Not only is this a stupid statement, it’s also a fallacy.
Boy, those LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors are probably crazy envious that they didn’t win their 10 titles in Florida. And the Edmonton Oilers, this season’s Stanley Cup losers? They’ll be disappointed that they get lifelong free, high quality health care to tend to their present future injuries for just 10% of their present salary unlike those Panthers players who…move back to Canada for free healthcare.
And do all of those guys signing minimum wage deals in high tax Toronto get some kind of tax exemption? Nah, they don’t. It’s almost like all of those “No State Tax” experts are absolutely full of shit and on top of that? Just fucking ignorantly stupid.
Plus, state tax doesn’t count in a salary cap, yet you never see players taking less money to play somewhere because it’s what they’d be making elsewhere due to taxes? While making the team have more money to acquire better players and help win more often? Because it’s the dollar amount these guys are about, not the taxes.
Must be related to my ex wife!
Wrong.
You’re ignoring the financial experts that help multimillionaires use different savings vehicles and tax shelters to avoid paying taxes on all of that money. Even something as simple as a tax deferred annuity means you’re lowering your tax bill this year while creating your own income in the future, or investing a signing bonus (think Juan Soto’s $75 million signing bonus in year one of his contract) creating a stream of long term capital gains, which is taxed at a rate that is about HALF of income tax.
Soto LOVES NY
“Well, what if he takes $10 million a year from investments?” Good question. His tax rate goes up 5% more. 20% long term capital gains plus 10% state income tax is still a lower tax rate than someone making $200,000 living in a no tax state.
If someone like me knows this, you think pro sports agents don’t? Plus, there are other ways to game a system. See the following graphic.
The following research (that anyone can do, by the way), is a study of the 4 major North American sports and the teams that have won their respective championships in this century. 25 years of data across 4 sports makes 100, so percentages are super easy. Wait, the NHL missed a Stanley Cup due to an owners lockout? Assholes.
Fine. 99 champions since 2000.
Here are our Data Sets (since 2000):
National Football League (NFL)
| State | Number of Championships | State Tax Percentage |
| Missouri | 4 | 4.8% |
| Maryland | 2 | 5.75% |
| Massachusetts | 6 | 5% |
| Florida | 2 | 0% |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 3% |
| Indiana | 1 | 3% |
| New Jersey | 2 | 5.5% |
| Louisiana | 1 | 4.25% |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 7.65% |
| Washington State | 1 | 0% |
| Colorado | 1 | 4.4% |
| California | 1 | 12.3% |
Major League Baseball (MLB)
| State | Number of Championships | State Tax Percentage |
| New York | 2 | 10.9% |
| Arizona | 1 | 2.5% |
| California | 6 | 12.3% |
| Florida | 1 | 0% |
| Massachusetts | 4 | 5% |
| Illinois | 2 | 4.95% |
| Missouri | 3 | 4.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 3% |
| Texas | 3 | 0% |
| Washington DC | 1 | 10.75% |
| Georgia | 1 | 5.49% |
National Basketball Association (NBA)
| State | Number of Championships | State Tax Percentage |
| California | 10 | 12.3% |
| Texas | 5 | 0% |
| Michigan | 1 | 4.25% |
| Florida | 3 | 0% |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 5% (+ 4% millionaires tax since 2023, so 9%) |
| Ohio | 1 | 3.5% |
| Toronto | 1 | 13.2% |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 7.65% |
| Colorado | 1 | 4.4% |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 4.75% |
National Hockey League (NHL)
| State | Number of Championships | State Tax Percentage |
| New Jersey | 2 | 5.5% |
| Colorado | 2 | 4.4% |
| Michigan | 2 | 4.25% |
| Florida | 5 | 0% |
| North Carolina | 1 | 5.25% |
| California | 3 | 12.3% |
| Illinois | 3 | 4.95% |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 5% |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 3% |
| Washington, DC | 1 | 10.75% |
| Missouri | 1 | 4.8% |
| Nevada | 1 | 0% |
Overall, states with taxes take 82% of the available chips.
More than 8 out of 10 championships across the four major American sports come from states that have taxes.
Hockey is an interesting outlier. One reason that makes hockey an outlier is that of the 4 major sports leagues, the NHL has the lowest salary cap, so players are paid the least. You could argue that when players aren’t making $25 million a year, taxes may have an impact on where players decide to play and maximize their dollars.
And you would be wrong.
Why? Drafting a player means a player has virtually no choice as to what team they will play for. So when Tampa Bay drafted Alexander Killorn, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jonathan Drouin, Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat, Vladislav Namestnikov and Tony Deangelo, the state tax wasn’t a factor of the recruitment conversation.
Same goes for the present champ Florida Panthers, which doesn’t draft too strongly (except Aaron Ekblad and Dmitri Kulikov), but is very willing to make trades with their draft picks to acquire players from other teams, such as Sam Bennett (from Calgary), Matthew Tkachuk (from Calgary), Sam Reinhart (from Buffalo), Seth Jones (from Chicago), Brad Marchand (from Boston) and Vitek Vanicek (from San Jose). Of course, Sergei Bobrovsky was a free agent signing, but he was playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, so no matter where you go after that? You’re already winning. And they backed up the truck to pay “Bob,” so I’d argue that taxes do not entirely seem like a factor when you make the highest offer to a goalie at that point in hockey history.
The most successful Florida sport
And the double digit taxed teams? California has 13, Toronto has 2, Washington DC has 4, and New York has 8. Sorry Jets and Giants, you play in New Jersey, so you don’t count. That’s 27 teams in total.
If you look at the championship states with the double digit state taxes versus all of the zero tax states?
| Double Digit State Taxes | No State Tax States |
| 25 | 21 |
By the way, Texas should start charging state taxes as they are a federal welfare recipient. Meaning New York and California pay for people to live in Texas. How disgusting!
We are also overlooking one of the major concepts of what makes teams win titles – soft money. Sure, you can give a Pete Alonso Jr $40 million a year, and that’s great for Pete. But why didn’t Alonso sign in a No Tax state team? Again, taxes don’t really matter to multimillionaires. What matters more is drafting, development, coaching, and scouting. Those people aren’t always paid a whole lot of money, which allows teams ANYWHERE to hire well, develop players well, and be competitive.
For example? They 1996- 2007 New York Yankees appeared in 7 World Series over 11 years, winning 5 of them. Which had more to do with that- double digit state taxes or player development?
Take Massachusetts. In 2023 Massachusetts passed an extra tax on millionaires, boosting their personal state taxes by 4%. Almost all of their players on all teams are hit with that extra 4% of taxes. Since then? The Celtics have won an NBA title, and the Red Sox were able to sign some expensive, high quality players. The Bruins and the Patriots are rebuilding, so they get a pass on that winning thing.
And Florida? The most successful title sport in the state by far is Hockey, with 5 titles this century. Bet you didn’t see that coming, as Florida isn’t exactly a place to go ice skating outdoors.
Wisconsin has generally higher than average state taxes. Two of their teams have won titles, and the third is an annual playoff team. Is that due to high taxes? Or good drafting and coaching?
When you look at the numbers for no tax states being more attractive for players? It’s not about team success. It’s about maximizing what a player makes for themselves, both individually and at the expense of the team and their fans. But only if they aren’t drafted by that team and have no choice as to where they go, of course. Or if they’re acquired via trade and have no say as to where they go, of course.
You want to know whyt Steven Stamkos didn’t take the $3 million in salary over 8 years to stay in Tampa Bay, and took the $32 million offered by Nashville, which also has no state tax? It’s just about more money, and NOT winning or geography?
And states with higher taxes? They often offer more for a player, but not more money. More like culture, museums, good schools, better restaurants, and basics like street lights and sanitation. Watch “Hard Knocks” to see how much the NY Jets like Broadway if you don’t believe me. These ammenities are also attractive to a player, depending on the person. It was so influential to Robinson Cano that he started a garbage pick up company in the Dominican Republic!
In short? Taxes have more to do with champions than no taxes do. So the next time you hear a person discussing how state taxes impact a player? Feel free to steal these arguments and let them know that their premise is full of shit. Just like their pants.
New Jersey is among the lower state taxes, and yet the Jets have been terrible for 50 years.<
Thi8s is the meaningless nonsense you get when people confuse cause and effect. There are many reasons the Jets stink.