Why is Tampa Bay so successful creating championship teams?
 

The answer is simple and a growing trend. NO TAXES. I have seen hockey players bolt (no pun intended) to Florida as soon as they could. Look at the Vegas Golden Knights too. Championship calibre right out of the gate. Athletes look after their bottom line first and it’s no longer an “all for the team” thing unless they get to play with someone like Mahomes. Don’t think Brady didn’t pickTampa “just because they had the roster”. Many cities just can’t compete due to their taxes and athletes just wanting to get paid. I get it…but where does that leave the future of competition?

Make a hockey thread, eh?

Counterpoint: Jacksonville.

Uh, Vegas plucked players from every other NHL team, and have they had any great free agent signings since then?

Their roster build has nothing to do with taxes at all.


And the Bucs signed Tom Brady, which might have to do with taxes, but that tax haven got them 7-9 the year prior.

The Lightning have had largely the same roster for years and have underperformed up until now.... it's not a new roster build because of a tax haven trend.

I don't see any trend of high profile players moving to these locations at all, much less to the other two NFL teams in Florida that suck, or the other hockey team that's been mediocre at best, etc.


And then we need to talk about all of the pro sports teams in Texas, Washington state, and Tennessee.

Butthurt thread?

At some level of wealth, I suspect that taxes are no longer a topic of interest and the decision becomes more about proximity to women in bikinis.

LMAO

I don’t know shit about hockey. Go to a couple of Lighting games a year. But, this is essentially the same team as last years team that won the cup last year.

Miami has sucked since Marino. Jacksonville always sucked. The Marlins got one year but sucked for decades. The Rays can’t afford to even pay an average player.

Agreed, The no state tax attracts the top athletes is complete BS.

Sure they get the home games tax free but away games are taxed in the state the game is played in.

Counterpoint: Miami

Miami is one of the most exciting and diverse cities in the country, yet the Dolphins haven't won a Super Bowl since the 1973 season and haven't participated in a Super Bowl since the 1984 season.

Tampa was a 9-7 team prior to the addition of Tom Brady.

Great drafting and free agency acquisitions are the reason why the Bucs were in the Super Bowl.

Meh, the Bucs have won two Super Bowls, the first was a result of having the other team's playbook, and the second was because **** you.

California teams have won 4 of the last 6 NBA championships. The Dodgers won it all last year, too.

Get some real data, then we'll talk.

Their top 6 scorers this year (which includes their best defenseman) were all drafted by the Lightning, and their 2nd best defenseman was traded to the Lightning several years back. And their all-world goalie was also drafted by the Lightning.

No idea where they rank in terms of home-grown talent, but quite ironic given the topic.

I don't know but I sure wish Orlando would get their basketball team on a championship track. They've been in rebuild mode for 11 years now.

I gained the 6% state tax from Missouri I use to pay there when I moved down here but I’m paying $6.5K in property taxes and $8.5K for house and flood insurance yearly. So there ain’t no free ride happening. The tax man will get you one way or the other.