That's you're opinion, but you obviously don't know much about Philly, which although it has plenty of brownfields in it's former manufacturing areas, and is loosing population, most of those people have moved out to the suburbs to escape the city's wage tax and poor services.
Except that I was born thirty minutes north of it, I guess not. That the best part of Philadelphia was seeing it disappear in the rear view mirror getting out of there was one of the highlights of my life that has been full of highlights. It was like getting a pardon from a Turkish prison. And a selling point of high city taxes and resultant poor service is really not necessarily a good way of bragging about your city.
The downtown area is booming, and there are still new buildings going up. The old city, which was where all the history was made has now come back. There has been extensive renovation done to them, while preserving their historical appearance.
Rick, the downtown area, from my memory, had absolutely no where else to go but up. Why is the city just recently recognizing its history? Ashamed?
And the memory of Philly's waterfront is one that will haunt me till I die. Rust covered warehouses that blended into a background of a rust colored river. Any (live) fish nearby?
There are approximately 6 million people living within a 50 mile radius of Center City Phila. 5 Major universities, medical teaching hostpitals, a major insurance center and pharma industry hotbed. The NBA is far more likely to panic about loosing a top 5 market like Phila. than a pissant state capital in the land of fruits and nuts.
I can understand escaping to the suburbs. We lived in Ciniminson, NJ ourselves. Our rare trips into the downtown area did not include asking anyone for directions either after the first time. I have never met more unlikeable and unfriendly people anywhere in the world and I am a world traveller.
Philly's population figure for the metropolitan area is not growing and has recently lost ground to more dynamic regions, especially in sun belt areas of the country in Florida and Texas. A region that is losing population is viewed by most economists as a bad thing. No new blood coming into the area, just the same stagnant masses that can't afford to live anywhere else. Great selling point for the area.
Located in between NYC and Washington, Phila. is cheaper than both to live in and offers a higher quality of live- it's not going anywhere, and will be a strong economic center long after half of Cali tumbles into the sea.
Now your scaring me. If it's not going anywhere especially. This certainly will disappoint many others around the country.
But that bit about a strong economic center long after we tumble into the sea? Are you even semi-serious? Sacramento is the capital of California, the sixth largest economy
IN THE WORLD!!!! Please tell me how your deadweight city comes anywhere close to competing with us in anything? You may have the market on delusions and suicides, but in serious matters, you can't carry our jockstrap. If the U.S. were to somehow lose California, it would never recover; if it lost Philadelphia, the nation just might make it a national holiday.
And Sacramento has the largest undeveloped downtown acreage of any large city in the United States. You also might consider some of those stalwart companies that are boosting up Philadelphia's economy would jump at the chance to move into one of our shiney new office complexes. They might as well join the rest of us ex-Pennslyvanians out here. Seems like plenty of the fruits and nuts who were locally raised back there are doing just fine out here and away from there now.
Besides, you're missing the point- why should the NBA subsidize any city to build a new stadium- why would the other owners stand for that, rather than demanding the NBA return the profits to them? As it is the quality of play in the league has deteriorated as a result of overexpansion into small towns like Sacramento.
The only reason I can think of is that they prefer to keep Sacramento as part of the NBA as opposed to other potential areas. Go figure. Their experts, who I have to think are giving this option considerable thought, are pursuing the idea and I could not think of a good reason, except that they prefer the Sacramento area to, say Las Vegas, so why not make it happen in the preferred location?
It would make a for a shakey precedent, I grant you. Unless the idea actually works. If it turns a profit for the League and the other owners, the other owners I guarantee you will stand for it.
And rick, if I were with the League, I think I would prefer potential over worn out. I would prefer good year round weather instead of salted roads. I would prefer a REAL economic center of growth as opposed to a stagnant one.
You want to talk economic factors, you are way out of your League.
