ABSTRACT
Deal outcomes within leagues—MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS—are a popular indicator of government prowess in negotiating public-private partnerships for major league sports facilities. Whereas preceding chapters focus on partnership outcomes across locations, this chapter focuses on how and why outcomes vary within each of the five leagues. Because the institutional structure of each league is unique, their constituent facilities are relatively standardized, and thus comparisons within leagues are more “apples to apples” than comparisons made across locations. For example, the City of Houston might evaluate the $288 million (80 percent public share) paid for its MLB Minute Maid Park, relative to the cost incurred by public partners in other host cities for their MLB ballparks, such as San Francisco ($176 million, 36 percent), Seattle ($664 million, 93 percent), and Philadelphia ($528 million, 93 percent), in addition to considering deal outcomes within its own jurisdiction.
