Congress to Bail Out the Football Stadium Industry

There are only 30 NFL teams in the country—and many of those still have stadiums within the 15-year window of obsolescence for stadium facilities.

2 minute read

April 1, 2016, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Metlife Stadium

Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock

All ideas are on the table in an effort to revive the struggling football stadium construction industry.

The responsibility to fund the construction of new, lavish football stadiums to house the National Football League has traditionally fallen to taxpayers, but after a building boom spanning the last several years, a glut in football stadium supply has led to layoffs, declining wages, and decreasing tax revenues for local and state governments. A shortage of professional football leagues is also contributing to the football stadium construction industry's doldrums.

A bipartisan ad-hoc committee House committee convened for the first time today in an effort to address the national football stadium construction crisis, making clear that Congress intended to bail out the football stadium construction industry.

"Now that the NFL has moved to Los Angeles, and ditched those backwater dead-ends from whence they came, the football stadium industry will need new kinds of support to keep up its taxpayer subsidized quest for world domination. That's where Congress comes in," said a noticeably smug committee chairman Jerry Davis-Kraft, who spoke on behalf of all Americans.

Options discussed at the first hearing of the committee included layering NFLs on top of each other to create more need for football stadiums as well as potentially invading foreign countries and setting up American-style football leagues. A sub-committee meeting scheduled for later in the day is tasked with locating any and all urban waterfront locations in the country, except St. Louis and San Diego, for potential development.

Friday, April 1, 2016 in Planetizen April 1st Edition

Aeriel view of white sheep grazing on green grass between rows of solar panels.

Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US

The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.

April 24, 2024 - Columbus Dispatch

Large blank mall building with only two cars in large parking lot.

Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House

If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.

April 18, 2024 - Central Penn Business Journal

Workers putting down asphalt on road.

U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause

A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.

April 18, 2024 - Los Angeles Times

Colorado State Capitol Building

Colorado Bill Would Tie Transportation Funding to TOD

The proposed law would require cities to meet certain housing targets near transit or risk losing access to a key state highway fund.

24 minutes ago - Colorado Public Radio

Texas

Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs

Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.

2 hours ago - FOX 4 News

Divvy Chicago

Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks

New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.

3 hours ago - Streetsblog Chicago

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.