As the day gets closer...

...it becomes embarrassingly clearer that "The Football Game" is a tremendous scam perpetrated by the National Football League with the overt assistance of local media, politicians and so-called business leadership.

It started years ago when the local folks bought into the idea that commitment to municipal debt of more than a billion dollars was going to make the city rich beyond all dreams.  If we had the "right facility," the kings of greed, otherwise known as the NFL owners, promised that they would bestow the ultimate symbol of their generosity upon Indianapolis.

We would be allowed to host "The Football Game."

In the ensuing years, a very basic question never got asked or answered.  If hosting "The Football Game" (TFG) was such a financial plum, why did only two or three cities bother to bid on it?

The question which now becomes paramount is whether the local backers got scammed or are they part of the deal?

We find out that the heart of the city has become the playground - the tax-free playground - for the multi-millionaire team owners and their high-rolling friends. Nor will the city be reimbursed for any additional public safety costs in handling thousands of city visitors.

While street closures shutting down the heart of the city will help visitors navigate from party to party, ordinary downtown workers will probably need a GPS device to find the location of the nearest available restaurant to their offices.

Another surprise showed up yesterday when we were told that 700 tons of sand will be dumped onto Victory Field to provide a "beach" for a flag football game.  Will somebody be billed for the use of the property?  Who gets that money?

There is little to show just who made all the deals or the source of authority to do so.  Can’t wait to see the financial reports.  We’d expect to see one of two results.  1) The city owes the NFL money, or, 2) It’s none of your damned business.  You’re supposed to be satisfied with the fact that Indianapolis was actually mentioned on a local TV station in Uzbekistan!

What becomes ever more embarrassing - and expensive - is the municipal inferiority complex which says to all comers, "We’re dying to be someone!  Tell us you like us, and we’ll hand you a blank check!"

P.S.  Recent stories claim Chicago is going to follow our lead on sports emphasis.  Does that mean we can look for a sliding roof on Soldiers Field?

 

Comments

[Leslie Baker]

This has gotten beyond ridiculous. Clearly, the people in this city running this event all need thorough evaluations by mental health specialists, STAT. Not that it would do us any good now; they've already spent all the money we had and a lot we didn't. On ONE damned football game! Seriously, folks, that's what it is: a game. And big, big, business for the ever-deeper pockets of the NFL. Wish I'd known years ago that that was the place to look for a job.

[Recogvibe]

The media always likes to take people's temperature to see where they stand on issues to see if an issue is 'worth' the press.

"What becomes ever more embarrassing - and expensive - is the municipal inferiority complex which says to all [new]comers, 'We’re dying to be someone! Tell us you like us, and we’ll hand you a blank check!'"

This is worth the press. Indpls is trying a little too hard to be likeable at the expense of good city budgeting. Determining what to prioritize IS where Indianapolis "leaders" lose their focus. They are too busy trying to get good PR instead of focusing on the issues that matter. Indianapolis will never be a 'world class city' until our city prioritizes the care of its animals and its own people in need. I don't need the Superbowl here, I just need a reason to be prowd of this city... and Mitch Daniels (supporting RTW) and Greg Ballard (not giving a shit about IACC funding) are clearly not a reason to be "prowd" of our city. Yet, they are TYPICAL of many politicians. They lack a code of ethics that prioritizes the citizens in their city OVER good PR.

The issue here is WHEN will there actually be good moral politicians here in Indiana, in the rest of Congress, and in our Oval Office. I am sick of Puppets trying to get good PR every chance they get.

[Vox Populi]

Regardless of all the hype and hyperbole regarding the super bowl the city won't make any significant dollars on the super bowl. Economic study after study debunks the myth that the hosting city for the super bowl make hundreds of millions of dollars, see http://college.holycross.edu/RePEc/hcx/Matheson_SuperBowl09.pdf for an example of a non-biased study.

What did Indianapolis have to bring to the table to get the super bowl? In today's paper we read that we are the first city to fully fund this endeavour but no one is telling us what that dollar amount is, no surprise there.

What is the cost of free police and fire, the exemption of taxes for NFL personnel, the 113 suites given to the NFL, concessions and all of the tickets?

The reality is that this is just a bigger version of corporate welfare than we are accustomed to here in Indy, more hoopla of the event, a lot higher prices for tickets, hotel rooms and super events.

[Purple rain]

Can't wait until we get the Olympics - then we would be guaranteed to become bankrupt!

Seriously, it is amazing how many people believe the lies that this is an economic booster. In fact, the Super Bowl actually hurts the Downtown Ponzi scheme. The CIB etc. is going to need another infusion of funds to recover from this event.

[Sarah]

Paul Ogden and Mark Small (www.civildiscoursenow.com) have an internet show on every Saturday. This Saturday is all on what this city has given for the super bowl. They are also covering restrictions placed on our local merchants.
Details regarding this Saturday are being posted daily on their website. It promises to be quite interesting.

[Fred McCarthy]

Thanks for the reminder. We always find interesting observations and information on Pauls blog, as well as that of Gary Welsh. We'll be sure to check out your comment.