(January 13, 2017 at 11:07 am)Tiberius Wrote:(January 13, 2017 at 10:58 am)Brian37 Wrote: If all 32 teams thought like that, and paid for their own digs, nobody would or should complain. However, I do know that when the NJ/NY teams got funding for their new stadium, tax payers were still paying for the old one.
I really have a hard time believing 32 billionaires cant pool their own money.
Reading up on Kraft's history with the Patriots, it's clear that he's a fan first and an owner second. He bought the original Patriots stadium when it went into bankruptcy for $22 million but it was considered to be outdated and worthless, however it came with the lease to the Patriots. He was offered $75 million by the Patriots owner to buy out the remainder of the lease so the Patriots could move to St Louis, but Kraft rejected the offer and instead offered $172 million to buy the team outright (which at the time was the highest amount a sports team had ever sold for). Kraft is quoted as saying he had to "break every one of my financial rules" in order to buy the Patriots, but that was basically fulfilling a lifelong dream.
If all big biz thought like this, and while some may still think like this, we still don't have a majority climate like Henry Fords or this. We unfortunately have a climate of pro monopoly, anti regulation, Duke coal ash dumping, Wells Fargo excuses "I didn't do it", climate. The irony of the NFL is that even the anti union right wing fans never accept, or want to accept that the sport they love, would not have the quality it does if it were not for the player's union.
