Events

Public financing of sports venues

May 16, 2024
10 A.M. ET
Zoom webinar
Join co-hosts Clark Merrefield and Michael Klein for a webinar on the public financing of sports venues. This webinar was presented by The Journalist's Resource and Econofact.

Professional sports team owners often justify asks of hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars for new or revamped stadiums with estimates of huge economic returns for communities. This webinar empowers you to use academic research to interrogate claims that these projects mean big bucks for communities.

Viewers will learn:

  • How sports stadiums and arenas are financed and who pays for them.
  • Key economic concepts, such as public goods and opportunity costs.
  • How journalists can interrogate economic impact statements to determine whether team owner asks for public funds are a good investment.
  • Potential benefits, such as infrastructure improvements.
  • How to find sources who can help reporters provide comprehensive coverage of sports stadium financing.

Co-hosts:

Clark Merrefield, senior editor for economics and legal systems at The Journalist’s Resource

Michael Klein, William L. Clayton Professor of International Economic Affairs at Tufts University and founder and executive editor of Econofact

Panelists:

Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods Professor Emeritus of Economics at Smith College

Victor Matheson, sports economist at the College of the Holy Cross

Alan Snel, publisher of LVSportsBiz, which covers the convergences of sports, business, stadiums and politic