Reader comments
Salt Lake County funds to help stadium?

Stenar | 12:56 a.m. May 1, 2008

In no way should the county continue to give money to Sandy for the amphitheater if that funding was supposed to stop this year. Sandy has already gotten enough of our money.

It's Repetition | 2:24 a.m. May 1, 2008

Didn't we go over this yesterday?

James | 7:19 a.m. May 1, 2008

Why not take money from the Sandy City employees bonus fund they give to them selfs? When the soccer team folds in a few years this city is going to see itself as the @#$#& we see them as now.

Comments continue below

uncannygunman | 7:25 a.m. May 1, 2008

If SLCo has to give its hotel tax revenues to Sandy, why doesn't it just drop the hotel tax, boosting tourism to SLCo and sticking it to Sandy and the legislature at the same time? I'm sure there would be a price, but as the commercials say, some things are priceless!

Anonymous | 8:02 a.m. May 1, 2008

Corroon is very good at having it both ways. On the one hand, he tells people that he opposes taxpayer funding for the stadium, then he comes up with a way for Real to get the money anyway.

Unincorporated SLCo resident | 8:17 a.m. May 1, 2008

I still say Sandy ought to use their leadership bonuses. That is a lot more than the $300,000 they are asking from the county.

County leaders: Don't send any more $$$ to Sandy. What about other (non-Sandy, and non-Draper) communities with amphitheatres?

Sandy leaders are just whiners and want to be something they will never be..downtown.

Me | 8:20 a.m. May 1, 2008

I found 2 quotes in this article great.

"Jordan School District officials have already made it clear that they will not forgo their cut of property tax dollars for the multimillion-dollar stadium"

What a twist. It was Real who promised JSD that they would not even ask them for the money. JSD never even had to make a decision.

"However, quality of life issues may justify continued public financing."

This is how I have felt all along. It is not about the economic gains as much as the quality of life. This is the same reason we use taxes to build zoos, parks, monuments, etc.

Soccer | 8:53 a.m. May 1, 2008

Send soccer back to the Third World where it belongs! I predict that the MLS will be history within 5 years. Another thing, why can't the Salt Lake team come up with an ENGLISH NAME? What is a Real?

RH | 9:09 a.m. May 1, 2008

Corroon is correct in refusing any more county tax money for this monster. I think he should also say NO to the amphitheater funds too. If Sandy wants all of these facilities, then they should use their own tax base to pay for them. Sandy will then be holding the bag when the so called soccer team jumps ship and leaves town, it will happen.
As for Jordan School Dist., good on them for saying no. Their tax money is for schools not stadiums.

stephencpace | 9:17 a.m. May 1, 2008

Call it the Osama bin Soccer Stadium... no matter what you can't kill the flow of tax dollars to it.

dingo | 9:56 a.m. May 1, 2008

i have no issue with the county funding a theatreor playhouse but it should avoid at all costs this super heavy weight white elephant known as soccer. this was a losing venture from the start. the team owners should be the ones securing the funds for a stadium. tax payer money has NO business being spent on stadiums. there are better uses for that money.

Join us in modernity | 9:58 a.m. May 1, 2008

MLS has been around for 12 years now. It isn't folding, and soccer in this country isn't going away. Demographics alone will dictate that.

You in Salt Lake are lucky the stadium is being built. Portland, Miami, Atlanta, St. Louis, Vancouver, Montreal, and Las Vegas would all gladly take the team off your hands.

Honestly, from the comments here it's amazing MLS gave a team to such a backward, reactionary community. You're complaining about a hotel tax for crying out loud.

johnhuntsmanistrue | 10:19 a.m. May 1, 2008

This is a ridiculous boondoggle. Real Salt Lake will flounder -- attendance will be sparse, and somehow I doubt lilly-white sandy residents will support the team. When Real folds -- and it will -- then perhaps we can shed some light on the backroom deals, and backslapping that went on under Brother Huntsman's watch.

AG | 10:27 a.m. May 1, 2008

What? Corroon is the mayor of Salt Lake County?!? And here I thought he was just another jilted junior high-school girl. Seriously, as an outsider, I have to laught at how much Corroon and his little spat with Sandy is embarassing Salt Lake County. He almost makes Utah County look good by comparison.

RogerWilco | 11:07 a.m. May 1, 2008

"Modernity:" Don't be so patronizing, and don't have such a narrow view. Taxes are taxes and it all comes from our pockets, one way or another. Increasing hotel taxes here, if successful, will encourage other municipalities to increase their taxes. We all lose.

Living in unmodernity | 11:11 a.m. May 1, 2008

To "Join Us":

I'm so grateful MLS honored us so wonderously.

Not!

dwillievan | 12:00 p.m. May 1, 2008

MLS will continue to thrive in Utah and on the continent. Residents will look back at the great foresight of Dave Checketts and Gov. Huntsman in taking a risk to make a stadium happen. The hotel tax is paid for mostly by people from out of state - a tax we pay (and much higher I might add) anytime we travel somewhere else. As the stadium and associated development contributes into the tax coffers the government entities will be glad they took the risk. Carroon may even try to take credit for his "support"! He is after all a politician.
Go Real Salt Lake!

kiss and make up | 12:26 p.m. May 1, 2008

Corroon better lay a big wet one on Sandy. The County knows it has a lot more at stake than the $6m in property tax. They are damaging public safety by creating a duplicative 9-1-1 system, they renege on their obligations to the Expo Center, they delay improvements to the library system and divert funds away, they sink more into the Salt Palace money pit, and on and on and on. Corroon belives he is king of the county. Too bad this make up had to be forced on him by the hand of the legislature he felt rising up to slap him down. Its all posturing and self-preservation.

Buttars | 12:45 p.m. May 1, 2008

When are you people going to ever get it? We in the legislature know what's best for you, NOT YOU! You're more than welcome to express your petty opposition to our ideas but in the end, we always win. Defeat vouchers, we'll take away your school funding, take money from our soccer stadium, we'll steal from your road funds. Try and defeat us and we'll change the rules so your candidates can't make it out of convention. Get a clue, you can't win so you might as well get in line!

Speaking of winning.... | 1:06 p.m. May 1, 2008

Good work last night men. Now it's time for the Galaxy to get theirs.

Can't wait until we are out of the embarassing Rice Eccles and into "The Bucket".

Go RSL!

to haters | 1:32 p.m. May 1, 2008

to all that think the team is going away your wrong. Last night in the open cup game 10000 people were in attendance (or at least reported, many booked it when it started to snow). This is a play in game to the open cup, on a wednesday, against one of the worst teams in the league. Real got a good turn out, they arent going away.
the stadium is beautiful, its recognized as one of the best in the country.
Why do you have such a hard time with accepting this?

bobcat | 1:37 p.m. May 1, 2008

This whole stadium debacle is making me sick. Not sick because I hate soccer or the soccer stadium, sick because of all the ignorance and confusion that surrounds it.

RSL has stated they would not take money from the school district. That shouldn't even be an issue. In fact, the district should be glad the stadium is going up! A gleaming $110 million dollar stadium will be taxed much higher than a barren piece of dirt. The school district is going to collect $24 million over 30 years from taxes on the stadium! Anyone who has kids in the public school system should be thankful for the stadium!

Sports franchises have the same impact as a grocery store? Yeah, maybe NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. Soccer is different in this respect. Here's why:

US National Team - $12.8 million economic impact from out-of-state visitors.

Real Madrid - $15 million economic impact from visitors from 48 states and 13 countries.

Name me one grocery store that has a similar impact. Not even the Jazz can make that claim!

Re: Bobcat | 2:01 p.m. May 1, 2008

Thank you! couldnt have said it better myself

hidden costs | 2:34 p.m. May 1, 2008

What people are choosing not to realize is the hidden costs that will arise from this stupid stadium. First, the increased traffic will require more money put into road repair and rent-a-cops. Second, that traffic will drive away the very residents Sandy City is trying to attract! It will lower the standard of living and housing prices will plummet. Third, no one has bothered to mention the "Phase II" plan that the Real proponents are planning to recoup the millions they sank into the stadium. While it will add a couple of restaurants and hotels to boost the hotel tax revenues, there is the SMALL matter of where they're going to put it. They're proposing to buy out residents and level their homes! Way to give back to the community that's hosting you, guys.

Why Sandy even let themselves be caught dead in this mess is beyond me.

Win Win Solution | 2:49 p.m. May 1, 2008

I donï¿½t hate soccer; I just donï¿½t enjoy watching a tedious sport that can end in a scoreless tie. MLS is like NFL Europe ï¿½ a lame attempt to force one cultureï¿½s most popular sport on another. Just as we cringe when we see Europeans wildly cheering for 30-yard punts, no doubt genuine soccer fans will never understand why we donï¿½t embrace the thrill of a free kick. So I say letï¿½s go ahead and build the stadium in Sandy, but trade REAL for a good NFL Europe team. Then weï¿½ll all be happy.

10,000 in attendance? | 3:58 p.m. May 1, 2008

If that's true about 3/4 of them were dressed as empty seats. RSL is dead and walking.

to soccer: | 4:36 p.m. May 1, 2008

...

Wow

Reality Check | 5:57 p.m. May 1, 2008

First there was not 10,000 people at RES last night, and nowhere did RSL claim there were. There were about 4-5,000 people in the stadium braving snow and wind to watch a non league match. Which would make the crowd larger in the worst weather, than the Bees have seen on a night other than fireworks or free tickets. I find it funny that the elitist out there are all for taxpayers funding the zoo, or building an art's district downtown, but oh no draw the line at soccer, it doesn't matter that your kids play it. You don't get it and you never will, so why not bash it. Do you people think that MLB, NHL, or NFL would ever come to an area so cheap that they won't use their TRT funds for projects like stadiums? If SLC continues to act like a second rate city, they will continue to be seen like that by the rest of the world.

yeah | 7:21 p.m. May 1, 2008

Reality check, the tax guzzling and wasteful spending needs to stop somewhere.

Don't forget... | 11:37 p.m. May 1, 2008

Don't forget that out of the 4000 to 5000 that were in attendance, 2/3 of those tickets were giveaways, mostly to advertisers and sponsors, ending up in the hands of people who didn't need to buy tickets.

Multi-Use | 1:04 a.m. May 2, 2008

The funding of a soccer ONLY stadium was a poor choice and ivestment from the beginning there should've been more thought put into it to make sure that in the event Real SLC doesn't survive the facility could easily be modified to accomodate other sports be it NFL or MLB giving the city and county a bargaining chip to possibly attract one of those other sports, but as is the measily 20,000 seat stadium is not large enough to accomadate an NFL team and not enginered to be convertable to a baseball stadium(and yes many cities have stadiums that accommodate both football and baseball). The reality is that Real Salt lake probably will not survive in Utah they don't attract as many fans as football and basketball proven in that Real Salt Lake uses a picture of Rices-Ecccels stadium during a Ute Football game as their stadium photo on their website to make it look like their games have a lot of people in attendance but its not a soccer game and their actual measily 4,000-5,000 people attending will do like some have said have about the same economic impact as a large grocery store!

Kiss my RSL | 6:45 a.m. May 2, 2008

Kiss my new soccer stadium. SMOOCH!
I love to listen to you all whine. I got what I wanted and now you have to pay for it. I love sucking your money from your wallet to pay for the home of my team. Yep. I will admit it. I really enjoy reading all this uninformed/uneducated whining because it is about time that you had to pay for something that I want. Its about good Karma, and I was a good boy so we got the stadium! In fact, I can't wait until you all have to pay for the second phase, and possible 3rd phase. I will patiently wait for each real stadium news so I can read the recocqueulous statements most of the pathetic idiots write. I love it. I can't wait.

BTW - way more than 5,000 at the Open cup game. RES is a big stadium and has a fair number of empty seats even when attendance is around 20K. How many does RES hold? About 45K?

Website stadium pic | 9:39 a.m. May 2, 2008

That stadium pic has been on the RSL website since before the first RSL game. Nice try.

FYO- Soccer specific stadiums are needed because it is terrible to look at all the stupid lines from American Throwball. Why do they need so meany freakin lines? It makes my eyes go crazy. Also, the infield of a baseball diamond isn't suitable to play soccer (real football) on. Its not like they don't already have an empty Baseball stadium in SLC. Also, its not like any pro football team would touch Utah, not even with someone elses 10 foot pole.

Tomorrow's game... | 9:52 a.m. May 2, 2008

Big game tomorrow...I just bought 4 tickets. Yep, paid for them myself. No freebies, no give-a-ways, why, because I love soccer, and I can't wait to see our boys put a beat down on the Gals. Me and about 19,996 other people.

Go RSL!

bluemeanies | 2:03 p.m. May 2, 2008

Okay, so let me see if I understand this right. The county agrees to continue funding an ampitheter in the same locality where the government is subsidizing a small percentage of a soccer stadium. The county says it is not for stadium funding. The locality says it is not for stadium funding. In fact, no official mentions stadium funding except when asked by the press. No evidence is presented that the locality is considering using this money for soccer, nor any evidence that the team is asking for more money than it already gets. What type of article gets written? One that mentions the idea that the money will go to soccer everyother sentence. And lo and behold most people took the bait. Excellent yellow journalism.

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