are tax-funded sports arenas a good investment for Americas cities?
Mark Rosentraub is one of a small, but well-publicized, group of individuals who have made their reputations in part by criticizing decisions by local civic leaders and voters regarding the construction and value of new sports stadiums. These critics underestimate not only the economic impact of new facilities but the intangible effects as well. The evidence and support of this positive impact is impressive. Economic analysts Dick Conway and Bill Beyers have conducted four studies during the last 12 years on the impact of the Seattle Seahawks football team and Seattle Mariners baseball club in that community. They have concluded that professional sports, like good schools, the arts, low crime rates, museums and parks add to the quality of life in a region. In that way, they make the region a better place to live and a better place to locate a business. Regions known for a high quality of life have a clear edge in this aspect of the competition for economic growth. In March 1996, the vo
