Getting Yanked: Sports Stadia and Public Policy

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1997
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Award
Language
eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Professional sports are extremely popular in the United States and receive a great deal of attention from the media. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the large subsidies which various levels of government provide to major league teams. Despite the fact that government spends billions of dollars on stadia to house these teams, few reporters or politicians have challenged these outlays as being a waste of taxpayers' dollars. However, a small group of economists has begun to penetrate the cloud of mystery which surrounds the finances of major league sports and are speaking out about the inappropriateness of publicly-financed stadia. This paper reviews the history of and research about these stadia, and tries to apply this knowledge to the ongoing public debate over the construction of a new Yankee Stadium. It critiques both the economists' and the team owners' arguments, concluding that there is no need to support a very profitable sector of the entertainment industry and that cities do not benefit economically by doing so. Finally, the paper concludes by offering several policy options for the nation as a whole and for the City of New York.
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