Stadium idea would be bad for taxpayers

There are lots of reasons Maryland should support businesses that pay dividends to the state’s economy.

Football just isn’t one of them. We strongly urge Gov. Larry Hogan not to put taxpayer funds or state resources into any plan that would support a new Washington Redskins stadium in Maryland.

This is not a fan thing. Anne Arundel County’s football loyalties always have been divided between Washington and the Baltimore Ravens, usually depending on what part of the county you live in and which team is headed to the playoffs.

It’s about economics. It’s just a bad investment.

We long have had questions about the wisdom of taxpayers providing funds directly to wealthy companies. When the Hogan administration provided millions in incentives intended to make sure Northrop Grumman stayed in Linthicum, there was no public indication the state’s largest private employer was considering leaving.

But the investment was intended to protect thousands of high paying jobs. We disagreed with the incentives but we understood the rationale.

It is much harder to understand why Hogan worked out a tentative agreement with federal officials to swap park land in Western Maryland for 300 acres of federal property in Prince George’s County, all to help the millionaire owner of an NFL franchise.

There certainly are signs that Dan Snyder is looking for a new home. He’s had discussions with Virginia and Washington, D.C., officials. One possibility is that the team would move back to the RFK stadium site, where the franchise enjoyed its best years.

And it would not be the first time Maryland has put money up for the team. Former owner Jack Kent Cooke moved the team to what is now FedEx Field in 1997. Cooke, who died shortly before the stadium opened, convinced Maryland to chip in about $70 million for the project.

Snyder bought the team and the stadium two years later. But getting to the games has always been a traffic nightmare. We pointed out when the franchise moved that it was giving up access to the D.C. Metro system for a spot where the biggest transportation upgrade was a special exit built on the chronically clogged Capital Beltway.

Years of disappointing seasons haven’t helped to make the trip worthwhile.

A story last month in the Atlantic examined the economics of government, most often cities, that invest in stadiums for NFL teams. It explained pretty effectively why it’s not a good deal for taxpayers. Jobs, other than the athletes, tend to be low wage, sales tax and other revenues tend not to add up and franchise owners usually go about a decade before starting to ask for more.

The best return comes when a stadium complements surrounding development. The state-owned Maryland Stadium Authority opened Ravens stadium in 1998 for $220 million in Baltimore, but it’s part of a broader entertainment zone. Today, Washington has this advantage with the recent economic growth along the Anacostia River near RFK.

Snyder, of course, hasn’t committed to anything. He’s holding out for the best deal he can get.

The Hogan administration is holding back on releasing its plan, most likely a poker move aimed at keeping D.C. and Virginia from upping the ante.

Whatever the details, we don’t think the Redskins are worth it.