Major League Losers

Rosentraub, associate dean and director of the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment at Indiana University, makes a persuasive case that cities and states should reconsider before offering financial incentives to attract professional sports teams or to keep a team in its present location. He notes that while sports play a major role in American society, a professional sports franchise contributes relatively little to a city's economy. Moreover, Rosentraub shoots down the theory often used by public officials to justify building new stadiums-that a professional sports team can serve as a catalyst to revive a section of a city-by arguing that the economic impact of a new stadium is negligible. He presents a number of case studies to support his arguments, including the creation of sports complexes in Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis. Rosentraub argues that taxpayers should not be asked to finance new sports arenas and that more equitable public/private financing arrangements be used. Although Rosentraub occasionally gets bogged down in academic jargon, he makes a strong case that the practice of providing welfare for rich owners and players should be stopped. One of his particularly noteworthy suggestions is that Congress break up the professional league ""cartels,"" which would lead to an increase in the number of teams and thereby diminish owners' biggest threat-that they will move a team to another location. (Feb.)