Whenever professional economists are asked about stadium and arena deals, they invariably explain, for the hundredth time, that these “almost never” work out to the benefit of the public. (Look, here are a bunch saying so just a few weeks … Continue reading
When the state of Rhode Island offered up $38 million in June to the owners of the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox toward a new stadium, it seemed likely to be the first step on the road to a replacement for … Continue reading
When the owners of the New York Yankees announced, on a June day in 2005, plans for a new stadium to replace the 82-year-old Yankee Stadium, they had a special treat for New Yorkers who’d been hearing for more than … Continue reading
If you’re still wrapping your brain around the math behind the New York Islanders’ “give us cheap state land and we’ll build an arena complex on it” proposal, get ready for the Bronx version. According to information leaked to the … Continue reading
Ever since Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Empire State Development agency decreed a group led by the owners of the New York Islanders to be the winning bidders for a 43-acre plot of land in the Belmont Park racetrack parking lots in … Continue reading
If anyone was wondering what it would take to get President Trump to endorse a policy promoted by President Barack Obama, we now have our answer. On Tuesday morning, Trump blasted the Internet with the message: “Why is the NFL … Continue reading
The Atlanta Falcons’ new stadium, which hosts its fourth ever NFL game on Sunday, is a technological marvel: the iris-shaped retractable roof; the mammoth video “halo board” that rings the ceiling aperture; the concession stands that sell hot dogs for a throwback … Continue reading
Nine years ago, Seattle’s sports scene was in about as dire circumstances as a city can get. The owner of the SuperSonics, Starbucks mogul Howard Schultz, had thrown a hissy fit over Washington’s refusal to gift him $220 million to … Continue reading
Tomorrow night’s MLB All-Star Game in Miami will be, above all else, a celebration of shattered hopes and dreams: The raison d’etre for Miami being awarded the game—the hulking, endomed Marlins Park which opened in 2012 after a many-year wait—remains … Continue reading
Of the many, many strong feelings people have about the looming Trump administration, few are related to potential infrastructure policy. In fact, the president-elect’s position on the matter—as he inimitably declared in his acceptance speech, “We’re going to rebuild our … Continue reading