Summary: Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Case Study Three

Introduction

Take Me Out to the Ball Game and You Buy the Ticket THE CASE FOR PUBLIC STADIUM FINANCING

The sphere of sovereignty that this situation involving privately owned sports franchises seek public financing from state and local spheres of government to maximize the sport teams bottom line. Many organizations in many localities have been involved in using public money to benefit themselves financially. For example, the Yankees and the Mets in New York, the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Washington’s sport teams, and Pennsylvania. “Of the thirty-one plans that have been put to the voters, a vast majority (84 percent) were eventually approved. The remaining five (or 16 percent) that did not receive voter support were eventually

The sports franchise gains by reducing the amount of capital that it has to spend in building the new stadium. They receive a new stadium with more seats and therefore they receive more profit. The local businesses gain financially as well with increased traffic of fans who come to the games. More fans means more meals, rooms, and souvenirs sold. In addition, as least at the beginning of the project more construction jobs are created in order to build the new stadium and possibly new jobs are created at the stadium itself. The elected officials is motivated by receiving a good track record of successful referendums, by trying to sell the stadium to the public as something they should really want in their communities. The people who are losing through the outcomes of the new stadiums are those who do not want one in their community. Perhaps people who do not like sports and will never attend a game or people who do not appreciate the added traffic on the roads on game days. These people are forced into paying for something they will never use as well as something they may despise and the added traffic they have to deal with is a nuisance to