Articles

Originally published on Sports Illustrated

Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Commanders, has done a lot of things. Some of the ones we know about are negative. 

But if a new bill proposed by federal lawmakers comes to fruition, there could be a silver lining on the way. 

Representatives Don Beyer of Virginia, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, and Jackie Speier of California introduced a bill on Tuesday titled the "No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act."

"The NFL has proven once again that it can't play by the rules. As such, taxpayers-subsidized municipal bonds should no longer be a reward for the Washington Commanders and other teams that continue to operate workplaces that are dens of sexual harassment and sexual abuse," Speier, who is also a member of the House Oversight Committee, said via statement. "It doesn't make economic sense, and it's particularly galling given the league's longstanding failure to address issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault as well as on-going racial and gender discrimination and domestic violence."

Bottom line, the use of municipal bonds to help finance stadiums would cease to receive tax-exempt status, as they do now. 

The lawmakers introducing the bill didn't stop at naming the Commanders franchise specifically, naming Snyder himself as a catalyst for why the proposal is being made in the first place. 

"Super-rich sports team owners like Dan Snyder do not need federal support to build their stadiums," said Beyer in his statement. "Billionaire owners who need cash can borrow from the market like any other business."

According to a news release, the federal government lost $4.3 billion in revenue because of these tax-exempt municipal bonds, while helping to build 43 stadiums since 2000 alone. 

Of course, anything backed by tax dollars is truly coming from the pockets of Americans. The same people struggle to buy tickets to see their favorite teams because of the ever-increasing prices of admission. 

It only makes sense if the owners of these clubs are going to continue asking for more and more money from the fans who support them, the least they could do is pay for the building. 

And with a new stadium in the works for the Washington Commanders, it's clear whoever owns the team at that point will have to find a different avenue for sharing the expense with the very fans they'll require to purchase tickets in order to enter.

And we have Dan Snyder to thank for lawmakers finally taking a small step in the right direction.