Corporate Welfare Playoffs: Inside the Divisional Round

Jan 14, 2019 by AFP

Eight teams played in last weekend’s divisional round of NFL playoff games. The winners — the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Rams, the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots — are now headed to the championship round to play for a spot in the Big Game on Feb. 3 in Atlanta.

But each of these teams aren’t just top contenders on the field – they’re also playing in a different championship game: The Corporate Welfare Bowl.

Corporate welfare is the unfair and wasteful practice of elected officials using your tax dollars to prop up special interests or sweeten the pot to attract new companies. Tax subsidies for sports stadiums are one of the most egregious examples.

These special-interest handouts are all too common, and the eight teams that played last weekend are no exception.

Did you correctly predict the divisional round winners? Test your knowledge in the Corporate Welfare Playoffs and see if you can pick which team’s stadium was built using the most tax dollars:

Which team’s stadium was built using the most tax dollars?*
- Indianapolis Colts
- Kansas City Chiefs
Right! Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis cost taxpayers $619.6 million. But don’t think Kansas City is innocent. Renovations at Arrowhead Stadium cost taxpayers $263.4 million.
Wrong! Renovations to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City cost taxpayers $263.4 million, while Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis cost taxpayers $619.6 million.
Which team’s stadium was built using the most tax dollars?*
- Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams
Right! AT&T Stadium in Dallas cost taxpayers a whopping $444 million. The Rams called a temporary stadium home this season. But Los Angeles is handing over a $60 million reimbursement and up to $8 million per year in added reimbursements to build LA Stadium at Hollywood Park, which will be move-in ready in 2020.
Wrong! The Rams called a temporary stadium home this season. But Los Angeles is handing over a $60 million reimbursement and up to $8 million per year in added reimbursements to build LA Stadium at Hollywood Park, which will be move-in ready in 2020. AT&T Stadium in Dallas, on the other hand, cost taxpayers a whopping $444 million.
Which team’s stadium was built using the most tax dollars?*
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New England Patriots
Right! Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, cost taxpayers $72 million. The Chargers called a temporary stadium home this season. But Los Angeles is handing over a $60 million reimbursement and up to $8 million per year in added reimbursements to build LA Stadium at Hollywood Park, which the Rams will also call home. It will be move-in ready in 2020.
Wrong! The Chargers called a temporary stadium home this season. But Los Angeles is handing over a $60 million reimbursement and up to $8 million per year in added reimbursements to build LA Stadium at Hollywood Park, which the Rams will also call home. It will be move-in ready in 2020. But this one’s a close matchup, as Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, cost taxpayers $72 million.
Which team’s stadium was built using the most tax dollars?*
- Philadelphia Eagles
- New Orleans Saints
Right! When you add up all costs, including original construction and renovation, Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans could cost taxpayers a total of $650 million. Philadelphia isn’t much nicer to its taxpayers, though, as Lincoln Financial Field cost them $188 million.
Wrong! Philadelphia took $188 million from its taxpayers to build Lincoln Financial Field. But, when you add up all costs including original construction and renovation, Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans could cost taxpayers a total of $650 million.