Public Dollars, Private Stadiums


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Table of contents




Field of Schemes


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Sports, Jobs, and Taxes


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" America is in the midst of a sports building boom. Professional sports teams are demanding and receiving fancy new playing facilities that are heavily subsidized by government. In many cases, the rationale given for these subsidies is that attracting or retaining a professional sports franchise--even a minor league baseball team or a major league pre-season training facility--more than pays for itself in increased tax revenues, local economic development, and job creation. But are these claims true? To assess the case for subsidies, this book examines the economic impact of new stadiums and the presence of a sports franchise on the local economy. It first explores such general issues as the appropriate method for measuring economic benefits and costs, the source of the bargaining power of teams in obtaining subsidies from local government, the local politics of attracting and retaining teams, the relationship between sports and local employment, and the importance of stadium design in influencing the economic impact of a facility. The second part of the book contains case studies of major league sports facilities in Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and the Twin Cities, and of minor league stadiums and spring training facilities in baseball. The primary conclusions are: first, sports teams and facilities are not a source of local economic growth and employment; second, the magnitude of the net subsidy exceeds the financial benefit of a new stadium to a team; and, third, the most plausible reasons that cities are willing to subsidize sports teams are the intense popularity of sports among a substantial proportion of voters and businesses and the leverage that teams enjoy from the monopoly position of professional sports leagues. "




Profiles of American / Canadian Sports Stadiums and Arenas


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This book profiles histories of stadiums and arenas in America and Canada. How they came about and how they became known. Great performances, upsets, anecdotes, pageantry and traditions, all factors that glorifies these venues. Pageantry - Chief Osceloa intimidates Florida State Seminoles foes with flaming spear. Great performances - Don Larsons perfect no hit World Series conquest and UCLAs seven straight national basketball titles. Upsets - Jets downing Baltimore in Super Bowl III. Anecdotes - wrong-way run in football, sex as the main attraction and slinging octopus onto the rink. Statistics on 355 venues, 109 stories and 86 photographs makeup the book.




Cities and Sports Stadiums


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Throughout the United States, community development is increasingly focused on multi-use stadiums and arenas. Local governments and organizations are revitalizing their communities through these projects, which provide the best inner-city venues for sports, entertainment, cultural events, and business expositions. The first section of this book reveals how cities negotiate, approve, finance, design, and build stadiums and arenas. The second section includes case studies demonstrating measures and safeguards to take so the planned project will be a fiscal and political success. A final section examines the future of sports facilities.




Boston's Ballparks & Arenas


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A history of sports in Boston told through its parks and arenas.







The Arena


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Finalist • PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing “An inventive, fast-paced look at what have become our modern shrines in a sports-obsessed society.” —Tom Verducci In this “addictive” (Publishers Weekly) romp, intrepid sportswriter Rafi Kohan finagles access to our most beloved fields to find out just what makes them tick: from old-timer Wrigley, creakily adjusting to the twenty-first century, to the oversized monstrosity of Jerry’s World in Dallas. Investigating harrowing logistics and deeply ingrained traditions, Kohan employs his infectious “wit and style” (Christian Science Monitor) to expose the realities of building and maintaining these commercial cathedrals of sports worship. “Highly compelling” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), The Arena is a must-read for superfans, shameless bandwagoners, athletes, groundskeepers, culture junkies, and anyone who’s ever headed off eagerly to the ballpark to catch a game.




The Sports Franchise Game


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Power, prestige, and millions of dollars—these are the stakes in the sports franchise game. In this book, sports attorney Kenneth Shropshire describes the franchise warfare that pits city against city in the fierce bidding competition to capture major league teams. Rigorous research, fascinating interviews with major players, stories behind the headlines, and an insider's perspective converge in this rare view of the business side of professional sports. Shropshire portrays a complex web of motivations, negotiations, and public relations, and discusses examples from Philadelphia, the Bay Area, and Washington D.C.




Sports Arena and Event Management


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It's a full house for tonight's game . . . the stadium is rocking for a championship contest . . . fans are lined up around the block to get into the arena. And you're responsible for making sure they all have a good time. Sports venues big and small need creative, hard-working people to operate them. Do you have the organizational skills to succeed in this busy field? Put on your headset--and some running shoes--and get ready to take on the challenge. If you want to stay in the game in any way you can, Careers Off the Field is for you. Every book shows you ways to combine your passion for sports with a way to make sports your career, even if you're not putting on a uniform. Each title in this series contains color photos, charts showing salaries for career areas, tips on key educational steps toward the career, and back matter including: an index, further reading lists for books and internet resources, and a series glossary. Mason Crest's editorial team has placed Key Icons to Look for throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are then used in the prose throughout that chapter, and are emboldened, so that the reader is able to reference back to the definitions- building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Text Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. A Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter contains terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.