Changes

== Questionable Economic Impact ==

== Questionable Economic Impact ==

There are "Five Reasons Losing an NFL Football Team is Good for a City,"<ref>http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/02/five-reasons-losing-an-nfl-football-team-is-good-for-a-city/</ref> and the first reason is that the NFL bilks taxpayers of billions of dollars.  Even though NFL owners are making billions of dollars for themselves, they get taxpayers to foot much of the costs for their stadiums.

NOTE: Much of the information here equally applies to other professional sports leagues and teams.

There are additional reasons why a city is better off it if loses its NFL team, including:

The San Diego Free Press wrote an article titled "Five Reasons Losing an NFL Football Team is Good for a City".  The first reason quoted was that, even though NFL owners are making millions of dollars for themselves (and many NFL franchises are valued in the billions of dollars), they get taxpayers to foot much of the costs for the teams' stadiums.  Other reasons quoted include:

*More support for college programs, which actually help people<ref>It should be noted, though, that only a handful of NFL cities also have a university with a football team which is a member of a FBS "Power 5" conference, and only one -- Los Angeles -- has two such universities.  Even so, many of those programs have never benefitted from increased attendance at collegiate games when the team has done well while the professional team has done poorly.</ref>

*More support for college programs, which actually help people<ref>It should be noted, though, that only a handful of NFL cities also have a university with a football team which is a member of a FBS "Power 5" conference, and only one -- Los Angeles -- has two such universities.  Even so, many of those programs have never benefitted from increased attendance at collegiate games when the team has done well while the professional team has done poorly.</ref>

*Less blighting of the land<ref>Though many new stadiums have been built in areas which were already blighted.</ref>

*Less blighting of the land<ref>Though many new stadiums have been built in areas which were already blighted.</ref>

*Greater local church attendance

*Greater local church attendance

*Fewer traffic jams

*Fewer traffic jams<ref>http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/02/five-reasons-losing-an-nfl-football-team-is-good-for-a-city/</ref>

On December 17, 2015, the [[NFL]] demanded that the State of Missouri reduce the obligation by the NFL for a new $1.1 billion stadium in [[St. Louis]] to less than 20% of the cost, with taxpayers of the struggling city then bearing the bulk of the enormous cost.  St. Louis refused, and ultimately the Rams relocated (back) to Los Angeles, from which they initially came.  Similarly, in April 2024 the citizens of Jackson County, Missouri, refused to extend a 3/8th cent sales tax to renovate the stadium for the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (the measure would also have built a new stadium for [[MLB]]'s [[Kansas City Royals]]; notably, the measure was opposed by County Executive Frank White, a former Royals player and inductee into the team's Hall of Fame).

On December 17, 2015, the [[NFL]] demanded that the State of Missouri reduce the obligation by the NFL for a new $1.1 billion stadium in [[St. Louis]] to less than 20% of the cost, with taxpayers of the struggling city then bearing the bulk of the enormous cost.  St. Louis refused, and ultimately the Rams relocated (back) to Los Angeles, from which they initially came.<ref>The city later sued the NFL seeking economic damages; the parties settled out of court with the league having to pay millions to the city.</ref> Similarly, in April 2024 the citizens of Jackson County, Missouri, refused to extend a 3/8th cent sales tax to renovate the stadium for the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (the measure would also have built a new stadium for [[MLB]]'s [[Kansas City Royals]]; notably, the measure was opposed by County Executive Frank White, a former Royals player and inductee into the team's Hall of Fame).

== Poor economic impact of Super Bowl ==

== Poor economic impact of Super Bowl ==