Copyright cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Mayor Justin Bibb’s idea to make visitors, not just residents, help pay for stadium repairs sparked a flood of online reactions — with Facebook users largely mocking the plan and Reddit users yearning for a long-overdue correction to years of taxpayers funding stadiums. Bibb wants to form what’s called a “New Community Authority,” or NCA — a special district that could charge small fees on things like parking, food and drinks at businesses near Progressive Field and Rocket Arena. The money would go toward paying for the more expensive repairs and upgrades at the stadiums. More money is needed because countywide “sin” taxes on alcohol and cigarettes haven’t covered repair costs in recent years. Last December, Cleveland and Cuyahoga County approved a $40 million bailout for Gateway, the joint city-county authority that owns and manages the ballpark and arena. Bibb said he won’t support bailing out the teams again unless they work with City Hall on creating new revenue streams. So far, Cavs and Guardians seem reluctant about the NCA and won’t speak about it publicly. On Reddit, users on r/cleveland and r/cavs were largely united around the same message: billionaire team owners should pay for their own stadiums. They rejected the idea that beers or hotdogs should cost more. One person wrote, “No. The billionaires who own the teams and profit from the facilities should maintain them, instead of one of the poorest cities in America having this burden.” Another said, “How about the owners pull up their boot straps and fund their own repairs instead of begging for handouts.” Others focused on fairness, arguing fans already pay enough. “Both team owners make more in a day than you will ever be able to scrape together in your entire life. Eat the rich, drink their beer,” one user wrote. Another added, “Things owned by billionaires shouldn’t be paid for by taxing everybody else, but this is America.” Some thought it would be a tough sell, saying “This is probably gonna be a huge ‘no’ from downtown business owners who are already losing revenue when the Browns move.” Another redditor added; “As a beer drinking taxpayer, it kinda sounds like I’ll pay for it either way.” A smaller group acknowledged that stadiums do bring activity and jobs downtown. “Stadiums are not the same as schools and hospitals, but they’re absolutely additive to their communities,” one commenter wrote. “Just like people without children benefit from schools in their community, non sports fans still benefit from the stadium being built in their community.” Another Reddit user added a supportive take: “I personally don’t mind paying for the facilities. The renovations are tangible tax dollars that people can see/use. The stadiums and surrounding area are what get broadcasted and helps draw tourists.” On Facebook, the reaction was more skeptical — and often sarcastic. Many questioned whether the plan would actually change how much taxpayers end up paying. Several saw it as risky or unnecessary. “Bibb is going to chase all these teams out of downtown,” one person warned. Another said, “Three billionaires, who invest far more than they get from the state and city, are being hammered on Bibb and Ronayne. If these three teams leave the city, and head for the suburbs, the City of Cleveland will be in terrible shape. Careful what you ask/push for. You may end up with nothing in the city of Cleveland.” Still, a few supported the idea. “He has a great idea to make those people who go to the events pay their fair share for using the venues! Cuyahoga County taxpayers have been paying with the sin taxes to cover for repairs. With less drinking and smoking they don’t pay the full amount to cover the full cost. The difference should be made up by those that are using it!” one commenter wrote. Across platforms, the reaction reflected two sides of Cleveland’s stadiums debate: Facebook commenters largely blamed City Hall and speculated about teams moving, while Reddit users argued the economics of public subsidies and that teams should be responsible for their own facilities.
