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The Times Picayune reported last week that the New Orleans Saints may ask the state to pay for a $350 million upgrade to the Superdome before the 2024 Super bowl. That’s a huge taxpayer commitment for a state that can’t even fund education at all levels and basic health care for hundreds of thousands of its citizens. So how should any upgrade be paid for?
The Green Bay Packers are one of the best examples of how a sports franchise should operate. They don’t go to the state capitol hat in hand, looking for a handout. The team is owned by citizen stockholders all over Wisconsin, and the Packers’ management doesn’t regularly try to blackmail public officials under threat of moving.
Recently, when it came time for Green Bay to revamp and refurnish legendary Lambeau Field, the state of Wisconsin didn’t put up one penny. All proceeds came from the private sector. Season ticket-holders were charged a one-time user fee of $1,400, which fans can pay over several years.
In addition, the Packers did a stock offering, just like many corporations do for capital improvements. And finally, the Packers took out a team loan to be repaid out of yearly revenues. No sweetheart deals from the state, no special considerations, no coming to the public trough for taxpayer money.
What happens in my home state of Louisiana is that team owners have cried wolf, saying they will have no choice but to move elsewhere if tax incentives and outright dollars are not bountifully offered. But under the NFL financial structure, owners can’t lose money.
Unlike other professional sports operations, individual teams do not sell television revenues.
In baseball, the New York Yankees get broadcasting revenues significantly greater that what a smaller market receives. In pro football, every team shares in one gigantic pie. little Green Bay receives the same television revenues as does a team in New York or Los Angeles.
The Packers have also bought up 28 acres spending more than $27 million to develop an entertainment district. This would give the team revenues that it would not have to share with other clubs.
It is a business strategy that a number of NFL franchises are undertaking. The Saints have the same strategy but Louisiana taxpayers pay all the costs.
The Saints receive $6 million in direct funding from the state of Louisiana each year. But there is much more they will receive that is every bit as valuable as direct payments, including millions in upgrades for luxury boxes that mean more profit. The state pays the cost, and the Saints get the income.
Then there is the agreement for the state to lease office space in a downtown office building adjacent to the Dome being purchased by the Saints owners.
The state is to lease more than 320,000 feet at $24 dollars square foot, which is one of the highest rental rates in the state today.
So the Louisiana taxpayers are basically paying the cost of the building the Saints’ ownership is buying.
But what about all these projections of how much the economy in New Orleans will be positively impacted, with millions more in tax revenue? Figures are being wildly thrown around, indicating a $500 million economic impact. A University of New Orleans study, quoted in a New Orleans Times Picayune editorial, estimated that the Saints produce $22 million in state revenue. Here’s the fallacy: Any such analysis assumes that all of the dollars spent at Saints games are dollars that are new to the region’s economy.
Most dollars spent going to the Superdome are dollars that would have been spent on other leisure activities in the area. There are numerous choices as to how to spend leisure dollars. Going to a football game is just one.
The Brookings Institution’s recent 500-page study concluded that professional sports teams “realign economic activity within a city’s leisure industry rather than adding to it.
“Professional sports,” they write, “are not a major catalyst for economic development."
Consultants, often hired by team owners who say otherwise, according to the Brookings study, “are peddling snake oil.”
But more important, the Packers represent the best of the American free enterprise system.
They built a championship team by paying their own way without trolling for taxpayer dollars.
It’s a lesson that should be adhered to by both the Saints and the state of Louisiana.
Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all of his columns at www.jimbrownusa.com.

A 26-year-old Morgan City man was charged Tuesday with domestic abuse battery-strangulation and possessing three different drugs, Morgan City Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Atlas J. White, 26, of Oil Tank Alley in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:11 p.m. Tuesday on warrants charging him with domestic abuse battery-strangulation, possession of testosterone, possession of promethazine, possession of trazadone without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The detectives division began an investigation of an incident that occurred in the area of Oil Tank Alley involving a domestic violence related incident. When investigators arrived, White was identified as one of the parties involved.

White allegedly choked the victim during the incident, Blair said. A search warrant was conducted on White’s home, and investigators located evidence of the altercation along with suspected testosterone, promethazine, trazadone and drug paraphernalia, Blair said.

White had received medical treatment for injuries received during the altercation. Therefore, the investigation continued, and warrants were prepared for his arrest. White was located and arrested in the area of Federal Avenue and jailed.

Blair reported that officers responded to 49 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Jesse L. Comeaux Jr., 24, of Levee Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:29 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with criminal damage to property.

Comeaux was located and arrested in the area of Levee Road on a warrant. The warrant stems from an April 18 investigation when Comeaux allegedly caused damage to property in the area of Franklin Street.

The investigation continued when warrants were prepared for Comeaux’s arrest. Comeaux was jailed.

—Cameron H. Jackson, 19, of Sun Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 11:20 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana second offense and possession of drug paraphernalia.

—Morgan L. Minor, 17, of Halsey Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:20 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of tobacco under 18 years old and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bike patrol officers initiated contact with two people in a vehicle in the area of Halsey Street. Jackson and Minor were identified and in possession of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Minor was also in possession of tobacco. Jackson and Minor were jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum reported that deputies responded to 34 complaints and reported the following arrests:

—Lavontre Johnson, 19, of La. 182 in Berwick, was arrested at 12:51 a.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, distribution of marijuana, possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a firearm with obliterated serial numbers, transactions involving drug proceeds, obstruction of justice and violation of controlled dangerous substance law-drug-free zone.

—Drake Wood, 18, of Parro Lane in Berwick, was arrested at 12:51 a.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana, violation of controlled dangerous substance law-drug-free zone, obstruction of justice and resisting an officer with force.

Narcotics detectives patrolling the area of Berwick observed a vehicle traveling without lights on Sixth Street. Detectives conducted a traffic stop and observed movement in the rear and front passenger side of the vehicle. Detectives located two passengers, Johnson and Wood.

Detectives observed Johnson bend over several times and throw something towards the front of the vehicle, Anslum said. Johnson was detained and during a search of him, detectives located $334 cash. During a search of the vehicle, detectives located a loaded firearm, with an unreadable serial number, in the immediate area where Johnson was seated, the sheriff said.

Detectives found evidence that Wood attempted to swallow a bag of marijuana, Anslum said. While placing Wood in handcuffs, he forcefully pulled away from detectives. Detectives also found evidence that Wood purchased marijuana from Johnson near a church, the sheriff said. Johnson and Wood were jailed with no bail set.

—Nikki Mayon, 36, of Hilda Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:43 a.m. Wednesday on a Franklin Police Department warrant charging her with failure to obtain vehicle registration, no driver’s license and expired motor vehicle inspection.

Narcotics detectives patrolling Bayou Vista observed a vehicle fail to signal at the intersection of Southeast Boulevard and Middle Road. Detectives conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle and made contact with Mayon. Detectives learned that Mayon held an active warrant for her arrest. Mayon was jailed with bail set at $450.

Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported the following arrests:

—Ernest Harris, 42, of St. Michael Street in Patterson, was arrested at 10:34 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of unauthorized use of a moveable. No bail was set yet.

—Crystal Duhon, 46, of Fairview Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 2:57 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of theft by shoplifting. Duhon was jailed with bail set at $473.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported no arrests.

One of the oldest materials in home design is now trending like a hot newcomer.
Shelter magazines, design blogs and home renovation stores are featuring tile for surfacing floors and more: Designers are opting for a high-impact effect by cladding stair risers and entire rooms in tile, from interiors to the terrace.
On Instagram, an account called “I Have This Thing With Floors,” where people post pictures of their feet standing on cool floors, has more than 840,000 followers.
The appeal stems from an explosion of creative designs and new manufacturing techniques, producing everything from charmingly imperfect artisanal tiles to sleek, sexy slabs. If you can dream it, you’re likely to find a tile that looks like it.
“I’m loving patterned tiles with hand-painted designs,” said Los Angeles designer Amy Sklar. “I’ve seen some really stunning ones that are truly like works of art.”
Sklar also likes ethnic patterns that have been given a modern interpretation: “A continuation of the lovely handcrafted trend we’ve been seeing, but realized with brighter colors. We’re also seeing florals but in a more abstract way, and again with a stronger palette.”
Joan Craig of Lichten Craig Architects in Manhattan has worked with some dramatic marble slabs recently.
“Over the past year, we’ve been selecting many of the vivid and highly figured Italian marbles for walls, floors and tubs,” she said, including “a gray and white marble called Capraia Arabescato with striking veining in the powder room, and a burgundy and cream marble in the bar.”
Italian company Sicis has a collection they call Electric Marble, in which veins of vivid color are sandwiched between panels of glass.
Mia Jung of the architecture and design firm Ike Kligerman Barkley has 3-D tiles on her radar.
“I see more and more collections from Japan, Italy and other countries. At the simplest level, they’re used to add some texture to plain walls,” she said. “A more elaborate arrangement of 3-D tiles can function as an architectural element like a wall-like screen between two rooms. One can even have an art piece constructed with 3-D tiles serving as a focal point of a space.”
“I think texture in ceramic tile right now is really exciting,” said Nigel Maynard, who tracks builder industry trends as editor in chief of Products magazine.
“There are so many ways the architecture and design community can use it, from fireplaces to indoor and outdoor accent walls,” he said. “And there’s a lot to choose from, including subtle textures, fabric-inspired and deep-relief patterns.”
Metallic detail, a hot commodity in fashion fabrics, is also adding flair to tile — anything from bold swaths to subtle accents.
Walker Zanger’s Ellington collection, inspired by the Jazz Age and Art Deco, traces geometric outlines in gold on an ebony background.
At Italy’s Cersaie tile fair last fall, architects and interior designers noted how far digital printing and manufacturing has advanced. It can create 3-D designs; scallops, hexagons and other unique shapes; realistic weathered wood looks; oxidized metal finishes.
Ceramica Sant’Agostino had a porcelain collection inspired by tailoring fabrics; digitally printed tweeds and plaids had not only a nubby look, but texture.
Ceramiche Refin showed a collection called Voyager, inspired by the aged and rusted metal bridges of Genoa, and the architectural elements of Victorian buildings.
Here in the U.S., at January’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Orlando, Florida, New Ravenna debuted Sara Baldwin’s Ikat tile collection inspired by Uzbekistani textile leaf patterns and crafted of colorful jewel glass. For ceilings or walls, New Ravenna’s Astronomy, Michael and Orion patterns have dream-evoking starry patterns on light or dark background.
Floors and walls, get ready for your close-up.

Mrs. Linda Edwards Babino, age 61, a native of Charenton, La., and a resident of New Iberia, La., passed away on Thursday, June 7, 2018, at Iberia Medical Center, in New Iberia, La.
Visitation will be observed on Friday, June 15, 2018 at Otis Mortuary Chapel (501 Willow Street, Franklin, La.) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. with Funeral Service also on June 15, 2018, Otis Mortuary Chapel at 11 a.m. Interment will take place in the Saint John Baptist Church Cemetery, Charenton, La.
Mrs. Babino, is survived by, her husband, Mr. Calvin Babino Sr., of New Iberia, La.; (4) Sons: Dwayne Edwards, Reginald Edwards, Calvin Babino, Jr., and Colby Babino all of New Iberia, La.; (4) Brothers: Issac Edwards, Jr., and Michael Edwards, both of Centerville, La.; Percy Edwards of Baldwin, La.; and Anthony Ray Edwards of New Iberia, La.; (8) Grandchildren.
Officiating Minister: Pastor, Isabella Gasper
The Otis Mortuary, Inc. of Franklin, La. is in charge of arrangements.