Even as a fan for well over 2 decades I still must say..I dont think the NBA owes me.

[hammer2010]

Except they have tied their team's identity to a City's name, and it's tax payers. Not to mention most arenas are built by tax payers, most of the security provided is through tax payer money. Yet with millions of tax payer money tied to professional teams and their well-being economically, they still don't owe us anything. F*UCK THAT! Tell me to invest money in anything else and then say you don't owe me anything.

[Kblaze8855]

Nba players and owners no doubt contribute more to the tax base than average fans. Again it seems we seperate them from the public they are part of.

I find it annoying for billionaires to ask a city to pay for an arena but thats a whole other issue. I have no doubt they bring in vast sums of money to a community which is why they pay for them to begin with. Im sure the city runs the numbers in advance.

I read that lebron alone generated like 130 million a year in cleveland. Resturants not sure they can keep theirs doors open without the people flooding out of games into their bars.

Big picture things to consider.

I bet mark cuban spends more on taxes than plenty of neighborhoods generate in a year.

[Jasper]

I agree it's OUR league and MY team symdrome

Dallas Cowboys owner : " I wish I won ever year a championship , but the thrill to work hard each year no matter what money is involved is the competitive drive I love "

Do all NBA owners have the competitive drive for their franchise

If they don't - they don't deserve a franchise from my fan perspective.

[chips93]

Except they have tied their team's identity to a City's name, and it's tax payers. Not to mention most arenas are built by tax payers, most of the security provided is through tax payer money. Yet with millions of tax payer money tied to professional teams and their well-being economically, they still don't owe us anything. F*UCK THAT! Tell me to invest money in anything else and then say you don't owe me anything.

local governments dont build arenas as favors to the league. they build them in the hope that the city will get a return in the form of more money being spent in ameneties around the arenas, in restraunts and the like. cities build arenas to get something back themselves, not for the basketball

[tpols]

Being richer means they should be less selfish?

Yes.

Most rich people and people that are extremely well off in life like a lot of NBA players and owners should feel fortunate enough in their lives that they should want to give back to those who are less fortunate than they are.

If you look at all these owners and players, a lot of them either came into money, got somewhat lucky in the business world with whatever they were doing, or had the genetics to become a 6'8 black man. They are in the top 1% for people to have been born straight privelaged.. at least in those categories. The fact that they made it that high is blessing in itself and they should gain an extra sense of humbleness and realize what was granted to them wasn't granted to many other people.. even those that may have started off just like them.

[Kblaze8855]

Yea...i dont think local government is the place to find the selfless. They get something in return.

[Kblaze8855]

Yes.

Most rich people and people that are extremely well off in life like a lot of NBA players and owners should feel fortunate enough in their lives that they should want to give back to those who are less fortunate than they are.

If you look at all these owners and players, a lot of them either came into money, got somewhat lucky in the business world with whatever they were doing, or had the genetics to become a 6'8 black man. They are in the top 1% for people to have been born straight privelaged.. at least in those categories. The fact that they made it that high is blessing in itself and they should gain an extra sense of humbleness and realize what was granted to them wasn't granted to many other people.. even those that may have started off just like them.

And people born in america and canada and other first world countries should appreciate the massive advantages they get from that. But we dont. we have life good enough that we can spend hours arguing over basketball online. We arent making a dollar a day and hoping to make it through the dry season. But we dont take our gifts and be selfless and devote our insane amount of free time to helping others.

We get onion rings and complain that one of our 500 sources of e ntertainment is on a break.

Not knowing how good you have it is a near universal symptom of being an american. Im not mad it extends up the ladder. I was mad 2k 12 didnt have a crew mode. We are a petty people.

[hammer2010]

Nba players and owners no doubt contribute more to the tax base than average fans. Again it seems we seperate them from the public they are part of.

I find it annoying for billionaires to ask a city to pay for an arena but thats a whole other issue. I have no doubt they bring in vast sums of money to a community which is why they pay for them to begin with. Im sure the city runs the numbers in advance.

I read that lebron alone generated like 130 million a year in cleveland. Resturants not sure they can keep theirs doors open without the people flooding out of games into their bars.

Big picture things to consider.

I bet mark cuban spends more on taxes than plenty of neighborhoods generate in a year.

The point is that tax payers directly fund parts of their business. If I run a business and hire 1000 people with well paying jobs and my business helps progress the economy of that area. Should the tax payers build the building that my company operates in?

Doesn't make sense does it?

How much you pay in taxes reflects how much you benefit from society as a whole. GTFO with the whole 'they pay more taxes so they should get better treatment' bit.

[Kblaze8855]

Again i have to ask.....if its so unreasonable to ask a city to pay why have like 20 cities done so? Talk about all the right and wrong you want. A gang of accountants economists and such for these cities look over the requests and the likely benefits then pay the money. Dont act like they sneak under a mattress and take it. You dont think its right....tell the hundreds of people deciding to ok it after months of research.


And once more......taxpayers pay. Owners and players pay taxes. More than i do thats for sure.

They are the taxpayers like everyone else. Only they pay much more of it. Its not them and taxpayers. Its just...taxpayers.

[hammer2010]

Again i have to ask.....if its so unreasonable to ask a city to pay why have like 20 cities done so? Talk about all the right and wrong you want. A gang of accountants and such for these cities look over the requests and the likely benefits then pay the money. Dont act like they sneak under a mattress and take it. You dont think its right....tell the hundreds of people deciding to ok it after months of research.

I agree with you that they bring economic activity in an area, but to say they owe the fans and the tax payers nothing is bullsh*t. I don't agree with taxpayers paying for arenas but that's my view. Every business owes it's success to their customers. Do you think people would care about the NBA if the owners and players came out and said outright that they owe the fans nothing?

They are nothing without the fans and gift-wrapped billion dollar state of the art arenas courtesy of tax payers. If they promise economic activity in return for tax payer's money then they better f*ckin provide it.

[Derrick]

tldr, but uve been a fan since before i was born, u old af bro

[Kblaze8855]

I agree with you that they bring economic activity in an area, but to say they owe the fans and the tax payers nothing is bullsh*t. I don't agree with taxpayers paying for arenas but that's my view. Every business owes it's success to their customers. Do you think people would care about the NBA if the owners and players came out and said outright that they owe the fans nothing?

Course not. Because people are stupid and dont want the truth. They want to be told what they wanna hear. You think a president can win if he openly says hes not sure god exists? Or that he doesnt like black people and jews? But do you think there has not been a racist president in the last 30 years? Or one who questioned god or isnt really christian but just says so? You think that if a politician said the war on drugs cant be won and is wasting billions to arrest small time dealers who wont make a real difference other politicians wouldnt shred him? That mean it isnt true?

The truth has no place in public opinion matters. The public likes pretty lies more than ugly truths.

Lying to the public about how you really feel is a key part of public life because people dont want to support the honest. They support those who make them feel comfortable.

If the truth and how people really felt and operated were acceptable to the public we wouldnt need agencies that exist just to shape public perception of the famous.

The truth must be hidden because people are childish idiots who dont want the boat rocked.

They are nothing without the fans and gift-wrapped billion dollar state of the art arenas courtesy of tax payers. If they promise economic activity in return for tax payer's money then they better f*ckin provide it.

They ARE the taxpayers. A guy who makes the average american yearly pay(like 30 thousand?) wont pay as much in taxes in his life as some of these guys do in a year. Or a week depending on what they buy. So your seperation between them and "the taxpayers" just isnt reasonable.

They are tax paying americans themselves. Tax paying americans who pay most of the money you are giving credit to the less wealthy for paying.

I dont have a problem with the rich having to pay the most in taxes. Its fair to me. But we cant act like they arent paying it and poor people are the ones whos tax dollars are being spent.

Everyone is taxed. Including the people you keep saying are taking tax payer money. Only they pay a lot more of the money you are upset they benefit from.

[Dizzle-2k7]

incase you didnt know, FANS pay these players salaries.

so yea, they OWE us. nobody worships their athletes quite like Basketball fans.. its something about being able to pick up a ball on any given day and pretend youre Kemp dunking , or Jordan hitting a gamewinner ,or Magic giving a no look.

you got millionaires refusing a 50/50 split?

Jordan got paid like 800,000 a year . You got scrubs like Fisher, getting paid millions, and acting straight juvenile.

OWNERS FTW

[Dizzle-2k7]

They are the taxpayers like everyone else. Only they pay much more of it. Its not them and taxpayers. Its just...taxpayers.

You know the United States has a regressive tax system, right?

[tpols]

And people born in america and canada and other first world countries should appreciate the massive advantages they get from that. But we dont. we have life good enough that we can spend hours arguing over basketball online. We arent making a dollar a day and hoping to make it through the dry season. But we dont take our gifts and be selfless and devote our insane amount of free time to helping others.

We get onion rings and complain that one of our 500 sources of e ntertainment is on a break.

Not knowing how good you have it is a near universal symptom of being an american. Im not mad it extends up the ladder. I was mad 2k 12 didnt have a crew mode. We are a petty people.

We as americans dont give enough back in a lot of ways but we also dont have near the money or means like they do to make a difference. We can give what.. a couple thousand dollars a year to charity as grown adults.. me as a student I have 50 dollars in my savings account and thousands in debt. How am I supposed to help others in a less fortunate position than me? I do community service right now and I did it in HS. Other than that I cant really contribute much more. I may be very well of in the world but I dont have the means to help a lot of the people below me.

These guys on the other hand, have the time, resources, money, and power to influence people and make a difference in a way I cannot no matter how comfortably Imaybe living. A lot of them are role models to future generations growing up. They hold a lot more responsiblity than I do.. it's a big difference. The morals are the same but the opportunity to make a difference isnt even close.