Just Look the Other Way »
Well over a year ago, Tara Servatius mentioned in Creative Loafing that there doesn't seem to be much corporate support for luxury suites in the new Charlotte arena (proposed arena at the time). A few months ago, we find that the city effectively buried a report that fan interest for a new basketball team was lukewarm at best.
Now, we see that the Panthers have 20 or so luxury suites go unused in every single game (free registration required). Apparently some of the unsold suites will be used on a per-game basis, but in hindsight, it looks like fewer seats would have been preferable, and that for a team that plays 10 home games a year.
Tell me again - why is it that the government is involved in subsidizing pro sports? It seems to me that because they do such a poor job in so many areas, perhaps the best decision is to get them out of as many areas as possible and let people who have a vested interest take the helm.
I don't have a problem with the NBA coming to town. I don't even really have a problem with the city providing some land and minor infrastructure improvements, though I can understand the position of those who do. But why is it that no one sees it as crossing the line when the government is in the business of writing checks to a business organization?
If I go to city council meeting next Monday and tell them I need $20 to stock my ice cream cart, they'd laugh me off the floor. I don't know why - providing a friendly, personal service to visitors in the center city sounds like a heck of an investment to me. But it's okay to drop hundreds of millions, when a market (that is, pro sports) is already saturated?
