NY State Gives Bills Huge Grant, After Cutting Family Services

It's no secret that Upstate New York loves the Buffalo Bills, but even the most hardcore Bills fans are having a tough time defending this one.

New York State is giving the Buffalo Bills an $850 Million grant from taxpayer money to build a new stadium. The groundwork is set to start in 2023 and it is projected to be finished and have the first game played in 2026. State legislators are hoping this will increase economic growth in the Buffalo area. But despite all of the Bills fans in Buffalo and New York in general, most people are not happy about it.

People aren't necessarily irritated that the Bills are getting a new stadium, but that the stadium was prioritized over other things. Specifically, children and family services. Earlier this year, Governor Hochul and New York legislators cut $800 million in children and family services. This means less money going towards helping disabled children and parents, foster care and adoption, and child abuse prevention.

Another issue is their argument that it will boost the local economy has been proven not to be true. According to Stanford economist Roger Noll,

NFL stadiums do not generate significant local economic growth, and the incremental tax revenue is not sufficient to cover any significant financial contribution by the city.

Other facilities like shopping centers, malls, and manufacturing plants are shown to be more economically beneficial than stadiums, let alone cheaper to build. They are also proven to generate more employment and tax revenue.