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League of Fans Founded by Ralph Nader, League of Fans is a sports reform project working to improve sports by increasing awareness of the sports industry's relationship to society, exposing irresponsible business practices, ensuring accountability to fans, and encouraging the industry to contribute to societal well-being.Alerts is League of Fans' email announcements list. Alerts provides news, information, the actions of League of Fans and/or Ralph Nader regarding sports issues, and calls-to-action for subscribers. All email updates are either selected or written by League of Fans. League of Fans is motivated by people, just like you, who are upset with what has become of our sports and would like to make a difference. We work with concerned citizens, sports fans, civic groups and communities to increase awareness of the sports industry's relationship to society, influence a broad range of issues in sports at all levels and encourage the cooperative capacities that make the "sports powers-that-be" capable of helping, not just dominating, our society and culture. We often think of sports as outside the realm of everyday citizen concern. But the many benefits to society that sports can provide are sometimes undermined by a different set of values, often based on the quest for higher and higher profits at the expense of fans, taxpayers, communities, culture and social justice. Get Involved! Your involvement will improve sports for communities and fans, and encourage the sports industry to better contribute to societal well-being. |
Ralph Nader's statement on the occasion of the demise of the Rowland-Patriots stadium scheme April 30, 1999This jerry-built corporate welfare scheme has collapsed from its own folly – an autocratically rammed-through raid on the taxpayers to enrich a Patriots sports mega-millionaire and to excite a foolish Governor. Governor Rowland should learn an important lesson – to think things through before impulsively giving away the public store, and to respect the democratic process which was put there for good reasons.
Robert Kraft should now reimburse the state of Connecticut for the several millions of dollars already spent on this stadium scheme on which he just pulled the plug. And in an act of much needed humility, it would be wise for Governor Rowland to dedicate a years salary to the state of Connecticut as his contribution to reimbursing the public treasury which he has treated so recklessly.
Great credit should be given to the aroused citizens of Connecticut, the many meetings and petitions around the state sponsored by STOP THE STADIUM and the leadership of the little political parties, led by the Green Party, that from the beginning opposed the Patriots-Rowland-Stadium giveaway and urged more serious uses for such taxpayer monies.
The two major Parties – the Republicans and the Democrats – who colluded to produce this contemptuous stadium deal – should wear a badge of shame so they can begin to respect the public interest and the courageous dissenters in the legislature whom they treated so shabbily.
Ralph Nader
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