On this edition of Your Call, we’ll explore the true costs of sports stadiums to the communities where they’re built.
Stadiums often come with promises of boosting the local economy and creating jobs. But much of the hundreds of millions of dollars that stadiums cost comes from public sources. Research indicates that new stadiums often are, in the long run, bad deals for cities. So why do they continue to be subsidized, and what is it costing us?
Guests:
Andrew Zimbalist, chair of the Economics department at Smith College
Ray Bobbitt, founding member of We Stand With Oakland
Web Resources:
The Atlantic: Sports Stadiums Are a Bad Deal for Cities
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Super Bowl economic bonanza? Depends who’s talking
ESPN: With $6.7 billion in public money, NFL closes stadium era
East Bay Express: The Town Strikes Back
