Author Interview with Neil deMause on his book Field of Schemes

Visitors since
1 December 2000
Neil deMause, on
Field of Schemes
Interviewed by John Hoh
Q: What prompted you to write this book?

A: The billions of dollars in filthy lucre, mostly.

(ahem)

We fell into it totally by accident -- we only meant to write a short 1000-word piece for a zine we were then working on, Brooklyn Metro Times, about stadiums and budget cuts in Cleveland and New York. But after that turned into a 4200-word article, and we still had material left over, we wrote another article (for Extra!), then another (for In These Times), and before we knew it we realized this topic was ripe for a book.

Q: Are you a sports fan and how does that affect how you feel about the topic?

A: I'm a huge baseball and basketball fan -- other sports I can take or leave. It's one of the reasons I first got interested in the topic -- as a Yankee fan, I was distraught at the idea that the city might tear down Yankee Stadium and put up an ugly new park, with my tax money yet.

Of course, it wasn't until we started researching the book that we realized just how bad the new stadiums and arenas are for fans � too expensive, too many luxury seats, cheap seats miles from the action, and so on.

Q: What, in your opinion, is the most blatant misuse of funding to build stadiums?

A: All of it. The thing about tax money is that no matter what taxes are used, that's money that otherwise could have gone to the general fund, and been spent on something more useful. And there's never been, to my knowledge, a stadium that ended up being worth to the public what it cost them in public dollars.

Q: Which owner(s) is/are the worst?

A: Excluding those who've praised Hitler? Hard to pick. Maybe Paul Allen, for not just buying an election but paying for it to be held in the first place. Or Bud Selig, for swindling the state of Wisconsin for the cost of a stadium he'd promised to build himself. Or -- no, I really can't choose just one.

Q: Are there any owners whom you feel are good examples of good corporate citizenship? Why or why not?

A: Well, Joan Kroc wanted to give the Padres to the city of San Diego � that was nice. And I've heard good things about the owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox, who asked that his stadium be remodeled cheaply rather than replaced by an expensive new one. But by and large, I think "corporate citizenship" is an oxymoron -- you can't put profits first and people first at the same time.

Q: Joan Kroc wanted to "donate" the Padres to San Diego? Wouldn't she get tax breaks for doing so had she done that?

Q: Possibly -- I don't recall offhand whether the city was going to set up a non-profit or what. But she was also going to set up a $100 million trust fund for running the club, which would have more than offset any tax benefit.

Major League Baseball, naturally, nixed the deal.

Q: What can the average fan and the average citizen do to stop this?

A: "Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living," as Mother Jones said. Learn the lessons of groups like the Tiger Stadium Fan Club, and use them to organize even better the next time. Write your politicians, call

the media when they screw stuff up, educate your friends and neighbors -- the usual organizing gamut. As I told the Save Fenway Park! group last week: They have the money and the power, but we have the people and the truth. We need to use that to our advantage.

Q: You list tax breaks/credits as "corporate welfare." Conservatives argue it is only letting someone keep more of his/her money. How would you answer them?

A: If I'm getting a special dispensation from the government, it hardly matters whether they're letting me write a smaller tax check or whether they're mailing me unmarked bills. In the real world, ordinary people don't get to go to the government and argue that they should get to "keep some of their money" -- I mean, try arguing that the next time you're at a restaurant, and don't want to pay sales tax.

Or, to put it another way: If "keeping your own money" isn't a special privilege, then people who buy things on sale must be total suckers, huh?

Q: Which cities have grossly caved in to the most pressure?

A: Seattle -- though it wasn't so much the "most pressure" there (the Mariners weren't really going to move to Vancouver), as that the elected officials just got snookered. They should've listened to the voters who rejected the M's stadium referendum.

Anyway, between Safeco, Key Arena, and the new football stadium, Seattle's building over a billion dollars worth of sports facilities. Which explains why my car rental bill was so high when I visited there in September.

Q: Which cities do you hold in esteem at "holding the line?"

A: No cities have "held the line" so much as citizens of cities did. San Francisco did a great of just saying "No" to the Giants, and Minnesota is doing a pretty good job with the Twins -- though their legislature did slip through a hockey arena funding bill last year.

Q: I understand you have an e-mail discussion group. Can anyone join? How would someone join?

A: Sure, anyone can join -- just drop by http://www.fieldofschemes.com/elist.html, and click on the link.

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Visitors since 1 December 2000	Neil deMause, on Field of Schemes Interviewed by John Hoh Q: What prompted you to write this book? A: The billions of dollars in filthy lucre, mostly. (ahem) We fell into it totally by accident -- we only meant to write a short 1000-word piece for a zine we were then working on, Brooklyn Metro Times, about stadiums and budget cuts in Cleveland and New York. But after that turned into a 4200-word article, and we still had material left over, we wrote another article (for Extra!), then another (for In These Times), and before we knew it we realized this topic was ripe for a book. Q: Are you a sports fan and how does that affect how you feel about the topic? A: I'm a huge baseball and basketball fan -- other sports I can take or leave. It's one of the reasons I first got interested in the topic -- as a Yankee fan, I was distraught at the idea that the city might tear down Yankee Stadium and put up an ugly new park, with *my tax money* yet. Of course, it wasn't until we started researching the book that we realized just how bad the new stadiums and arenas are for fans � too expensive, too many luxury seats, cheap seats miles from the action, and so on. Q: What, in your opinion, is the most blatant misuse of funding to build stadiums? A: All of it. The thing about tax money is that no matter what taxes are used, that's money that otherwise could have gone to the general fund, and been spent on something more useful. And there's never been, to my knowledge, a stadium that ended up being worth to the public what it cost them in public dollars. Q: Which owner(s) is/are the worst? A: Excluding those who've praised Hitler? Hard to pick. Maybe Paul Allen, for not just buying an election but paying for it to be held in the first place. Or Bud Selig, for swindling the state of Wisconsin for the cost of a stadium he'd promised to build himself. Or -- no, I really can't choose just one. Q: Are there any owners whom you feel are good examples of good corporate citizenship? Why or why not? A: Well, Joan Kroc wanted to give the Padres to the city of San Diego � that was nice. And I've heard good things about the owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox, who asked that his stadium be remodeled cheaply rather than replaced by an expensive new one. But by and large, I think "corporate citizenship" is an oxymoron -- you can't put profits first and people first at the same time. Q: Joan Kroc wanted to "donate" the Padres to San Diego? Wouldn't she get tax breaks for doing so had she done that? Q: Possibly -- I don't recall offhand whether the city was going to set up a non-profit or what. But she was also going to set up a $100 million trust fund for running the club, which would have more than offset any tax benefit. Major League Baseball, naturally, nixed the deal. Q: What can the average fan and the average citizen do to stop this? A: "Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living," as Mother Jones said. Learn the lessons of groups like the Tiger Stadium Fan Club, and use them to organize even better the next time. Write your politicians, call the media when they screw stuff up, educate your friends and neighbors -- the usual organizing gamut. As I told the Save Fenway Park! group last week: They have the money and the power, but we have the people and the truth. We need to use that to our advantage. Q: You list tax breaks/credits as "corporate welfare." Conservatives argue it is only letting someone keep more of his/her money. How would you answer them? A: If I'm getting a special dispensation from the government, it hardly matters whether they're letting me write a smaller tax check or whether they're mailing me unmarked bills. In the real world, ordinary people don't get to go to the government and argue that they should get to "keep some of their money" -- I mean, try arguing that the next time you're at a restaurant, and don't want to pay sales tax. Or, to put it another way: If "keeping your own money" isn't a special privilege, then people who buy things on sale must be total suckers, huh? Q: Which cities have grossly caved in to the most pressure? A: Seattle -- though it wasn't so much the "most pressure" there (the Mariners weren't really going to move to Vancouver), as that the elected officials just got snookered. They should've listened to the voters who rejected the M's stadium referendum. Anyway, between Safeco, Key Arena, and the new football stadium, Seattle's building over a billion dollars worth of sports facilities. Which explains why my car rental bill was so high when I visited there in September. Q: Which cities do you hold in esteem at "holding the line?" A: No cities have "held the line" so much as citizens of cities did. San Francisco did a great of just saying "No" to the Giants, and Minnesota is doing a pretty good job with the Twins -- though their legislature did slip through a hockey arena funding bill last year. Q: I understand you have an e-mail discussion group. Can anyone join? How would someone join? A: Sure, anyone can join -- just drop by http://www.fieldofschemes.com/elist.html, and click on the link.