"A legislative proposal would impose a $2,500 privilege tax on professional basketball and hockey players when their teams play in Tennessee."

Dirk: While I'm not surprised to see a legislature facing dire budget circumstances dip into the pockets of pro athletes to help raise funds, the following quote from the AP story at Forbes.com should draw some attention:

"The tax would apply to opponents of the Nashville Predators and the Memphis Grizzlies for up to three games a year. The tax would not apply to NFL players when they visit the Tennessee Titans."

Why, exactly, would the NFL get a pass on a tax like this?

UPDATE: The Tennessean's In Session political blog has more... "Proceeds of the "privilege" tax, which the outline says would apply to NBA and NHL players [home and away], would go to the municipality where the game is played. Some lawmakers objected yesterday to exempting pro football players, but Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr said NFL rules would have penalized the state had it included their guys."

Well, at least we know who runs the show! Exactly how the NFL would penalize the state of Tennessee is a story for another day...

UPDATE 2: The Memphis Business Journal says that Tennessee would tax athletes performing in the state who make more than $50,000 a year. The bill would increase state revenue by more than $1.1 million and the funds would be used for juvenile court-related programs.