[Senator Clay Davis]

The NFL is the only sport that has the ability (and they've mastered it) to blackmail taxpayers into paying for stadiums. Since LA is vacant, they are a very viable threat, and cities who give in to being blackmailed generally get a Super Bowl as a reward. Brilliant system, and why the NFL doesn't actually want a team in LA, because the threat of moving someone there is amazing leverage that once gone will make it more difficult.

NHL teams for the most part have no leverage at all to try and get a new arena. Are the Flames owners really going to threaten to move from one of the NHL's top 6 or 7 markets? For a market that could absolutely fail? That seems irresponsible. They could sell it to someone who intends to move, but then they probably will not get full value for selling the team. I think it's going to be an impossible sell to get money for an arena. Flames should be pushing for support infrastructure but nothing more.