More rah-rah-sis-boom-bah-ing from the government types that want to bring the 2026 or 2027 National Football League Draft to Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has thrown his support behind the effort.
“Pittsburgh has established itself as one of the most dynamic cities on the East Coast — and the birthplace of professional football,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Pittsburgh is the best choice in the country to host the NFL Draft.”
He joins all the other usual suspects in touting what an honor it will be and how much outside money will flow into Greater Pittsburgh’s coffers with all the hoopla.
We won’t get into the “dynamism” of a falling population; an economy in malaise; a Downtown office vacancy rate nearing 30 percent; a lousy public school system; a broken property assessment system and a city budget teetering on the edge of funny math.
But we are yet again forced to ask the simple question that nobody else appears to be willing to ask:
How much is this NFL draft going to cost taxpayers?
We don’t want to hear in retort all the equally funny math of the oodles and boodles of economic benefits that hosting the draft supposedly would bring to Pittsburgh – while still skating past the accountability to taxpayers’ book of cost.
What was Pittsburgh’s bid to host the draft? Taxpayers likely played for suckers yet again have every right to know.
Some will argue that given the competitive nature of this bidding, it is acceptable to not divulge bid details until a “winner” is chosen. But that states as a given that using taxpayer dollars for such an event is acceptable.
It. Is. Not.
That said, win or lose the “right” to host the NFL draft, the bid MUST be released.
That it likely won’t be tells taxpayer everything they need to know about how government feels about the people who pay for it ALL.
Colin McNickle is communications and marketing director at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy (cmcnickle@alleghenyinstitute.org).
