A number of weeks in the past, the Buffalo Information Editorial Board released an article stating the significance of placing pointers on whether or not public officers ought to or shouldn’t have entry to luxurious suites on the new Buffalo Payments stadium. The brand new stadium will open in lower than one 12 months, but there continues to be no coverage on these guidelines. The Editorial Board writes that “past experience clearly demonstrates that leaving suite policy to chance is not a good idea.” They’re right.
Final 12 months, the Buffalo Payments beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC playoff sport. The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, determined to attend it. She billed taxpayers for almost $600 worth of wine and a complete invoice that day of $1923 and alter. Because the Buffalo Information reported, it will ultimately come out that taxpayers had paid “more than $6300” for the governor to attend 4 totally different video games.
I cherished this quote within the story:
“Issues like the posh suite ought to actually not exist. I imply, the state ought to have simply bought it and by no means had it,” mentioned John Kaehny, govt director of Reinvent Albany. “As a result of it’s been a honey lure. And it’s simply unhealthy, unhealthy symbolism and, type of, obtuseness and disrespect for the general public.” – Buffalo News, 11/03/25
In accordance with the state and county, this luxurious suite is “meant to boost economic development.” I want somebody would clarify to me how this occurs…in any manner, form, or kind. The spokesman for the governor claimed, with out laughing out loud, that when the governor attends a sport within the luxurious suite, she is “ensuring our state is competing at the highest levels to retain and attract the best businesses, grow our economy, and drive job creation.” Quotes like this are what make individuals hate politicians. No person really believes this, but it surely permits that official to get out of hurt’s manner. Once more, present us a single piece of proof of any monetary profit really shaped from attending these video games. Something?
So, it’s clear that guidelines want to truly be put in place for the brand new luxurious suites. Late final 12 months, County Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin requested metropolis leaders to kind a “clear policy when it comes to stadium suite use from the county administration.” She was advised that the brand new stadium was “still in early construction,” so the coverage can wait till a later time. How about now?
However Buffalo isn’t alone on this drawback. Many different cities wrestle with metropolis leaders abusing sports activities tickets and luxurious suites.
Minnesota
In 2017, the Minnesota Star Tribune started to ask questions on the usage of luxurious suites for the brand new (on the time) Minnesota Vikings stadium, a “$1.1 billion taxpayer-subsidized building.” When the newspaper requested the stadium oversight authority, the Minnesota Sports activities Services Authority (MSFA), about who was utilizing the tickets and whether or not taxpayers have been being charged, the MSFA refused to reply any questions.
Finally, two native officers have been pressured to resign after it was revealed that the MSFA was giving suite tickets to “family and friends of top commissioners.” The luxurious suites have been speculated to “help woo more business to the stadium,” however as a substitute greater than 50% of the tickets went to buddies or relations of the MSFA. Deliver extra enterprise to the world? Gee, the place have I heard that phrase earlier than? Nonetheless, not solely have been tickets being given to family and friends, however the MSFA additionally charged taxpayers $32,000 in meals.
New York
In 2009, the New York Yankees, arguably the richest crew in all of sports activities, opened their new ballpark. Due to quite a few strikes by the then-mayor, Mike Bloomberg, the Yankees have received millions and millions of taxpayer {dollars} over time to finance their new ballpark.
In change for this assist, the Yankees gave a 12-person luxurious suite to the town, a value to others totaling $850,000, and free tickets to all occasions. The town didn’t cease at that although; the mayor’s workplace demanded free meals as effectively…emails obtained by the Village Voice present how laborious the town pushed for this. No, actually. Right here is an electronic mail from the deputy mayor on the time to the pinnacle of New York’s Financial Growth Company: “We are giving them how much money?? For whatever it is, we should get the tickets for free.”
New Jersey
In 2015, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was caught on TV sitting in a Dallas Cowboys luxurious suite with the Cowboys proprietor, Jerry Jones. Did Christie and his whole household get flown out by Jones? Certain. Had been all different prices coated by Jones? Sure.
What makes this odd is that an organization that Jones owns simply received an enormous contract with New Jersey? The contract is price thousands and thousands of {dollars} and permits the corporate to function the highest flooring of the World Commerce Heart. Then there was an article by the Worldwide Enterprise Occasions that had paperwork displaying that “Christie personally pushed the Port Authority to approve a lucrative contract for a firm part-owned by Jones.” Fortunately, and I’m not kidding, there may be an exemption in New Jersey ethics regulation that permits most of these items from “personal friends.”
Then there are all of Christie’s ties to the NFL… Properly, by no means thoughts. I might write a whole article on simply Christie.
Anaheim
In Anaheim, California, public officers have been abusing each sports activities tickets and luxurious suites for years. In 2008, the Orange County Register wrote a number of tales describing how county officers have been accepting nearly 9,000 free tickets to Anaheim Angels video games (and different occasions), a worth of $376,000 for everybody else. However these aren’t simply any previous tickets. Due to a clause within the Anaheim Angels ballpark lease, council members and “top city employees have top-notch views over home plate from two suites.” Every suite will value everybody else about $215,000.
Nonetheless, one metropolis councilman disagrees with anybody who thinks it is a unhealthy look.
“The council members have the best to go on these websites to see what is occurring,” mentioned Councilman Harry Sidhu, who mentioned he has not attended an Angels sport for 3 years. “It’s leased property and we personal it. It’s leisure, however I don’t see anybody abusing it for private use” – Councilman Harry Sidhu, OCRegister (2008)
Remember the fact that Sidhu is similar one who went to jail after the FBI caught him “destroying records about the corrupted Angel Stadium land sale.”
In 2019, this subject was introduced up but once more after an outlet known as the “OC Weekly” wrote a chunk displaying how “council members rewarded their friends, allies, and campaign contributors with access to city suites for sports and entertainment events.” For instance, Disney has given items to numerous Anaheim council members. Those self same members gave a number of tickets to a Disney lobbyist. One metropolis blogger was given tickets by the identical council members that he glows over in tales that he writes. The listing of examples goes on and on in an excellent piece.
Quick ahead to 2023, and we are able to see that nothing has modified. Metropolis officers proceed to obtain tickets and proceed giving them to buddies, household, or individuals who politically have helped them. Investigators discovered “many of the same people” who helped push thousands and thousands of taxpayer {dollars} to the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce have been the “same ones who got tickets to the best shows in town.”
From 2008 to at this time, the excuse given by metropolis leaders is that their tickets go to native nonprofits. They are saying it nearly each time they’re requested. But, there may be hardly ever any proof displaying that nonprofits have gotten wherever near the quantity that these politicians are saying. A information outlet did an investigation in 2023 that confirmed that because the newly elected council members took workplace, “most of the tickets have gone to campaign donors, city staff, and political allies instead of local nonprofits.” After the investigation, the town promised to look into “potential changes to make the process more transparent.” Anybody wish to guess if something modified?
Oakland
In 2016, the Golden State Warriors have been simply initially of their dynasty run, and tickets have been costly. Aside from a number of Oakland politicians, who weren’t simply “landing free seats” however doing so “regularly.” The Bay Space Information Group discovered seven public officers who EACH claimed greater than $250,000 in complimentary tickets. The tickets are supposed for use for “public purposes,” but a county supervisor gave 4 tickets to a Sport 7 Finals to a person who had simply painted the politician’s spouse. One other supervisor OWED a person cash, so the politician gave him tickets for six totally different video games. In complete, metropolis officers have used 7,000 tickets, which have a face worth that provides as much as $7.8 million over three seasons.
Actually, I used to be fairly shocked to see so many public officers mendacity on authorities paperwork and never feeling the necessity to conceal it. For instance:
- One Oakland councilman, who reported $22,000 price of Warriors tickets, admitted that whereas he writes down “provide oversight of the arena,” he merely provides them to all of his relations.
- The freakin’ Oakland Metropolis Legal professional, who reported $314,000 price of tickets, claimed that this was a “perk for elected officials and city staff; no one can argue otherwise.” No, it isn’t in any respect. It has a objective that’s written within the rattling venue lease.
- One other Oakland councilman, who reported $375,000 price of tickets, wrote down that he used the tickets “to investigate the efficiencies of the operations” on the area. Then he advised a newspaper that he barely went to video games and gave them to family and friends.
Though the tickets ought to have been used for precise “public purposes,” nearly not one of the tickets got to college students or for scholastic achievements. I say nearly as a result of on 9 events, college students did get tickets. How about public officers utilizing them for themselves? 1,104 times. As I mentioned above, most of these excuses are one other instance of politicians merely giving the general public the center finger once they don’t wish to reply questions.
Others
I might preserve going… The Tampa Bay Bucs play in a taxpayer-funded stadium. However one commissioner had sufficient and advised WTOP that “elected officials routinely ignore the law and watch Bucs games from the Sports Authority luxury box.” Metropolis officers known as the commissioner out of order and talked about to her that they settle for these tickets as a result of “they have to see how the stadium operates so they can make intelligent decisions” on stadium funding points. Proper. In Virginia, an article on WTOP from 2014 famous how state senators have been going to Redskins video games in a luxurious field and breaking no legal guidelines. Even after each events within the state agreed to vary the regulation, it nonetheless allowed “gifts to lawmakers such as meals, trips, and entertainment…in unlimited amounts.” The article additionally experiences on how the state’s largest utility firm spent tens of thousands of dollars sending politicians to the Masters and different sports activities occasions. No drawback. I’m certain their politicians vote wasn’t swayed.
