Sunday’s U-T San Diego story about a possible $1 billion stadium proposal for the November 2016 countywide ballot measure triggered a bruising debate.

Many comments posted mocked the idea of taxpayers helping billionaires pay for such a stadium.

Qualcomm Stadium, current home of the San Diego Chargers. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Qualcomm Stadium, current home of the San Diego Chargers. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Also noteworthy was a comment from Mark Fabiani, the longtime Chargers stadium advocate.

  • “San Diego has had seven mayors over the last decade — the kind of political instability that is more typical of a banana republic than of a major American city,” Fabiani was quoted as saying. “We hope, for the good of the city overall and for the future of our stadium project, that we will now see a solid stretch of political stability for San Diego.”

    • Many story comments were sarcastic:

  • “Do it! Is money that that taxpayers are never gonna see anyways. Studium or not I am still paying money. They build a library in downtown, I am never gonna go there! I have my I phone, tablet and my PC at home to study.”
  • “When [owner Alex] Spanos wins a Super Bowl or can even get there I might vote for a new stadium. But until then he’s on his own.”
  • “Let’s raise taxes on the working class to build a stadium where the working class will not be welcome!!”

    • Others cited history:

  • “No city has made money off such a stadium; instead, the taxpayers find themselves financing (at least in part) a facility that is used few times per year. Even if they try to combine football and baseball, there still isn’t enough use. The NFL makes billions out of television. Private money plus the NFL should pay for this or it should not be built. No taxpayer money.”

    • But supporters weighed in as well:

  • “Chargers directly employ a payroll of $185 million. Consider the additional thousands of jobs in San Diego that serve chargers from security to parking to vendors to suppliers etc. Every single game brings at least 15-20K visitors from outside of San Diego County.”
  • “Spanos is asking for what all NFL owners have gotten that has built a stadium. I don’t blame him for that. Even if you decide not to build a new stadium, there will always be roads that need to be fixed and teachers, police, and firefighters that will be underpaid. But you will never get another NFL franchise. I don’t live in SD anymore. My tax dollars won’t contribute. But I still love the Chargers and hope that a stadium will be built.”

    • What say you?


    One reply on “Poll: Should Taxpayers Help Pay for New Stadium to House the Chargers?”

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