Lessons From Stadium Planning

Expert sports economist Mark Rosentraub analyzes lessons learned from D.C.'s recent stadium deal.

1 minute read

February 13, 2006, 8:00 AM PST

By David Gest


"When communities consider welcoming professional sports facilities and teams, they should understand two lessons that economists have learned from the building of dozens of arenas from New England to San Diego. First, by themselves sports facilities can do very little for a community, but if they are part of a development plan tethered to private money, some economic magic can result."

"The second lesson is understand the value of your market so that you do not make wealthy owners even richer without getting anything out of the deal yourself."

[Editor's note: This story is accessible online without subscription for a period of seven days after publication.]

Thursday, February 9, 2006 in The Wall Street Journal

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