Journalists with no economics training to an actual economist: But what about the team-funded commissioned report I was just sent by the team's PR rep?

"economic development project" www.ajc.com/politics/202...

A new Bears stadium absolutely would NOT generate billions of dollars. No stadium has ever done this before, ever. The for-hire consultant's report is complete horseshit, but here it is being put forth as a reasonable estimate on the front page of a major newspaper.

Until someone demonstrates a reliable method for forecasting the future economic returns to stadiums (none exists), all prospective "economic impact studies" should be given the same respect as roadside fortune tellers. The whole thing is a con. I don't know why the media keeps falling for it.

A new Bears stadium absolutely would NOT generate billions of dollars. No stadium has ever done this before, ever. The for-hire consultant's report is complete horseshit, but here it is being put forth as a reasonable estimate on the front page of a major newspaper.

The "Virtuous Circle" continues.

It's never happened before, but you're going to lead with a new stadium "could" generate $15 million in tax collections, because a team-funded "study" says so. Truly irresponsible reporting, here. www.dailyherald.com/20250930/bus...

In a sane country with competent leadership, the 50 highest-ranking Democrats would call a press conference to denounce what just happened as a threat to the republic and demand Trump's immediate impeachment and removal from office. I don't know he could make his intentions more clear.

Thanks JC. Here's a link to an ungated version of the paper. Good for the next 50 days. authors.elsevier.com/c/1lqCYbZee6...

Here's what half-a-billion of your tax dollars are paying for. It's a totally legitimate function of government.

$2 billion in subsidies and Atlanta gets another Shake Shack. Now, that's how you do "economic development." What a "Project Win!" Someone at the Metro Chamber gets a gold star for "landing" this one.

The problem with biased media coverage of stadium projects isn't that media members are ignorant on the subject (that's understandable), it's that they are negligently unaware of their ignorance and thus brazenly spread false information. Seriously, what's being taught at J-schools?

This is a really cool simple paper from @bradhumphreys.bsky.social and @chengyuanhua.bsky.social . Baseball players elected to the Hall of Fame live two years longer than non-selected nominated players. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Folks, this isn't hard. Movies are filmed in other countries (and states) which heavily subsidize their production. Please stop using terms like "tax incentives," to describe these massive subsidies.

Oh, if he "insists,' then it must be true.

This is just dumb. California has lost movie business to other countries, but also to other US states due to generous taxpayer subsidies. California (with Newsom's support) has responded by doubling its own idiotic subsidies. I hate this timeline.

I'm sure in 5 years this will be a "once in a generation" opportunity.

It's been over 2 years since this was announced, and now we have "plans."

I was interviewed for this podcast series on the collapse of the Philadelphia 76ers arena deal. I haven't listened to it yet, but it looks interesting. www.urbanaffairsreview.com/uar-archive/...

Yes.

This was excellent.

One day, I'd like to see a newspaper headline that reads, "City Council Approves New Stadium Deal Based on Unproven Link Between Sports Venues and Economic Development." But, of course, that's not how the media covers the subject.

This is complete bullshit. This is being done to serve as cover for delays that they already knew about. Promised developments around stadiums often never occur.

I sure wish people paid as much attention to the mountains of economics evidence that clearly shows the Browns stadium subsidy is indefensible public policy, as they did to this meaningless pretext for petty bargaining.

Yes it is, but sadly, hardly anyone cares. Misinformation and apathy go a long way in entrenching bad policy. And the people who benefit know how to use that to their advantage.

First Atlanta United game in a while. Oof, this "crowd."

Remember, if a consultant says it, it must be true.

If you're a college professor at a state university (like me), put your damn syllabus online and shut up. This shouldn't be controversial.

It's been interesting to see what was once fodder for the Business section become front-page "economic development" stories. Heck, this used to be paid advertising.

The Richmond Braves were moved to the supposedly better market of Gwinnett County in 2009, where the for-hire consulting firm CSL predicted the team would average more than 6,000 fans/game. The team didn't even hit 2,500 this year.

What to expect:

Hate kids? Good news!

From ‘The Onion’ Editorial Board: In Defense Of Mass Censorship https://theonion.com/in-defense-of-mass-censorship-1848673776/

What's somewhat surprising here is that WaPo has been relatively good at covering stadium issues. I think the headline is a symptom of a general decline in journalism standards that I'm seeing across publications. It's now common for media outlets to report on stadium deals uncritically.

Dennis (@dcoatesecon.bsky.social) and Brad (@bradhumphreys.bsky.social) deserve tremendous credit for elevating the rigor of research into sports economics questions and fostering a vibrant research community.

A nicely done story about Dennis Coates and Brad Humphreys: umbc.edu/stories/denn...

Are you a reporter covering one of the many recent public stadium deals? Read this: it's the least you could do. Your government and team sources are lying to you. Be a journalist, not a parrot.

A grim reminder: these people will never be satisfied. There’s no point at which they will say “we’ve won, let’s enjoy life.” They will always be looking for someone else to punish, to revile, to dehumanize. They’re empty without that.

Holy crap, this is beyond irresponsible reporting. www.axios.com/local/washin...

Transformative? Come on @washingtonpost.com, do better. Democracy is quoting straight from the press release. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...