Why do cities build sports stadiums for their teams? Some people contend that having a vibrant sports community leads to increased business activity in the downtown area (e.g. look at Cleveland after Lebron James left for Miami or Detroit after the Pistons won the NBA title in 2004!) and that cities must "compete" with one another to attract sports teams. But what effect, if any, does building a sports stadium have on the local economy? What about the Olympics, does the host city benefit from having the games located there?
Come join Dr. Hebert and discuss these topics and more!
Background readings
- If You Build It, They Might Not Come: The Risky Economics of Sports Stadiums
- Stadium Subsidies: Wikipedia
Arguments for cities paying for sports stadiums
Arguments against cities paying for sports stadiums
- Publicly Financed Sports Stadiums Are A Game That Taxpayers Lose
- 7 Things We Could Have Spent $12 Billion On Instead Of New Sports Stadiums
- Sports Stadiums Are Bad Public Investments. So Why Are Cities Still Paying for Them?
Miscellaneous