Pay To Play: Do Publicly Financed Stadiums Make Economic Sense

Nov 1, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams fans hold a sign during the second half of the Rams

The age-old debate seems to have reared its ugly head once again on the American sports landscape.  A century old problem, that has increased in significance over the past few decades, once again finds itself at the center of controversy.  The topic you may ask?  The use tax payer money on sports stadiums.  Currently, the target of this controversy is directly related to the NFL; specifically the markets of Oakland, San Diego, and St. Louis.  Though these cities and teams are at the forefront of this debate in 2015, it is not a new topic by any means.  What is it about sports and the use of tax payer dollars that gets communities so riled up?  Are stadiums economically beneficial for cities?  There are many questions and few answers to these hot-button issues.

In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the history of publicly financed stadiums, the economic benefits, or lack thereof in publicly financing stadiums, and the results of cities whom have taken this approach previously.  Tax payers absolutely lose their mind over the thought of footing the bill for a billion dollar project when it comes to sports, but are these same opponents aware of where the rest of their tax dollars go?  Publicly financed stadiums will continue to be a hot topic until the facts are straight and the tax paying public is well-informed.

Next: The History Of Financed Stadiums