Quote:
Originally Posted by Ice_Weasel
Holy drama..."holding the city hostage" to me would equate to asking for 100% funding or we are leaving. The Flame's "greedy owners" aren't even asking for what Edmonton got. And they aren't even threatening (at this point) to move. All they are saying is that they will continue to play in the Saddledome as the economics of the deal offered by the city doesn't work for them (which is their right as owners). It comes down to a philosophical difference between the Flames and the City with respect to how much of a partnership it should be.
The Flames (and I agree) believe that a state of the art arena is something the City should support financially as it is a valuable part of a vibrant city. Others seem to think an arena is nothing more than a toy house built by billionaires where overpaid hockey players skate (which is an equally valid opinion).
However, to me, this rant against the owners comes across as spiteful and jealous rage more than anything. People have to get over the fact that enticing "rich people" to invest in communities is a good thing. Capital is mobile and will be invested where it makes sense. We should be attracting investment, now more than ever.
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Right. So the "we'll just leave" or "not actively shopping" statements don't strike you as passive aggressive threats? Read between the lines and don't be silly about it. They're trying to convince every voter in Calgary that is dumb enough to believe them that they are ready to move if the right option becomes available.
For 200M plus, the city can get far better return on "rich investment" as you say and maybe that's where the focus should be. The Flames are lucky they are in a market like Calgary to begin with and if they don't see it as such it might be time they sell to someone that does or hit the road. A deal will get done with people that actually want to be fair about it. I've seen zero evidence to suggest the City is not attempting to be fair and a whole lot of BS out of the Flames camp to suggest they are not.