• almost1337@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    I don’t begrudge professional athletes their income, as it’s proportional to the amount of revenue their sport brings in. I do take issue with how much money the big three sports make, and how much less athletes who work just as hard or harder get paid.

    • Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      I take issue with the public funds granted to team owners- who are insanely wealthy already.

      Pay for your own fucking stadiums, if it’s so goddamn important.

      • Sc00ter@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        Yes, but i also get it. If you want to build a stadium very near the city, thats going to cost more than if you build out in the middle of no where. The city, and surrounding businesses want the stadium close to them becuase it drives business at the local shops/hotels/restaurants, which then also drives increased tax revenue.

        The way the city incentivizes the owners to build near them is with tax incentives, which ultimately gets passed on to the local community. But the community does also benefit from those other things i mentioned above, but how much isnt as tangible as “my property tax went up x% to pay for their stadium”

        • Overshoot2648@lemm.ee
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          1 day ago

          I think it has been found time and again that the math doesn’t work out. Like other businesses, they get cities to bid each other under the table to the point that the increase in tax revenue doesn’t even come close to the cost. See Amazon and the Olympics for large-scale examples.

        • Crazyslinkz@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Ever walk around outside the stadium and by shit? Food, items, things?

          I recently walked around Mercedes stadium in Atlanta and that isn’t the best neighborhood…

          • Sc00ter@lemm.ee
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            1 day ago

            Yea when i travel to different cities for games, i buy a ton of shit and stay in their hotels. Ever been to a game? All restaurants and bars are absolutely packed before, after, and during the games

        • Crewman@sopuli.xyz
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          2 days ago

          Based on everything I’ve seen and read, there is not much benefit to funding a stadium, and that’s without the owners’ constant threats of leaving if they dont get more blackmail money.

    • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
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      2 days ago

      I do think some athletes are paid excessively but the ownership is a much better target for our ire. Professional athletes work very hard for their money and while the pay disparity between them and other workers might be unjust, there are 1000 other injustices that rank higher.

      • felbane@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I user to think all professional athletes were grossly overpaid but in general it’s only the “stars” that have the super ridiculous salaries.

        An NFL lineman making $2-6 million a year seems crazy except when you consider that the national leagues are difficult to get into and require the highest level of skill/talent (usually… sometimes you get a real turd like Burfict).

        An injury could kill their career immediately, and they’re all pretty much speed running an entire 30-40 year career (with salary and retirement savings) in half a dozen seasons.

        • Jolteon
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          2 days ago

          Yep, a year of playing Burns up probably 5 years minimum of bodily health. They definitely deserve a fair amount of money for that.