State and Local Issues

Ceasing To Be Good Sports

Observers of the professional sports scene say the public is becoming disenchanted with taxpayer-financing of sports palaces.

  • More than 30 stadiums and sports arenas -- paid for mostly with public money -- have been built since 1989.

  • But voters in Columbus, Ohio, recently rejected plans for a publicly-financed hockey arena and those in Pittsburgh turned down financing for two new stadiums for the Pirates and Steelers.

  • Voters in Minneapolis limited sports facility spending in a November ballot to no more than $10 million.

  • Next year, citizens of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio will face public-financing initiatives to replace functional facilities.

Economists specializing in sports analysis say that sports don't create the many jobs promoters promise and there is no evidence teams attract industry to their playing regions.

Source: Jay Weiner and Justin Catanoso, "Saying 'Enough!' to Big-League Demands," Business Week, December 5, 1997.

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