# Denver: Soccer is more important than people **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 22, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673 "2025-05-22T16:57:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/1 "2025-05-22T16:57:17Z")
Mike Johnston the mayor and the City Council have decided to [build a stadium](https://coloradosun.com/2025/03/18/denver-womens-soccer-stadium-nwsl/) from scratch for the Women’s Soccer franchise that Denver was recently awarded. Today they announced that workers will have to take [two unpaid furlough days](https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/denver-mayor-blames-inflation-slow-revenue-growth-50-million-budget-shortfall-this-year/) this year since the city have a revenue shortfall. Oh and this is after the city decided not to give the high-level bureaucrats [a significant raise](https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/denver-mayor-reverses-course-on-big-raises-for-appointees/) because of the massive blowback they got on it. I know Denver can’t have a mayor worse than Hancock, but dammit if Johnston isn’t trying. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/2 "2025-05-22T18:20:18Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Today they announced that workers will have to take [two unpaid furlough days](https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/denver-mayor-blames-inflation-slow-revenue-growth-50-million-budget-shortfall-this-year/) this year Update: the 2 are set. There are another 4 floating days. So Denver workers have 6 unpaid days this year but on the other hand can watch women’s soccer starting in 2028. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/3 "2025-05-22T18:29:52Z")
I’m completely sympathetic, but this is pretty much the norm _everywhere_ in government, be it city, state, or federal. Oh look, we’re going to create a new complex which will generate jobs/tourism/taxes (almost always heavily exaggerated) but we can’t afford to improve the local schools/roads/infrastructure without more taxes from you worthless citizens. Heck, I’d go further, and say it’s endemic to the corporate world as well. Years ago when I did tech support for a major carrier, we were seen as a massive money sink, because we generated LOSSES in terms of our pay or replacing faulty phones, and didn’t generate or collect money! What a colossal waste when you are looking at nothing but spreadsheets! Glad to see they didn’t vote themselves the raise at least. And Denver is still better than Colorado Springs local government! [Wanders off to mutter about excessive military pandering.] ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/4 "2025-05-22T18:45:47Z")
Did you miss the “privately funded stadium” part? This is more of a matter of the City of Denver not collecting enough revenue to cover their costs. And it’s not an uncommon thing- every city of any size that I googled is facing a budget shortfall for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years. It’s a combination of inflation (rising costs), decreases in property values for high-value commercial properties (i.e. downtown areas), and the absence of COVID related Federal funding. Your mayor in Denver may suck, but he’s not facing a particularly unique circumstance. > [@ParallelLines](#): > > Years ago when I did tech support for a major carrier, we were seen as a massive money sink, because we generated LOSSES in terms of our pay or replacing faulty phones, and didn’t generate or collect money! What a colossal waste when you are looking at nothing but spreadsheets! Earlier in my career, the more short-sighted execs grumbled about IT costs because we were a “cost center”, meaning that we didn’t generate revenue directly. As if we didn’t enable and enhance _every_ department that did, and enable all the corporate communications and accounting, and all that other jazz that companies have to do in order to stay in business. Nope, we were something to gripe about because we didn’t make money in our own right. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/5 "2025-05-22T18:49:59Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Did you miss the “privately funded stadium” part? While this is true, it does look like the City of Denver is putting $70 million into “redevelopment costs” for the site. Since the budget shortfall for the year is $50 million it does seem reasonable to assign blame for the shortfall (and thus the furloughs) on the costs associated with the soccer team. ETA: Cite: [Denver women's soccer stadium deal will costs city up to $70 million](https://www.denverpost.com/2025/04/09/denver-womens-soccer-stadium-nwsl-city-investment-council/) ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/6 "2025-05-22T21:25:29Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I know Denver can’t have a mayor worse than Hancock, but dammit if Johnston isn’t trying. Am I supposed to know who Hancock is? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/7 "2025-05-22T21:30:39Z")
I cracked this one for ya’. I’m _that_ good: > **[Michael Hancock (Colorado politician)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hancock_(Colorado_politician))** > > Michael B. Hancock (born July 29, 1969) is an American author and politician who served as the 45th mayor of Denver, Colorado from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was in his second term as the Denver City Councilor from the 11th district at the time he was elected to the mayorship. > During his tenure on the Denver City Council from July 20, 2003, to July 18, 2011, Hancock served two terms as the body's president, the last ending in 2008. He was sworn in as Mayor of Denver on ... ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/8 "2025-05-22T22:22:38Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > I cracked this one for ya’. I’m _that_ good: Thanks! I’m still curious… is that something I should be expected to know? Especially with no first name given? Or maybe I just missed something? ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/9 "2025-05-23T02:10:18Z")
It only seems reasonable if you believe that Denver spent $70 million on improvements for the stadium _this year_. The city did not have a $20 million surplus, then spend $70 million dollars on the stadium, then have a $50 million shortfall. The current furloughs aren’t due to the money the city might spend in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/10 "2025-05-23T06:08:09Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Am I supposed to know who Hancock is? I may have posted [a couple](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-mayor-hancock-accused-of-sexual-harrassment/809769) of threads [about him](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayor-hancock-told-all-denver-employees-not-to-travel-even-for-family/926885). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/11 "2025-05-23T06:16:41Z")
> [@Xocomil](#): > > The current furloughs aren’t due to the money the city might spend in the future. The point is if you have an estimated $250M shortfall over the next two years and your employees need to take unpaid days off, why is _any_ money going to building a stadium? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/12 "2025-05-23T06:17:21Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I may have posted [a couple](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-mayor-hancock-accused-of-sexual-harrassment/809769) of threads [about him](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayor-hancock-told-all-denver-employees-not-to-travel-even-for-family/926885). OK. But that still wouldn’t mean I would know who you’re referring to. I’m afraid I don’t follow your posts meticulously enough to be aware of something you may have brought up a week or a year ago. Why not just explain who you’re writing about? Failing that, at least include their first name as a tantalizing clue in the always appreciated “Guess Who I’m Thinking Of!” game. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/13 "2025-05-23T06:18:16Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Why not just explain who you’re writing about? Because it was made in passing. Not the focus of a post. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/14 "2025-05-23T06:23:32Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Earlier in my career, the more short-sighted execs grumbled about IT costs because we were a “cost center”, meaning that we didn’t generate revenue directly. As if we didn’t enable and enhance _every_ department that did, and enable all the corporate communications and accounting, and all that other jazz that companies have to do in order to stay in business. Nope, we were something to gripe about because we didn’t make money in our own right. 🙄 I saw the same thing in my job. Worse, if we did our jobs correctly everything worked and the C-Suite wondered what the hell they were paying us for? If things broke, the C-Suite wondered what the hell they were paying us for? A no-win situation. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/15 "2025-05-23T07:04:12Z")
I love the title of this thread. To many soccer lovers I know this is a fact. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/16 "2025-05-23T14:08:00Z")
That’s almost certainly not next fiscal year, and I’d guess would be funded by bonds, not the general fund. Anyway, the larger question is why they’re so eager to fund a _women’s soccer_ stadium of only 14,500 seats? We already see that municipal investment in pro sports facilities almost never actually pans out, and we’re talking NFL and MLB stadiums here, which are far larger economic engines and four or five times the size of women’s soccer and the proposed stadium. I’m not trying to bash women’s pro soccer, but I’d question whether it specifically is a good investment for _any_ city. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/17 "2025-05-23T14:17:04Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Anyway, the larger question is why they’re so eager to fund a _women’s soccer_ stadium of only 14,500 seats? Because like every other single-use stadium a city builds for millionaires, it will produce a ton of revenue for the city. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/18 "2025-05-23T14:24:37Z")
That was my first thought upon reading the thread title “OF COURSE Football (I mentally translate from the heathen) is more important than people, when was that even in question?” ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/19 "2025-05-23T14:52:57Z")
@I_Love_Me_Vol.I > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I know Denver can’t have a mayor worse than Hancock {…} [highlighting mine] “Denver,” “mayor,” and “Hancock” were all the clues needed to solve this one, given a willingness to expend even a minimal amount of effort and do a Google search. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673/20 "2025-05-23T18:31:52Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > like every other single-use stadium a city builds for millionaires, it will produce a ton of revenue for the city ETA: If not clear, I get the sarcasm, and am giving an example of it going wrong in the same metro area. The city I’m in, just north of Denver, decided that the sunk cost fallacy exists, and demolished their event center/sports arena in 2024. After $60 million in bonds, of which they still owe $34 million. The best choice was to knock it over and redevelop the whole area. They never made a profit on it, and keeping it open just cost even more money. I’m sure back in 2004, or whenever the bonds were voted on, there were all kinds of promises about how much money it would generate for the city. Maybe if instead they’d spent some of that money on infrastructure our water/sewage rates wouldn’t have doubled to catch up on deferred maintenance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-soccer-is-more-important-than-people/1018673.md?page=2)