Dumbest Stadium Proposal Ever

I used to hate auto racing, thinking it to be populated by white trash motorists and fans while occupying a place in the entertainment realm that was anything but sport. Then I decided to write about the dirt track racing scene in Southern Illinois, and ended up doing an about-face of sorts. At that level, at least, the fans are hard-working, salt-of-the earth folks, and short-track driving requires a hell of a lot of skill and strength. Moreover, the live product is truly an exciting, worthwhile spectacle.

So having shed my anti-auto racing bias, I still consider the flagging proposal to fund and build a NASCAR stadium in Kitsap County to be among the dumbest I've ever seen. I know NASCAR's huge in California now, but Kitsap County is simply too far removed from this region's population center to support a project of this largesse. And as the St. Louis region has learned with Gateway International Speedway -- which has had to settle for a Busch Series race per summer since it was built --  just because you build it doesn't mean NASCAR will come. In short, if the Legislature decides to kick cheddar to this project instead of a Sonic arena, I'll bungee-jump naked off the top of the Space Needle on the Fourth of July.

Anyhoo, the Times' Jim Brunner does a nice job tallying and handicapping the crowded list of stadium-related projects expected to come before the State Legislature this year. My favorite excerpt: "A Seattle task-force report last year warned that KeyArena could become a financial drag on Seattle Center if it faces competition from a new state-subsidized Sonics arena in the suburbs. And Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said he'll ask that Seattle be compensated by the state if that happens."

With that, I hedge a bit: Given a choice between funding a massive auto racing stadium in Kitsap County and compensating the City of Seattle for -- gasp! -- competition, I'd much prefer the Legislature wave the checkered flag for burnt rubber in the sticks. That our smug, take-Supes-or-leave-'em city administration can have the aduacity to even braoch such a request is fucking ridiculous.