deceitful, and manipulative as any other businesses in the world. No matter what the circumstances are, it seems that Politicians are always some how right around the corner from the world of sports. These Politicians look to exploit both the cultural and the economic dimensions of the sports for their own purposes. This is what is known in the sports industry as “playing the field”.
In the last decade, almost all the big cities in the United States, and a few small cities as well, have battled with each other for the right to host big league franchises. Cities spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build new stadiums and offer enticements to private franchise owners. Politicians often push for stadiums and other favors to teams despite not having support from neighborhoods and general opposition across the whole city, especially where these high dollar stadiums would be built.
Some of the most prolific franchises in sports, like the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts of the National Football League, have moved to other cities breaking off their loyalty to the hometown fans. More important than the actual moves are the more frequent threatened moves. When teams “play the field” and explore the option of playing in other cities they are able to lure interested cities into giving them just about any royalty they want. New stadiums are only the beginning. The willingness to threaten departure has secured for teams a variety of land deals, lower taxes, more revenues from parking and concessions, control of stadium operations, guaranteed ticket sales, renovation of stadiums with luxury seating, control over neighborhoods and transportation systems, and that’s only the beginning of the list.
Franchises are able to control their own destinies and have major advantages over city officials. This is what as known in the sports industry as the “uneven playing field”. City officials react to the offensive stra...
... middle of paper ...
...s left Baltimore to play in Indianapolis, where they haven’t had a championship season since they left.
Ironically, the Cleveland Browns of the NFL who were a playoff caliber team every year, who had loyal fans and good attendance, lost their team to the city of Baltimore. Owner Art Modell moved his Cleveland Browns team to the city of Baltimore, with the promise of a cost free state of the art stadium, built by tax payers, and a larger market for their team to play in. The city of Baltimore welcomed the team wholeheartedly, after going through the same loss of a team, the Colts. The team is know called the Baltimore Ravens and play in a beautiful stadium complex in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. They have great fan support and Baltimore is once again a football town. The city of Cleveland on the other hand has been in shock after losing a team they loved and supported and are not very fond of Art Modell. The city of Cleveland will once again become a football town, with the expansion Cleveland Browns preparing for their inaugural season, beginning in the fall 1999. The city is once again very excited about the NFL and the “Dog Pound” will live again.
Do Major League Baseball teams with higher salaries win more frequently than other teams? Although many people believe that the larger payroll budgets win games, which point does vary, depending on the situation. "performances by individual players vary quite a bit from year to year, preventing owners from guaranteeing success on the field. Team spending is certainly a component in winning, but no team can buy a championship." (Bradbury). For some, it’s hard not to root for the lower paid teams. If the big money teams, like Goliath, are always supposed to win, it’s hard not cheer for David. This paper will discuss the effects of payroll budgets on the percentage of wins for the 30 Major League Baseball teams of 2007.
Ultimately, there are three exceptionally important criteria for deciding on good candidate for an expansion team. The first criterion is that the stadium must be controlled or owned by the baseball team. The stadium is a crucial aspect because most of the team’s revenue is generated in relation to the stadium. This stadium revenue comprises of ticket sales, parking, merchandise and concessions. Thus, without a stadium, the team will not be able to generate a stable source of revenue. The second criterion is that local ownership must have strong roots within the community. Without ties to the community, fan attendance could decrease. This is because fans could eventually perceive that the owner(s)’s only goal for the MLB franchise was to be profitable. The third criterion is the city must have long-term political support in the community. It is vital to have political support in order to gain financial support throughout the team’s years of existence, especially in tax payer monies. Particularly, this is significant when the team experiences issues or fights that involve the stadium and the land around the stadium. If there is a lack of political support, the expansion teams will not be able to obtain enough for money for stadium renovations, repairs, or to build new stadiums for the same team within the same city. This circumstance was apparent when the New York Yankees used tax revenue generated by New York City to fund the building of their brand new stadium for the 2009 season. Therefore, expansion committees believe it is necessary to confirm that the prospective cities will have enough political support because this political factor will help stabilize and financially support the prosp...
Will the real “America’s Team” please stand up? This term is widely used throughout the media when referring to the Dallas Cowboys. “America’s Team” was first coined some 40 years ago while introducing them for a feature film by the legendary sport writer Bob Ryan. In the following years, because of their success and mass media exposure they were a team that America as a nation could identify with ,so the name stuck. The Cowboys since those days has regressed into a very mediocre team who only looks for moral instead of actual Super Bowl victories. Their owner’s thirst for television coverage and eternal relevance has given him the nickname “The Ringmaster.” Enter New England Patriots. The team adorned in red, white and blue whose name signifies the revolutionary
B. The owners claim that it would not be profitable to keep playing baseball in Montreal and Minnesota.
Pittsburgh is known as a sports’ town that gets behind their three teams. Being located in Pittsburgh, the Steelers use one of the main companies in the city for the stadium name, which is called Heinz Field. The location allows for many local sponsors to get involved with the team, while, at the same time, it creates business for the stores and restaurants around the city. In 2010, Forbes rated Pittsburgh as the most livable city in the U.S. (Levy). This gives incentive to players to feel comfortable once they begin to raise a family while playing for Steelers.
When looking into the history of our culture, there are many subtopics that fall under the word, “history.” Topics such as arts and literature, food, and media fall into place. Among these topics reside sports. Since the beginning of time, sports have persisted as an activity intertwined with the daily life of people. Whether it is a pick-up game of football in the backyard, or catching an evening game at the local stadium, sports have become the national pastime. According to Marcus Jansen of the Sign Post, more specifically, baseball is America’s national pastime, competing with other sports (Jansen 1). Providing the entertainment that Americans pay top dollar for, live the role models, superstars, and celebrities that put on a jersey as their job. As said in an article by Lucas Reilly, Americans spend close to $25.4 billion dollars on professional sports (Reilly 4). The people that many children want to be when they grow up are not the firefighters or astronauts told about in bed time stories. These dream jobs or fantasies have become swinging a bat or tossing a football in front of millions of screaming fans. When asked why so many dream of having such job, the majority will respond with a salary related answer. In today’s day and age, the average athlete is paid more than our own president. The cold hard facts show that in professional sports, the circulation of money is endless. Certain teams in professional baseball and football are worth over millions of dollars. Consequently, the teams who are worth more are able to spend more. The issue that arises with this philosophy is virtually how much more? League managers, team owners and other sports officials have sought out a solution to the surfacing problem. Is it fair to let...
He then voices that teams threaten their cities and fans by arranging a relocation as an effect of them not receiving a new stadium. Not only do they threaten their cities, teams also promise that new stadiums could be an economical help for the city; creating new jobs, growth, and development, when in reality, they rarely revitalize the community in any way. Orlando Pardon, Miami business owner, is a perfect example of how stadiums and arenas can actually wound the community. Pardon states, “since the stadium opened, not only have the profits not risen, but on game days the regulars stay away; afraid of traffic. We don’t see any changes, you could even say it’s hurting us.” Team owners’ threats and promises create a reoccurring chain of events that uses taxpayers’ money for things such as new stadiums instead of schooling and roads, and can essentially harm businesses and decrease job opportunity within the surrounding
Times have changed - what was acceptable 30 years ago may not hold up in today’s world. Racially offensive mascots have created division - not unity. If teams like the Indians, Braves and Redskins were to change their names and update their branding, they could potentially benefit more than by holding on to offensive, outdated traditions. Why would a professional sports organization settle for fewer fans, less revenue, and an image that offends its own citizens? By...
Abstract: The Stadium construction boom continues, and taxpayers are being forced to pay for new high tech stadiums they don’t want. These new stadiums create only part-time jobs. Stadiums bring money in exclusively for professional leagues and not the communities. The teams are turning public money into private profit. Professional leagues are becoming extremely wealthy at the taxpayers expense. The publicly-funded stadium obsession must be put to a stop before athletes and coaches become even greedier. New stadiums being built hurt public schools, and send a message to children that leisure activities are more important than basic education. Public money needs to be used to for more important services that would benefit the local economy. Stadiums do not help the economy or save struggling towns. There are no net benefits from single purpose stadiums, and therefore the stadium obsessions must be put to a stop.
Over the course of the 1921 and 22 seasons, the Packers underwent a transformation where they replaced most of their local talent with players from big-time colleges or other pro teams.As a result, they were highly competitive on the field from the beginning and, in turn, able to establish a firm foothold within the league. “In 1927, when the NFL decided to cut its franchises almost in half and eliminate many of its smaller cities, Green Bay survived ,Then before the 1929 season, They hit the jackpot.”While the Packers were in the process of winning the 1931 championship, they also were blindsided by what could have been a Disastrous event. “In their second game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, a local fan, Willard J. Bent, injured his back when a section of bleachers at city stadium collapsed, and he fell nearly 10 feet to the ground”,he sued them for 5,000 dollars .On April 3, 1956, voters approved a referendum to fund the construction of the stadium. “It was dedicated on Sept. 29, 1957, and called new City Stadium until it was renamed Lambeau Field in 1965.””On Blackbourn’s watch, the Packers also drafted Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor and Ray Nitschke, all future Pro Football Hall of Famers.”McLean lasted one season. He submitted his resignation under fire on Dec. 17, 1958, following a 1-10-1 finish, the worst in Packers
Baseball remains today one of America’s most popular sports, and furthermore, baseball is one of America’s most successful forms of entertainment. As a result, Baseball is an economic being of its own. However, the sustainability of any professional sport organization depends directly on its economic capabilities. For example, in Baseball, all revenue is a product of the fans reaction to ticket prices, advertisements, television contracts, etc. During the devastating Great Depression in 1929, the fans of baseball experienced fiscal suffering. The appeal of baseball declined as more and more people were trying to make enough money to live. There was a significant drop in attention, attendance, and enjoyment. Although baseball’s vitality might have seemed threatened by the overwhelming Great Depression, the baseball community modernized their sport by implementing new changes that resulted in the game’s survival.
In 1971, the Chicago Bears began to play in Soldier Field. The founder of the Chicago Bears, George Halas, never thought Soldier Field would be the permanent field for the Bears. Later in the 1970’s, George Halas announced the team would look into building a stadium in Arlington Heights. “Chicago Mayor Richard Daley stated the team would need to change their name to the ‘Arlington Heights Bears,’ should they move to the suburbs” (Roy Taylor). George Halas was a business man and if the Chicago Bears were...
Historical and sociological research has shown, through much evidence collection and analysis of primary documents that the American sporting industry can give an accurate reflection, to a certain extent, of racial struggles and discrimination into the larger context of American society. To understand this stance, a deep look into aspects of sport beyond simply playing the game must be a primary focus. Since the integration of baseball, followed shortly after by American football, why are the numbers of African American owners, coaches and managers so very low? What accounts for the absence of African American candidates from seeking front office and managerial roles? Is a conscious decision made by established members of each organization or is this matter a deeper reflection on society? Why does a certain image and persona exist amongst many African American athletes? Sports historians often take a look at sports and make a comparison to society. Beginning in the early 1980’s, historians began looking at the integration of baseball and how it preceded the civil rights movement. The common conclusion was that integration in baseball and other sports was indeed a reflection on American society. As African Americans began to play in sports, a short time later, Jim Crow laws and segregation formally came to an end in the south. Does racism and discrimination end with the elimination of Jim Crow and the onset of the civil rights movement and other instances of race awareness and equality? According to many modern sports historians and sociologists, they do not. This paper will focus on the writings of selected historians and sociologists who examine th...
Sports are one of the most profitable industries in the world. Everyone wants to get their hands on a piece of the action. Those individuals and industries that spend hundreds of millions of dollars on these sports teams are hoping to make a profit, but it may be an indirect profit. It could be a profit for the sports club, or it could be a promotion for another organization (i.e. Rupert Murdoch, FOX). The economics involved with sports have drastically changed over the last ten years.
Sports have been around for thousands of years. The history of sports in United States began back in the 1840s. United States is a very unique country when we look at its sports, just like every country has a different structure of sports so does US. This paper will be taking about the Sports Organizations and Governance, the sports industry, sports organizations, and Structure of sports in the United States. It will also cover the Sport in the United States vs. Other Western Democracies by taking a look at the State Political, historical context, team objectives, and sports organizations. It will also cover the uniqueness of American sport as well as cover the mass participation and give recommendations on how to increase participation and success.