I have no personal objection to tax money being spent on cultural projects, like those you mentioned. They are non-commercial, as a rule, and educational in some way. Here in the Twin Cities, we have one major art museum that is open to the public without admission, along with a zoo, conservatory, and other venues in a park that are also free for all to attend. The local musical organizations perform free concerts on a regular basis, and participate in educational efforts. I have no objection to my tax dollars being spent for those, and I don't smoke when I'm at them, either.
However, the owner of the Minnesota Vikings, for example, is a billionaire. He owned the team as an investment, and plays almost no role in the operation of the team. Building a new stadium increases the value of the team for him, and he is contributing some of the money needed to build the new stadium, again, as an investment. However, the $900 million stadium will be built with a very substantial use of tax money. That expenditure will also benefit the owner through increasing the value of his property, since that tax money does not need to be repaid. The NFL is a major industry, and should either be able to pay for itself or founder, in my opinion.
The same applies to all major professional sports. Any tax dollars spent on their facilities benefit primarily the interests who own the teams, not the general public. There is no free admission to professional sports events. There is no educational value provided. The games do not benefit the cultural awareness of the public. Only those who pay for tickets and the owners of the sports teams benefit from such facilities. A few related businesses sprout up to provide jobs, etc., but do not compensate for the additional costs to the taxpayer.
I am unalterably opposed to tax funding for professional sports venues. I see no benefits accruing from such funding and additional costs for many who simply cannot afford to attend events, but who are taxed to pay for a facility they cannot enter. It is unfair taxation to support businesses which make large profits. I'm opposed to that, across the board.
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