Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
You must be able to see the difference between a library and a privately owned for profit business.
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Sports teams are a little different than regular privately owned businesses. There is a ton of public good that comes from having a sports team (city recognition, good will and city pride, benefits to other businesses in the city etc.).
Someone said earlier that there is alot of literature that proves tax payers money for an arena rarely offers economic benefit. I think it's true if you're talking benefits directly traced back to the flames but I think it overlooks those other factors. You can't measure uptick in bars, grocery stores, tourism, etc.
I believe there's a reason why cities all over the world/North America want sports teams in their city and are willingly shelling out dollars to lure them. There is public good that cannot easily be measured and I think it's a stretch to think it's not there because it's privately owned.