Public Dollars, Private Stadiums: The Battle over Building Sports Stadiums

by Kevin J. Delaney, Rick Eckstein

The authors provide an eye-opening account of recent battles over publicly financed stadiums in some of America’s largest cities. Their interviews with the key decision makers present a behind-the-scenes look at how and why powerful individuals and organizations foist these sports palaces on increasingly unreceptive communities.  Delaney and Eckstein show that in the face of studies demonstrating that new sports facilities don’t live up to their promise of big money, proponents are using a new tactic to win public subsidies¾intangible “social” rewards, such as prestige and community cohesion. The authors find these to be empty promises as well, demonstrating that new stadiums may exacerbate, rather than erase, social problems in cities.

248 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2003

Reviews

[Sean Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful use of case studies that demonstrate how different political, social and economic factors influence teams attempts to swindle governments and ultimately citizens into paying for their stadiums.