America just arrested soccer

[hnibos]

Originally Posted by Eulogy

I thought the salt lake games were objectively not a disaster? Or was that just a Romney talking point I never followed up on?

World Cup is a different beast than the Olympics. It would require zero infrastructure projects in the u.s. Multiple cities. We have enough with large enough stadiums.

There are several countries that could host the wc where it wouldn't be a disaster like scotty thinks all major international sporting events are.

[MyOneAndOnly]

Originally Posted by Eulogy

I thought the salt lake games were objectively not a disaster? Or was that just a Romney talking point I never followed up on?

World Cup is a different beast than the Olympics. It would require zero infrastructure projects in the u.s. Multiple cities. We have enough with large enough stadiums.

I think in the last three decades the bar has been set very low. IMO any time the public funds the construction of privately owned sports venues it's a "disaster". In the case of Salt Lake there was little hint of the type of bribery that has gone on elsewhere, but that's because in the USA it's formalized and legalized. Taxpayers paid for the development of an entire mountain complex, including a multi billion dollar highway. The games ran smoothly, but in the end it was nothing but a giveaway to a handful of wealthy Mormons and friends of Romney. The USA could host an Olympics, without building much of any new infrastructure... but the countries that promise huge infrastructure investments are the ones getting the games. It now goes hand in hand with corruption. Most of the countries willing to waste that much public money are the most corrupt governments on earth: Brazil, Russia, etc.

I do see your point on world cup infrastructure, though. Yes, the USA already has countless stadiums that have already been built using public money. So maybe not a good analogy. But so does every country in the EU and some others on other continents.. . but Qatar gets the Cup.

I'm simply infuriated every time I see taxes being used to build arenas and stadiums for billionaires' hobbies.

[MyOneAndOnly]

Originally Posted by hnibos

There are several countries that could host the wc where it wouldn't be a disaster like scotty thinks all major international sporting events are.

both the Olympics and FIFA world cup events are train wrecks. It's become the rule, not the exception, and corruption is at the heart of it. If it wasn't Qatar wouldn't be hosting the World Cup and the winter Olympics wouldn't have been held in Sochi.

[MyOneAndOnly]

also, saying that the governments or organizations that run these events are corrupt isn't an indictment of the sports themselves. I think the vast majority of sports fans hate the political circus that these events have become and would support cleaning it up

[Eulogy]

I'm excited to see all the water sport athletes in rio navigate through all that poop

[MyOneAndOnly]

they'll probably close all the toilets that week

[duovamp]

Originally Posted by Eulogy

I'm excited to see all the water sport athletes in rio navigate through all that poop

Homoerotic post of the year.

[Trotskilicious]

the stadium racket is not different here. marlins park is the most egregious example

one of the reasons fifa said the us wasnt ideal was because the us doesnt have soccer specific stadia that seat 70k plus

[MyOneAndOnly]

I can't wait to pay $100 for per game to see hockey in the privately owned $300,000,000 publicly funded Red Wings arena! It's great to know that it's owners get it tax and rent free, including the 4 sq blocks of luxury condos that are adjacent to it and right down the street from the Tax Free headquarters of Quicken Loans.

the only difference between corruption in FIFA and corruption amongst any other sports here in the USA is that here it's legalized and there's formal legal structures in place to fuck over the general public.

[MyOneAndOnly]

One Billion dollars in public money for Arenas in Detroit over the past 20 years but there isn't a fucking dime to keep the lights and water on.. Or fund the schools or keep the buses running

[duovamp]

Kids don't need book learning to figure out how to catch a football, scotty!

[duovamp]

Originally Posted by Trotskilicious

the stadium racket is not different here. marlins park is the most egregious example

one of the reasons fifa said the us wasnt ideal was because the us doesnt have soccer specific stadia that seat 70k plus

Stadia. That's awesome.

The U.S. way is subtler and works more like "I'll build a stadium and your company supports it, then we'll exclusively use your company, and you give us a discounted rate too, and we'll give you special benefits with our other sponsors and in our stadium, and we'll give you exclusive rights, i.e. THE OFFICIAL BANK/CAR/BEER/RADIO STATION OF THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS!"

FIFA and Russia do stuff like "Build me a 30 million dollar stadium, but the contract will be for 40 million, you pocket 5 million, I pocket 5 million, we all go home happy."

Big difference.

[Trotskilicious]

not really

[MyOneAndOnly]

here the States don't require the new Arena to pay taxes and the billionaire owners pocket tens of millions of dollars.

[Tchocky]

Speaking of Russia...

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/28/politi...ion/index.html

[duovamp]

He's thinking about black people. And their persecution is legal.

[sppunk]

Batter resigned. Big.

[MyOneAndOnly]

either there is an arrest coming, or some big sponsors made threats

[Mo]

Or he just wanted to wait until his reelection check cleared

[Trotskilicious]

one dude cited an onion article to imply the us was doing this to hold our own tournament this year

[Eulogy]

Oh hey the women's World Cup is starting soon. And games will be on at good times yayyyyyy

[Eulogy]

(I'll probably only watch the U.S. team though if I'm being honest)

[Trotskilicious]

FIFA 16 will have womens teams

[MyOneAndOnly]

Originally Posted by Mo

Or he just wanted to wait until his reelection check cleared

I'm sure Russia will give him asylum

[Trotskilicious]

qatar

[The Omega Concern]

Originally Posted by scottytheoneand

also, saying that the governments or organizations that run these events are corrupt isn't an indictment of the sports themselves. I think the vast majority of sports fans hate the political circus that these events have become and would support cleaning it up

I agree with you about the Billionaire welfare programs for these sports venues and the crony corruption of it all. It's such easy pickings, that's why the agencies stateside involved are going for it, to distract the reality of how those same agencies are instigating crimes that transcend this sports racketeering irrelevancy.


The outrage should be directed at these agencies wasting time and money going after such folly, compared to the high crimes that are covered up by their purposeful negligence. Not a single indictment let alone imprisonment from the '08 banking scandal. If you don't hold your applause for these fuckers, then you're just a sucker.

Would love to think it's a gateway towards the biggest and baddest criminals in this world. It does paint a certain picture that can be understood and easily applied to the banksters, but these guys at FIFA are now sacrificial lambs to the greed they figured was their right because, well...everyone they know does it.