The sports landscape might be changing in the coming months.
Literally. The New York Mets and the money-hemoragging business known as Citigroup are reassuring each other they will keep the Citi Field moniker for the Mets’ new stadium. But certain minute congressmen (cough, Dennis Kucinich, cough) think that would be a poor move in this current economic climate.
Citi says it isn’t using any of the $45 billion Uncle Sam gave it to stay solvent, but this might not be the best way to profligately spend money even if it is theirs. Like the car companies taking private planes to beg for money from Washington, it doesn’t exactly help your public relations front.
Stadiums, and who pays for them, are always a touchy issue. But somehow, stupid state governments usually end up footing the bill, while the owners and leagues get all the benefits. For example, the late owner of my Minnesota Twins suckered the taxpayers to build a new stadium when he could have paid for it several times over from his own pocket. Plus these things get very expensive and studies have shown they are neutral to a city’s long term health.
Hmm. That doesn’t seem fair. With the rising costs of tickets, seat licenses and beer at stadiums, ordinary citizens and fans are being pushed out in favor of those that actually foot the tax bill for the stadiums: rich people and businesses.
Which is why they don’t mind paying six bucks for an Old Style. So life isn’t fair. Everyone who actually roots for the Cubs knows that.
But now Congress and the idiots in the finance world are giving the common man a chance at revenge.
Citi and its like have laid off tens of thousands of employees in the past year, yet Citi wants to still spend $400 million for naming rights?
Due to poor management and lax regulation, the Treasury has stepped in to help these sorry enterprises.
Of course, the natural cry for these banks is that they are being picked on. Why did nobody question the naming of the United Center when airlines had been insolvent for decades? Because we were not in pure panic mode with the threat of a depression ahead as we are now and the government did not have to recapitalize those companies.
Normally when that happens to a sports team’s sponsor, the name changes.
The San Francisco Giants’ home has had various telecom company names from SBC to ATT to Pac-Bell. Houston had Enron…Wait, I know why theychanged that one.
So why can’t this happen: United States of America Field? Taxpayers Stadium? Tim Geithner Park?
An interesting option, but I am against it. Purely out of love for the game and competition.
What better home-field advantage would a team need to play in America Field. Why not call it Freedom Field? That would just be another advantage for New York teams. And I will not stand for that.
Brian Regan is a senior in McCormick. He can be reached at [email protected]
