ABSTRACT
I.. Introduction As suburban areas grew and downtown centers lost department stores, theaters, and jobs, many cities paid for new ballparks, arenas, stadiums, theaters, and museums to lead the revitalization of deteriorating core areas. For some cities that were devastated by economic transformations, which led to the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs and the movement of Fortune 500 companies to larger cities, new sports, entertainment, and cultural centers were larger-than-life efforts to restore tarnished images and confidence in a better future. The 1980s and 1990s launched an unprecedented era of the building of taxpayer-financed sports facilities in downtown areas from Baltimore to San Diego and from Miami to Seattle. New or renovated theaters and museums were joined to these sports facilities, and the public sector often paid most or all of the costs for these new entertainment centers as well. Why? It was hoped the billions of dollars invested by state and local governments in sports, cultural, and entertainment centers would make central cities more attractive places to live and work. Elected leaders also hoped these new venues would bring visitors from suburban areas and other tourists so that downtown areas would again
be “the place to be” and the years of decline would soon be replaced by crowds eager to live, work, and play in comeback cities and new downtowns.
