# Should sports arenas be left to the private sector? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 1, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672 "2016-09-01T16:48:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/262 "2026-09-11T00:24:40Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s ten miles away. For the second time, this is not relevant to the original comment that they remained in the same market. > > kenobi\_65: Who gets the taxes? NY or New Jersey? Who gets the other income from tourism? Which state gets the jobs? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/263 "2026-09-11T00:40:43Z")
Again not relevant and done playing your silly game ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/264 "2026-09-11T00:45:14Z")
Why do cities, counties, etc want a Sports complex? Well, for the theoretical taxes, jobs and tourism income. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/265 "2026-09-11T01:23:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Who gets the taxes? NY or New Jersey? The taxes on what? > [@DrDeth](#): > > Who gets the other income from tourism? Which state gets the jobs? Probably mostly New York, but some New Jersey, same as it would be if the stadium were in New York. Because that’s where the people are. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/266 "2026-09-11T02:55:44Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The NY Giants have moved six times and are now in East Rutherford, NJ. Moved _stadiums_ **five** times. They have never left the New York metro area. And, two of those “moves” were intentionally temporary, and in rapid succession; they had been playing in Yankee Stadium, but due to that stadium’s renovation, and Giants Stadium in East Rutherford being under construction, they were forced to play at the Yale Bowl in '73 and '74, and Shea Stadium in '75. FWIW, they have now played in New Jersey (just starting their 52nd season there) longer than they played in New York (49 seasons, not counting those two seasons over the border in Connecticut). The Jets joined the Giants in the Meadowlands in 1984, so this is their 43rd season there, after 24 seasons in New York. > [@DrDeth](#): > > An even dozen Pro FB teams have moved to a different state. 13 for Baseball. One has to really dig into league history to get to some of that. In the NFL, only 9 teams have ever moved from a market in one state to a market in another; the Browns _franchise_ moved to Baltimore, but was forced to leave the Browns name and history behind, for an expansion team to pick up. And even then, you have to include the Detroit Lions, which moved from Portsmouth, OH to Detroit 92 years ago, and the Washington Commanders, which moved from Boston to D.C. 89 years ago. - Arizona Cardinals (formerly Chicago and St. Louis) - Baltimore Ravens (franchise relocated from Cleveland; team name and history stayed in Cleveland) - Detroit Lions (formerly Portsmouth Spartans, though only for four seasons) - Indianapolis Colts (formerly Baltimore) - Kansas City Chiefs (formerly Dallas Texans, though for only three seasons) - Las Vegas Raiders (formerly Oakland, Los Angeles, and Oakland again) - Los Angeles Chargers (formerly San Diego, though they had played one season in LA before moving to San Diego) - Los Angeles Rams (formerly Cleveland, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, before moving back to LA) - New York Giants (same market, moved across the river into New Jersey) - New York Jets (same market, moved across the river into New Jersey) - Tennessee Titans (formerly Houston Oilers) - Washington Commanders (formerly Boston Braves and Boston Redskins; moved to Washington in 1937) If we focus on the last 50 years, there have been 10 times in which an NFL franchise has moved markets, though two teams – the Raiders (three times) and Rams (twice) – account for half of those moves; the others were the Cardinals, Colts, Chargers, Ravens, and Titans. If you look at MLB, nearly all of those moves occurred either very early in the sports’ history, or during the 1950s to early 1970s, when franchises moved westward and southward (prior to 1958, the furthest west, and the furthest south, that MLB extended was St. Louis). In the last 50 years, only one MLB team has moved states (the Montreal Expos moved to Washington D.C. and became the Nationals), though the A’s will make that into a list of two teams when they move to Las Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/267 "2026-09-11T03:03:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The taxes on what? Ticket sales, concessions, parking at the stadium, hotel taxes, etc. But, in addition: pro athletes in the U.S. are subject to something known as the “[jock tax](https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/income/wages/the-jock-tax/)”: most states charge visiting athletes income tax for days spent working (i.e., playing, pre-game meetings, etc.) in their states. And, yes, this means that most pro athletes have to file state income tax every year in numerous different states in which they do not actually reside. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672.md?page=13)