Sports Teams Do What The Economy Can't -- Boost Cities' Spirits

"The Detroit Pistons are favored to win the NBA championship. The Detroit Tigers are having their best start in years. And the Detroit Red Wings had the NHL's best record this season...In Detroit, sports teams are the leading form of escapism. Yes, people often talk about the city's high rates of homicide and unemployment, and about mass auto layoffs and foreclosed homes. But locals also talk incessantly about sports."

In Detroit and other cities, sports teams have a history of boosting spirits during troubled times. "From 1975 to 1980, the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls, offering residents a boost as the steel industry declined. The Yankees, by playing in the 2001 World Series, gave New Yorkers an emotional respite after Sept. 11. And last year, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints suited up for a game, albeit out of town, helping residents believe that life could inch toward normal."

Even so, with a recent poll showing that 51% of Detroit residents doubt their children and grandchildren will find work in Michigan, local sports executives are starting to worry that the pool of season-ticket holders may be shrinking.

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