> but claiming they should never do it and pretending it doesn't add value is just dishonest. Well, for one, there's not a whole lot of evidence showing that t

> but claiming they should never do it and pretending it doesn't add value is just dishonest. Well, for one, there's not a whole lot of evidence showing that they do add value. But even then, the bigger issue here is that these venues are largely a handout to already wealthy team owners. It would be one thing if more sports team were like the Greenbay Packers, where the team itself has community ownership, but in most cases you have teams that are owned by individuals who are fully capable of financing the whole operation themselves. Owners shake down local municipalities by threatening to walk unless they receive some sort of subsidy that they feel represents the externalized "upside" of a stadium's presence. Anyway, I think this behavior is starting to become a huge turn-off with voters. After a certain point, pissing off your tax base is going to cost you more votes than pissing off a rich team owner and their gaggle of sports fans.. and when that happens the gravy-train is over.