Plans abounding for new sports stadiums across the US, carrying hefty public costs

By DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press

Proposals for new and improved sports stadiums are proliferating across the U.S. and could come with a hefty price tag for taxpayers. This past year alone, roughly a dozen Major League Baseball and National Football League franchises took steps toward building new stadiums or making major renovations to their current ones. In some cases, sports teams are seeking a new jolt of public funding for state-of-the-art stadiums even as public entities are still paying off debt from the last round of renovations conducted a couple decades ago. Cities and states are offering hundreds of millions of dollars in public financing. But many economists doubt whether it is a worthwhile investment.