Sporting Arenas

[El Blanco]

Recently, in New York, there has been a debate over some new sports complexes that are being pushed.

The most well known is the new football stadium along the West Side Highway meant for the New York Jets NFL team. The other is a basketball arena being proposed for the New Jersey Nets if they move to Brooklyn( looks inevitable).

Recently, NYC has had budget problems. Firehouses have been closed, city workers have gone without contracts,public schools in disrepair, the usual bullshit. Obviously, there is some outrage (understandibly so) over spending $600 million to build up the new West Side Stadium.

However, the JEts are throwing in close to $1 billion. The stadium will bring in new revenues and jobs (hopefully, the lease will be a little more fair than the sweatheart deal the Yankees enjoy). They are also reconstructing the whole area as part of the deal. So far, I've head that the Jacob Javits Convention Center is being expanded and they are building a new public park.

They are also hoping this will attract a Superbowl(probable) and the 2012 Olympics (hopeful). More and more money for the City.

Whether or not this will be done properly and justify the expenses only time will tell.

Does the chance of such a huge return in the future justify the spending of so much money that can be spent in other more vital areas right now?

What about the role a professional sports franchise plays in a city?

What about Turner Field and Camden Yards, where not only did they build stadia, but also reconstructed the entire area? How have those cities' faired since then?

And don't most cities that host the Olympics actually lose money?

Being the sports geek I am, my opinion is probably biased, but I am very critical of the location they chose for the WSS.

I know its no the usual "conservatives/liberals/capitalists/socialists are evil" or "Bush/Kerry is the AntiChrist" type arguments we all seem to know and love, but I figured since pro sports is a multibillion $ industry and are deeply ingrained in our culture, its worth exploring.