The Washington Post this weekend featured a reflection on the turbulent development of Nationals Park, home to the Washington Nationals. The article concluded with a comment by UMBC economics professor Dennis Coates, who wrote a report opposing the stadium deal in 2004.
Coates argued that sports facilities redistribute (rather than increase) leisure spending and asked: “Does it make sense to spend all those tax dollars on a stadium that will just attract the entertainment dollar from Georgetown or Adams Morgan to the ballpark area?” However, he also suggested the investment might pay off if the District’s goal was to attract suburbanites’ leisure spending.
Recent findings indicate that this might indeed be what is happening: 60% of game attendees are from Virginia, 25% from Maryland and 15% from the District, which means Virginians are disproportionately contributing their leisure funds to D.C.’s coffers.
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