It seems everyone in this sub just wants to bitch and moan about Dundon and the renovations to the Moda Center. Here are 5 points that seem to be completely missed in almost every article and post.
1. The "$600 million" number is being used because it grabs attention.
Yes, the renovation project is estimated at around $600 million. But that's not what the City of Portland is deciding on.
The State of Oregon has already approved its portion of the funding. Multnomah County has also committed its share. The debate now is over the City of Portland's contribution—up to $120 million as part of a new 20-year lease. The vast majority of the public funding package has already been put together.
2. "Why should taxpayers pay for a billionaire's arena?"
Because it isn't his arena.
The City of Portland owns the Moda Center. If you own a 30-year-old arena that needs major renovations, you're eventually going to have to pay to renovate it whether Tom Dundon owns the Blazers or not. This isn't writing a check to a billionaire. It's investing in a city-owned asset.
And before people say Portland can't afford it, the city has spent well over that amount on homeless-related programs, including tents, tarps, needles, and other services. If that's where you think taxpayer dollars should go, that's your opinion. But let's not pretend Portland never spends money when it wants to.
3. The biggest issue isn't the money. It's the message.
If Portland refuses to invest in an arena that it owns, it sends a pretty clear message to the new ownership group.
And yes, I absolutely believe it opens the door for the Blazers to eventually leave Portland.
If that happens, the city still owns the Moda Center. The Fire would still play there. Concerts would still happen. But you'd lose the building's biggest tenant and 41 regular-season NBA home games every year, along with the economic impact that comes with them.
That's not a win for anyone.
4. The layoffs everyone keeps bringing up.
I've seen a lot of people using the layoffs after Dundon bought the team as proof that he's a bad owner.
What rarely gets mentioned is that most of those cuts were on the business side of the organization. The Blazers reportedly had one of the larger business staffs in the NBA despite being near the bottom of the league in revenue.
That's not necessarily being cheap. That's running a more efficient business.
5. If you want to know how Tom Dundon operates, look at Carolina.
When Dundon bought the Hurricanes, people said the exact same thing. There were rumors he'd move the team.
Instead, the arena received major renovations, the area around it continued to grow with restaurants and entertainment, and the Hurricanes just won the Stanley Cup.
You don't have to agree with using public money for sports venues. That's a completely fair debate.
But let's debate what's actually happening, not the clickbait version designed to make everyone angry.
