Is it the 21st century?

by: Hopeful

Sun Apr 10, 2011 at 09:04:40 PM EDT

Bad enough no women members at Augusta. But not allowing me to join writers in locker room interview is just wrong.

These issues were settled long ago in the sports world.

Gaming, Sports & Entertainment Trivia

by: Bill Orr

Wed Jul 28, 2010 at 11:08:29 AM EDT

Something more than a trial balloon but far less than an actionable plan, The NJ Gaming, Sports, and Entertainment Advisory Commission Report only appears bold in its sweep and potential impact. It has stated goals but they are often vague or aspirational. Not well spelled out are the implementation, finances, and outcomes. Rather than presenting exciting new ideas, most proposals entail Kicking The Can Down The Road (KTCDTR.) Such important matters deserve not the treatment of trivia - details, considerations, or pieces of information of little value- but a more thorough report. As the Star Ledger reported, Assemblyman Caputo said, "I don't see the kind of intense analysis you need to deal with the problems." This is a report for a governor who is always in a rush to address important problems, has the communication skills to propel his plans, demands action now, but lacks the knowledge, wisdom and vision that are needed.  

Below the fold are comments on many of the commission's half-baked recommendations.

A Talking Point For When Your District Is Making Cuts

by: IndependentNJ

Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 07:28:50 PM EDT

-Music and Arts are legitimate degree programs in many colleges, which yield many career opportunities and is a good social investment which gives a lot back to the economy.

-Sports however, may get you a scholarship to college and may be a good extracurricular sport, but you do not get a degree based on scoring points for your team.

Of course, we may need statewide action for these districts to get their priorities straight. Like administrative streamlining to prevent harm to teachers, we may need policies which encourage taking into consideration the social investments of extracurricular activities in determining priorities for funding of such activities.

One such idea, capping spending on extracurricular athletics at 0.5% (that's 1/2 of 1%) of the total budget for the district.

Do We Need The New Jersey Sports And Exhibition Authority

by: IndependentNJ

Sun Apr 04, 2010 at 08:57:18 AM EDT

Sports and exhibitions/conventions are a high revenue industry, and the state need not, and should not, be in the business of bread and circuses, just like the state of Pennsylvania should not be in the business of selling wine & spirits

My proposal:

1. Eliminate the NJ Sports and Exhibition Authority
2. Ban the use of tax revenues to construct stadiums or convention centers.

Hat tip to: http://www.nolandgrab.org/arch...

This is a good resource for why public funding of stadiums is a boondoggle.

But then again, I'm not the athletic type, so I have no stake in seeing the continued perverse subsidies of something that could just as easily be left to the private sector.

NJSAEA: Doing the Same Thing And Expecting a Different Outcome

by: Bill Orr

Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 08:42:00 AM EST

Our government should start getting rid of the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSAEA) albatross.

Someone said, "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome." For years the NJSAEA has expanded its investments into the Meadowlands complex, Monmouth Park Racetrack, and the AC and Wildwoods Convention Centers. The result: NJSAEA currently holds $830 million in debt, faces a deficit this year of $38 million, and is requesting from the state $30 million to meet its shortfall. NJSAEA is now pleading for slots machines at its racetracks and hopes for gambling at Xanadu.

During Senate hearings the NJS&EA President Dennis Robinson said that its "debt load reflects poor choices by past governors and lawmakers." Actually our current governor recently appointed his former colleague Ralph Marra as Senior Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs with a 25% salary increase to $190,000. Marra has been criticized on several counts for improperly having used the federal prosecutor's office to further Christie's campaign.

Indeed past governors and lawmakers have treated the authority as their toy box. Political interference has including a bloated staff of political appointees, free tickets and catered meals to favored politicians, poorly negotiated contracts with football, basketball, and hockey franchises, bad decisions regarding Xanadu, and insistence on perpetuating the money-losing race track business.

Robinson also says there is a long-term future for the agency.  Really? With accounting statements "in such disarray they could not be trusted," their race tracks bleeding huge sums, their infusion of capital from Xanadu nearing an end, ongoing debt on the former Giants stadium and Izod Arena, the NJ Devils long gone to Newark, the NJ Nets soon to follow, and questions raised about  their contract with  concert promoter Live Nation - where is the long-term future we can believe in?

Sports economists "have shown time and time again that the rosy estimates of economic benefits put forward by sports boosters are at odds with actual economic data." We like our professional sports and we want to keep them, but other states have their own teams and have not pandered as much to team owners nor allowed their government to so mismanage the business.

As with companies that have a failed business model, the government should begin to find other operators, sell off its assets, close down facilities where necessary, and disengage from the sports, exposition and entertainment business.  Other non-governmental operators could run these facilities and be more successful. If some were to lose money it would not be a drain on our state's treasury. There are other far more pressing needs in NJ. It's time to stop. "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."  

South Jersey wins World Series

by: Hopeful

Wed Oct 29, 2008 at 10:04:53 PM EDT

Congratulations to the Phillies

by: Hopeful

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:58:15 PM EDT

This is your thread to talk trash on baseball.