What Explains the Stadium Construction Boom

  • December 21, 1996
  • • Written by: Robert A. Baade 

December 1996, Vol 21, No 3
Abstract: Sports stadiums and arenas are being planned and built in unprecedented numbers. There is a temptation to attribute the intense pace of construction to rapacious owners and greedy players. But there is more to the story. Structural changes in the economy have influenced the demand for stadium amenities coupled with state and local government strategies for raising revenues. This article identifies and analyzes the developments which have conspired to explain the current stadium construction boom.