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Why taxpayers keep footing much of the bill for new sports stadiums

Jun 27, 2024
Governments provide big subsidies even if the dollars and cents don't add up, says The Economist's Simon Rabinovitch.
The Kansas City Royals' ballpark, Kauffman Stadium. Officials in Kansas want to lure the team away from Missouri.
Kyle Rivas/Getty Images

Unused sports stadiums transformed into mass-vaccination sites

Feb 15, 2021
Large sports facilities across the country are handling a new kind of crowd: people looking to get inoculated against COVID-19.
People trickle into Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to receive COVID-19 vaccinations at the site run by the Fulton County Board of Health.
Sam Whitehead

Football teams rethink stadium design to adjust for COVID

Oct 6, 2020
Architecture firms that specialize in stadium design are being asked to make changes to help fans maintain social distancing.
Todd Olszewski/Getty Images

Tackling the economics of empty stadiums as the NFL season gets underway

Sep 7, 2020
LA's new SoFi stadium is set to open, but there won't be fans in the stands.
Lincoln Financial Field, where the Philadelphia Eagles play, in July. Without fans attending games, the NFL's business model is taking a hit.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Atlanta stadium takes a swipe at cash

Mar 19, 2019
Experts say more venues with large crowds could soon be experimenting with going cashless.
Experts say more venues with large crowds could soon be experimenting with going cashless.
pastorscott/Getty Images

What are pro sports stadiums worth to a community?

Oct 23, 2018
The debate still carries on, even as some teams take more community concerns into account.
Artist rendering of an NFL stadium in Carson, California — a city in Los Angeles County. 
MANICA Architecture

There may be more empty seats at college football games than official numbers report

Aug 31, 2018
That’s what data obtained by the Wall Street Journal’s senior sports reporter Rachel Bachman shows. According to numbers of ticket scans from the 2017 season, only 71 percent of the people reported in official attendance numbers actually showed up to the stadium. So why inflate the numbers? And what’s keeping fans watching from home? Click […]

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Why do pro sports teams get tax breaks to build new stadiums?

Jul 11, 2017
It's become the norm for pro sports franchises to count on tax-free municipal bonds for building stadium projects.
 A general view of Marlins Park.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Stadium chefs hope new food combos will hit home with fans. Brontosaurus Rib, anyone?

May 19, 2017
They expect more publicity than sales of toasted grasshoppers or a patty melt on a funnel cake bun.
Aramark executive chef James Mehne shows off some of Kauffman Stadium's new food items, including truffled mac and cheese, lemon garlic rotisserie chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Peggy Lowe/KCUR

What's on NFL teams' stadium wish lists?

Jan 7, 2016
Three teams want to move to Los Angeles in part because they want new stadiums.