ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part examines the economic impact of sports venues, sports franchises, and major athletic events, such as the Olympics, Super Bowl, or World Cup. It focuses on the benefits that new sports facilities confer on teams, fans, and cities, and explores who pays for the facilities that the teams use and the different ways in which they pay for them. The part examines the costs and benefits of major sporting events and explores the special history of FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, sponsors of the two biggest sports mega-events in the world. It shows how a new facility can increase a team's revenue stream and presents how new facilities might make fans better off even if they never attend a game. The part explains how new facilities, new teams, or new events might contribute to a local economy—and why they generally add little.
