Win Some, Lose Some

While the country elected a president on Tuesday, voters in San Diego and Arlington decided if they wanted to help build new stadiums for two professional sports teams.  San Diego said No, Arlington Yes.

The football Chargers want out of Qualcomm Stadium, where they’ve played since 1967.  In a way, you can’t blame them.  Qualcomm, nee Jack Murphy, is one of those multi-use monstrosities that were so popular in the 1960s and ’70s.  From the air, it looks like an immense bowl with a series of little ramp/bowls encircling it.  Of course, the Chargers could build their own stadium, but where’s the fun in that if you’re a football robber baron?  The Chargers wanted the public to pick up $1.15 billion of the project’s stated—as in don’t believe what we’re stating the cost to be—cost of $1.8 billion.  The team may now try to share a stadium with the Los Angeles Rams.  The last time two teams tried to share a stadium in LA, the Angels ended up very unhappy tenants in Dodger Stadium, so we’ll see.

Meanwhile, in Texas voters said Yes, kick us in the shins to the tune of $500 million.  How can those poor Rangers play baseball in a 22-year old dump?  Why, let’s pay half of the tab for a new park with retractable roof.  The team presently plays in Globe Life Park, with a seating capacity just north of 48,000.  The team promised their new park will hold at least 38,000, with the assumption being actual capacity falling somewhere between 42,000 to 44,000.

This is how a typical sports team treats its fans—demanding public money for a private enterprise while reducing the seats available to watch the entertainment at hand.  Texans are big believers in the law of supply and demand.  I hope Rangers’ fans realize they’ll be in for a lesson on that in the near future.