Reader comments
Brad Rock: Checketts in market to expand his empire

Criminal | 5:59 a.m. June 10, 2009

This guy and his millions must be laughing all the way to the bank every day after he was able to convince our legislators to fund and build this stadium for him at tax payer expense. Larry Miller did it so why shouldn't other businesses be given the same windfall taxpayer support. It is unconstitutional for any government, state, city, and federal to fund private enterprise yet we are bombarded daily to fund these high dollar projects. We, the citizens of Utah, have been indentured to this man and others, by bonding us for decades with property tax increases. What is wrong with this picture? Why are taxpayers being indentured to fund private business? Totally unconstitutional and no excuse for it. And don't feed me the economic benefits, there are none when I am indentured by force for decades. Taxpayers lose every time because they are giving up their incomes.

dbf | 8:07 a.m. June 10, 2009

Watch for the demands for the community to pay many of his expences. That is how Checketts operates.

Toothless | 8:17 a.m. June 10, 2009

To in-dentured: you are biting on the wrong leg. Knaw on the legislators who approve these kinds of arrangements.

When others are feeding at the public trough can you really blame anyone for trying to get their share.

Comments continue below

irony | 8:37 a.m. June 10, 2009

And of course none of the promises he made for generating the money back for the community are coming true. Convenient to blame it on the downturn, but even without it, in Sandy with a losing team and poor acoustics, it was obvious to many that it never would. Well not like we could have used the 30 million, eh, legislature?

Great Job | 9:04 a.m. June 10, 2009

Thanks Dave.

I love the Stadium, and the vision that you and Gov Huntsman share. I'm sorry that fellow locals are a bit blinded and near sited. In the end, they'll come around.

Poor business choice | 9:25 a.m. June 10, 2009

The NFL and NBA are poor investment options right now. They're much too overpriced and have peaked. How they'll increase their revenues while pushing out tens of millions of dollars in costs remains to be seen. TV contracts will have to break, they're at huge costs now and TV won't be able to increase by large amounts.

Someone as smart as Checketts should know these things.

I'm sick | 9:45 a.m. June 10, 2009

of hearing the same incorrect arguments that have previously been presented here. If you were to actually look into the FACTS and take a line item audit of the stadium, you would see that none of the money came from any taxes. Furthermore, my taxes and yours were not used (unless of course you live in a hotel). The hotel taxes were used for the infrastructure surrounding the stadium. Things that taxes are used for on a daily basis without your griping.

In a few short months, the country and many in other countries will be turning their eyes to 'this stadium' with poor acoustics. The MLS Allstar game will be played against a team that recently played in the final of a major championship in England. The MLS has said time and again that 'this stadium' is a 'world class venue'.

Clearly you are all bitter about being so ignorant that you can't spend the time researching and really understanding the issues. Let me know when you are done sucking your thumbs in the corner so we can have a conversation.

Utahn | 9:55 a.m. June 10, 2009

So St. Louis is tne next city to become hostage to his stadium demands. As soon as he buys the rams he will say that he needs a new stadium and that the taxpayers should pay for it. Although I have been to a few games at Rio Tinto and have enjoyed them, he should not have held a gun to our heads and "demanded" we buy the stadium for him.

I'm not sure | 10:35 a.m. June 10, 2009

how many times it has to be said that our tax money did not buy the stadium, he never held a gun to our heads. Why is it that nobody complains when Draper city paid to have IKEA come in to our town, because it provides jobs and taxes, so does this stadium. Do you have nothing else to complain about or is it that you just hate soccer.

Victim of REAL | 10:36 a.m. June 10, 2009

How about helping out the south west school districts that are now suffering financially because of the split REAL caused. Remember...the demand to Jordan School District to hand over $10,000,000? "If you don't you'll be sorry." Yep, we are all sorry. David is too busy acting important to be human! What goes around, comes around, but not always in this life. Enjoy your wealth Dave, my wealth is my clear conscience, family and friends! You can't take it with you!

To "Great Job" | 10:54 a.m. June 10, 2009

I live in Sandy. Don't bet on it!

This is | 1:10 p.m. June 10, 2009

Pathetic! Another Rio Taco scam.

How did Real | 1:34 p.m. June 10, 2009

Cause the school districts to split? It had nothing to do with Real. I live in Sandy and LOVE the stadium. Go Dave, I hope you get another team

To: Sandy Resident | 2:44 p.m. June 10, 2009

Then move. Cause that perty little Stadium aint goin no where.

To victim | 2:59 p.m. June 10, 2009

Does your clear conscience allow you to spread lies about a man on a blog site?

Wow!!! | 3:01 p.m. June 10, 2009

Is ignorance being taken to a new level here or are people just being duped by politicians and Larry H who ran a campaign against Checketts and the stadium?

The facts are that the public funds were used from redevelopment tax dollars that were already collected in order to build just the infrastructure for the stadium. The funds were not taken from our schools, didn't raise our taxes, and couldn't be used for anything else other than infrastructure for redevelopment projects. So while most cities, like St. Louis, often do fund stadium projects completely with public funds, all Checkets wanted was money for infrastructure. So While Jerry Jones took the Dallas tax payers for over $1 Billion for his new stadium, you are destroying this guy for asking for infrastructure money?

Sorry to break it to you, but almost every major development of any kind gets tax dollars and subsidies of some kind. Don't single out Checkets like he is some villian. He has provided a great public good to this valley mostly on his own dime. The stadium is used for HS sporting events, concerts, and other economy stimulating events.

MoJules | 3:08 p.m. June 10, 2009

Dave Checketts is the best thing to happen to St. Louis. People are still putting their money into sports and the arts, maybe they are doing that instead of taking trips.

It has been exciting to see the growth of the Blues hockey team, after Dave bought it, and he keeps a very low profile. He just purchased an old Opera House that has been vacant for 20 years, it is going to be wonderful to bring it back to life. And trust me, the next thing that needs to be brought back to life in Missouri is the Rams team. It has gone through three coaches in one year and is at the bottom in wins for the last two years.

Entertainment does bring a lot of money into the economy and I for one am glad to have him reviving these things. When the Blues were at rock bottom, the seats were empty, this year they had sold out crowds nearly every game.

Chodilicus | 3:11 p.m. June 10, 2009

Clearly most of the commenters on this article are just ignorant about the stadium. It is a great facility that is a huge asset to the community as a whole. It is and will be the home to many High School sporting events. It has attracted a large number of concerts and other great events to the area. It attracts business and economic development to the area which is exactly what the redevelopment tax dollars are supposed to be used for.

It also is the nicest facility in the area. It has by far the best accoustics of any stadium in the state and is great for concerts.

I don't hear anybody complaining about the Hundreds of Millions of Dollars that the state taxpayers actually paid to build the stadium up at the University of Utah. Where is the outrage for this outrageous use of taxpayer dollars?

The fact is that all major private business is funded with tax payer dollars. I am sorry to burst the ignorance bubbles of many of the people who have commented above. Redevelopment taxes were created for this very reason. The funds were raised for the exact purpose of how they were used.

NFL = Welfare Queens | 9:37 p.m. June 10, 2009

The NFL won't allow a city to have a team unless it spends several hundred million in taxpayer dollars.

That's why Los Angeles doesn't have an NFL team but Jacksonville, Cincinnati and Charlotte do.

The Patriots were allowed to spend their own money because they had built their own stadium once before.

Mike | 1:26 p.m. June 11, 2009

It's like all of these people went to a seminar on how to get around the whole $35 million gift given to Checketts. I'm a govt. auditor and have some experience with taxpayer subsidies. Issue #1 - There is no such thing as free money. Many would have us believe that this money just fell out of the sky. It's a shell game, where money was moved from one purpose to another. Issue #2 - Only out of staters are paying the tax. False. This was an existing tax used to promote tourism in Utah, which brought in more sales tax revenue. RSL has absolutely nothing to do with out of state tourism and doesn't increase sales tax from non Utah residents, as the tax was intended to do. Also, many State, county and city govt. employees stay in Salt Lake County hotels every week, and the tax is paid by Utah tax payers. Issue #3 - The money wasn't used on the stadium, but rather on infrastructure. Exactly, infrastructure for the stadium. This arguement is so ridiculous I don't even need to shoot it down. Bottom line, this stadium was bought by taxpayers.

Ramsfan | 4:26 p.m. June 11, 2009

Mr. Checketts, can you move the Rams to Utah?

TheWiz | 3:17 p.m. June 15, 2009

What NBA team is he planning to bring to Missouri? Hopefully it's the Memphis Grizzlies, because I'll have his head on a pike if he even thinks of removing the Jazz from Utah to force mediocre American soccer down our throats.

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