Detroit: Why is there over a half billion dollar stadium deal being approved in a bankrupt city?

[SheilaT]

9. Because this sort of thing has been going on

probably for a good half-century. There is ALWAYS the claim that many, many jobs are created. No. There are those jobs during the construction phase, but those end. During the playing season there are some seasonal jobs: ticket takers, concession stand workers. But few if any of these are permanent, probably none are full time with benefits.

I have lived in cities with and without major sport, and I vastly prefer without. Currently I live in Santa Fe, and the entire state of New Mexico does not have a single major league professional sports team here. Yay! Those who want to follow a team elsewhere do so, and good for them. Meanwhile, there are not ludicrous tax concessions or false job claims connected to the pro team's presence. Best of all, while the local papers do cover professional, college, and high school teams, there's not the absurd over-identification and out-of-proportion coverage that I've seen in other cities, especially if there's football involved.

If any hostile nation ever wants to invade this country, just do it on a Super Bowl Sunday. If your planning is fortuitous enough, that year the Washington Redskins will be in the Super Bowl and it will be exceptionally easy. That nothing like that has ever happened is clear proof that those who wish us harm truly do not understand our culture, especially our football culture.