Reason.com
The Stadium Boondoggle
(Page 2 of 2)
But teams can't honestly cry "poverty." In the National Football League's 1994 and 1995 seasons, the Dallas Cowboys generated more than $75 million in revenues from luxury seating alone in aging Texas Stadium.
The Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association received $17 million in luxury-seating revenues in the 1995-96 season, their first in Gund Arena. And baseball's Atlanta Braves may get as much as $100 million from ticket, concession and parking sales at Turner Field this season.
To be sure, not every franchise may be successful at the box office. But that's more a reflection of team management than market size or age of a sports facility.
If teams in such second-tier cities as Dallas, Cleveland and Atlanta can raise hefty amounts of cash from ticket, parking and concession sales, then why subsidize any of them a penny?
The answer is a sure bet: because politicians become even more spineless when the local team threatens to leave, and because owners know they can always find a sucker somewhere else.
More Articles by Rick Henderson
- Blance Sheet, Rick Henderson, June 20, 2011
- Greenbacks for the Greenhouse?, Rick Henderson, November 9, 2010
- The Bailouts Continue, Rick Henderson, November 4, 2010
Related Articles (Sports, Welfare)
- No, This Is Not a Housing Recovery, Anthony Randazzo, March 23, 2012
- The NFL's Bounty of Trouble, Steve Chapman, March 8, 2012
- Freedom of Religion vs. Freedom from Religion, Ronald Bailey, February 28, 2012
- Obama's Halftime Hypocrisy, David Harsanyi, February 8, 2012
- (Eli) Manning’s Law, Ira Stoll, February 6, 2012
Most Popular Stories
- Here Are the 15 Senators Who Voted to Stop Armed FDA Agents From Conducting Warrantless Raids on America's Farmers (Not One of Them is a Democrat) (5.24)
- When Government Privileges Trump the Rights of Citizens (5.25)
- 5 Classic Teen Sex-and-Drug Freakouts: Rainbow Parties, Butt-Chugging, And So Much More (By Which We Mean Less) (5.27)
- Is the Ron Paul the Best Hope for Progressives? (5.25)
- Do Organic Consumers Shop Exclusively at the Jerk Store? (5.26)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Get Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.