Tuesday, March 27, 2007

We Promise to Miss You if You Just Get Gone

So today's Chronicle has a front page above-the-fold story about a last-ditch plan to keep the 49ers in San Francisco.

Well, here's a thought: who cares?

Really, now: major-league sports teams are a money sink. Why would any city lift a finger to keep them? Especially a city like San Francisco, that (let's face it) doesn't exactly depend on its sports franchises for respect?

The A's are moving to Fremont, and Oakland stands to profit from their departure. Good for Oakland.

The plan in a nutshell:

The neglected areas of San Francisco's southeast shore would be remade into a destination spot with a new football stadium, hundreds of acres of open space and thousands of new homes under an ambitious city proposal that rivals plans for Treasure Island and Mission Bay.
Well, fine. How about doing all that stuff, only without the stadium? How about spending money on something constructive, instead of throwing it away on sports?

It's a shakedown racket, folks. The only way to come out ahead in that game is to be the one shaking people down. The only way to break even is to refuse to pay.