Baseball Stadiums Article

During my senior year of college, I wrote my thesis about government subsidies for professional sports stadiums, and, since graduation, I have done some work for a professor who studies the same issue.

This morning, I read this article; it provides an interesting perspective on the stadium subsidies debate by describing the derelict conditions of a minor league baseball stadium in Vermont and the team’s effort to obtain government assistance for a new park.

Typically, state and municipal governments subsidize new stadiums to prevent teams from relocating. This minor league team in Vermont, however, is arguing that it should receive government assistance because of the stadium’s historical value. The field the team plays on is older than Fenway Park!

Admittedly, the team is fairly explicitly threatening to relocate, and there is something that resembles a precedent for this. A few years ago, Soldier Field was renovated instead of replaced in part because of its historical value. Likewise, Fenway Park has been renovated and not rebuilt because some people argue that it has tremendous historical significance.

Still, to my knowledge, few teams have framed their case that a stadium should receive government aid vis-a-vis the field’s historical significance.

Very interesting stuff.