I think this is a serious no no, and not as in a no hitter. It's a complete swing and a miss. The idea that cities and towns should cough up millions to buy things for private entities, like brand new stadiums for minor league teams, and do so at little to no cost for those private entities, is absolutely absurd. There's no promise those entities will stay there for the long haul, it's not going to create a lot of jobs and there's no guarantee the enterprise will be a success. With so little land and so few tax dollars, it's important we invest our resources wisely and take the sure bets - something that will create jobs, or at least bring in more taxpayers.
A note to my fellow bloggers: let's not succumb to conventional wisdom or the same phenomenon politicians often do - wanting to bring the celebrity to the locality, no matter the cost. There's too much at stake to worry about the minor leagues.
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Celebrity to the city? Heck, I'm ready to "refine" the film tax credit.
Let's kill the program, and plow half of that money in developing three different series pilots set in Boston. Cheers lovingly displayed the city...that show did the city better in the long run than filming a few hours of Hollywood B-roll ever will.
The Worcester Icecats are a worthwhile investment, as are the Brockton Rox. There are countless other examples of cities who involve themselves in infrastructure to bring in farm sports teams and don't lose money.
Why the Spinners are causing this ruckus, I don't know.
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