Sport matters: urban regime theory and urban regeneration in the late-capitalist era

I will return to Mayor Hudnut’s comments at the conclusion of this chapter. Whether or not one embraces the romanticised view of this former Indianapolis Mayor, it is difficult to ignore the notion that sport matters. From Manchester to Melbourne and Calgary to Cleveland, civic leaders tell us that sport is good for the city-as-awhole. So while the research examples presented in this chapter are embedded within the US context, the themes will be relevant to a number of urban contexts. Like John Crompton, C. Michael Hall and others in this volume, I will seek in this chapter to present a critical view of sport in the city.