What about the intangibles?

"Your lovin' gives me such a thrill. But your lovin' don't pay my bills."

"Money (That's What I Want)" Written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford; made famous by four Englishmen from Liverpool

So far, most of us who are opponents of the stadium subsidy have focused exclusively on the financials, because it is after all our money, and it is a lot of our money -- about $2000 per resident!

At the SCPF press conference, we were asked "What about the intangibles?" In other words, what about the supposed prestige ^* of having an NFL team in our city.

In a nutshell, "Intangibles don't pay my bills!"

But as long as we're examining non-economic impacts, there are are plenty of other issues that we have not looked at. Here are just two:

1. Crime: two weeks ago, there were two shootings in the parking lot of a Bay Area football stadium, one before and one after a game.
   
   Our neighbors in Sunnyvale looked at potential impacts of a stadium, back in February. Their report can be found here. They found that at Monster Park on 49er game days, the police have to deal with
   

   ... drunk in public, fights, and auto burglaries. During an average game, SFPD makes six arrests, issues three misdemeanor and 25 infraction citations, and reports one traffic collision. (page 7)
   

   Is this what we want with a family-oriented amusement park next door? Or in the so-called entertainment district?
   
   
2. Traffic: Sunnyvale's report also found that:
   

   Tasman Drive and Lawrence Expressway ... would likely operate at Level of Service “F” with severe traffic delays... Access between ... side streets and westbound Tasman Drive would be severely congested. (page 6)

   If it's this bad a mile down the road in Sunnyvale, imagine what it will be like at the stadium gates. Forget about coming to or going from Great America, Mission College, the Mercado, or Rivermark.
   

Of course, all this additional crime and traffic will cost money. Sunnyvale concluded that

An increased need for traffic and public safety services is likely. (page 8)

The hit song "Money (That's What I Want)" is an interesting parallel to the stadium subsidy, on a couple of different levels.

1. It neatly sums up the uselessness of intangible benefits.
   
   
2. The people who put the most into it are not the ones who got the most out of it. Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford wrote it. The Beatles got all fame and fortune.
   

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^* It's arguable there is no prestige because Santa Clara's name will not get top billing. The San Francisco 49ers have already said they will not change their name. This is not surprising -- the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys did not change their names either when they got new stadiums (in Glendale, AZ and Arlington, TX respectively.) If Santa Clara were known for anything then, it would be as a bunch of gullible patsies.