J.C. Bradbury
@jcbradbury.com
Economist, Georgian, Gadfly
Stadium Subsidies, Film Incentives, Local Economic Development, Sports Economics
Tariffs bad. Vaccines good.
Conjecture is not evidence.
jcbradbury.com
Book website: ThisOneWillBeDifferent.com
Stadium Subsidies, Film Incentives, Local Economic Development, Sports Economics
Tariffs bad. Vaccines good.
Conjecture is not evidence.
jcbradbury.com
Book website: ThisOneWillBeDifferent.com
Pinned
J.C. Bradbury
@jcbradbury.com
· Nov 6
Cover just dropped. Coming in 2026 from Oxford University Press.
Why do these stories persist? Megaevents have been well-studied by economists and determined that the economic impacts are tiny. And any increase will barely ripple out to Cobb. Yet, this is the banner headline in today's MDJ.
World Cup hosting expected to bring global attention, economic boost to Cobb
MARIETTA — After a busy year of hosting major sporting events in 2025, Cobb and Atlanta’s hosting duties will catapult to the global level this year when the FIFA World
buff.ly
February 10, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Why do these stories persist? Megaevents have been well-studied by economists and determined that the economic impacts are tiny. And any increase will barely ripple out to Cobb. Yet, this is the banner headline in today's MDJ.
There is surprisingly little research on the public finance implications of "jock taxes." This is fertile ground for a project that could produce several studies.
Patriots, Seahawks Face California Tax Bill in Super Bowl Pursuit
California has the highest state income taxes. Here's an estimate of what Drake Maye and Sam Darnold will have to pay after playing in the Super Bowl.
buff.ly
February 10, 2026 at 1:02 PM
There is surprisingly little research on the public finance implications of "jock taxes." This is fertile ground for a project that could produce several studies.
At this point, if you fall for anything put out by CSL, you want to be fooled.
"information gathering"... from CSL, the organization dubbed "the Wile E. Coyote of the sports stadium racket"
February 10, 2026 at 3:34 AM
At this point, if you fall for anything put out by CSL, you want to be fooled.
"information gathering"... from CSL, the organization dubbed "the Wile E. Coyote of the sports stadium racket"
February 10, 2026 at 3:17 AM
"information gathering"... from CSL, the organization dubbed "the Wile E. Coyote of the sports stadium racket"
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.
- Al-Anon saying
- Al-Anon saying
The expansion fee for Boston Legacy FC was only $53m, making spending $135m in public money on a $325m stadium look not so great. Politicians of the world, you should have learned by now always to take the over on stadium cost predictions.
Boston women’s soccer stadium to cost taxpayers 2.5 times as much as value of team
It's been a few months since we've checked in on Boston's plan to spend $100 million to rebuild White Stadium for NWSL club Boston Legacy F.C., how's that going? The city of Boston’s project to overha...
www.fieldofschemes.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.
- Al-Anon saying
- Al-Anon saying
Oops. Birmingham spent $125 million renovating an arena for the team, which is departing for a new city after just 5 years. wgno.com/news/louisia...
wgno.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Oops. Birmingham spent $125 million renovating an arena for the team, which is departing for a new city after just 5 years. wgno.com/news/louisia...
Oh, good grief. Stadium deals can work if they're "part of a bigger plan for the city," and you "have to do the analytics"? 50 years of research (analytics) hasn't found any support for this conjecture. Indy, Cleveland, and Detroit are successes? Citations needed. theticker.org/18089/busine...
February 7, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Oh, good grief. Stadium deals can work if they're "part of a bigger plan for the city," and you "have to do the analytics"? 50 years of research (analytics) hasn't found any support for this conjecture. Indy, Cleveland, and Detroit are successes? Citations needed. theticker.org/18089/busine...
This is why stadium proposals should always be put to a public vote. A majority of the electorate won't fit in the owners box, but the city council will.
February 7, 2026 at 2:27 PM
This is why stadium proposals should always be put to a public vote. A majority of the electorate won't fit in the owners box, but the city council will.
This new Republican fixation with eliminating certain taxes without connecting it to government spending or operations is untethered to reality. They're all pandering schemes that are just as harebrained as anything put forth by radical socialists they claim to decry.
February 6, 2026 at 3:55 PM
This new Republican fixation with eliminating certain taxes without connecting it to government spending or operations is untethered to reality. They're all pandering schemes that are just as harebrained as anything put forth by radical socialists they claim to decry.
Question for the media: Who is Steve Robb of Municipal Consulting, and why is he qualified to do such an analysis? What are his methods, and what is his track-record on past projects? An internet search indicates he's just some random guy with no credentials whatsoever.
February 6, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Question for the media: Who is Steve Robb of Municipal Consulting, and why is he qualified to do such an analysis? What are his methods, and what is his track-record on past projects? An internet search indicates he's just some random guy with no credentials whatsoever.
Great moments in bothsidesism. Writing "Such studies are often debated by economists" is like saying, "Doctors often debate the claims of anti-vaxxer posts on Reddit." Commissioned forecasts, which aren't "studies," are not debated, economists universally dismiss them as quackery.
February 6, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Great moments in bothsidesism. Writing "Such studies are often debated by economists" is like saying, "Doctors often debate the claims of anti-vaxxer posts on Reddit." Commissioned forecasts, which aren't "studies," are not debated, economists universally dismiss them as quackery.
We've learned where the Tampa Bay Rays plan to get the $1.2 billion in taxpayer money to build it a new stadium. A key source would be a county sales tax that voters already approved *with the explicit understanding that it would not be used for a stadium.*
February 5, 2026 at 1:29 PM
We've learned where the Tampa Bay Rays plan to get the $1.2 billion in taxpayer money to build it a new stadium. A key source would be a county sales tax that voters already approved *with the explicit understanding that it would not be used for a stadium.*
The Rays "belong in Tampa Bay"... Please, it was the Rays who backed out of a deal to give the team $600 million of taxpayer money for a brand new stadium. Now the owners are demanding double that. "The Rays need more welfare" is the appropriate slogan.
DeSantis, MLB commissioner say Rays ‘belong in Tampa Bay’
The governor and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke at a news conference at Hillsborough College on Tuesday.
www.tampabay.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:26 PM
The Rays "belong in Tampa Bay"... Please, it was the Rays who backed out of a deal to give the team $600 million of taxpayer money for a brand new stadium. Now the owners are demanding double that. "The Rays need more welfare" is the appropriate slogan.
My article (with @bradhumphreys.bsky.social ) "Yes, There is an Economic Consensus That Professional Sports Facilities are Inadvisable Public Investments" is now published in Economic Development Quarterly. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
February 4, 2026 at 7:03 PM
My article (with @bradhumphreys.bsky.social ) "Yes, There is an Economic Consensus That Professional Sports Facilities are Inadvisable Public Investments" is now published in Economic Development Quarterly. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
I'm going to rip my hair out. For the millionth time: It doesn't matter where the taxes are collected, but where they come from, which is reallocated from existing local tax collections. Folks, we have to elect better people. This is either negligence or incompetence.
February 4, 2026 at 1:37 PM
I'm going to rip my hair out. For the millionth time: It doesn't matter where the taxes are collected, but where they come from, which is reallocated from existing local tax collections. Folks, we have to elect better people. This is either negligence or incompetence.
STOP just saying uninformed things like this. Nashville's last mayor basically ended his political career by backing the unpopular Titans stadium. CLT has committed ~$900M to renovating NFL & NBA venues. Neither city has money or political capital to subsidize an MLB ballpark.
February 3, 2026 at 10:18 PM
STOP just saying uninformed things like this. Nashville's last mayor basically ended his political career by backing the unpopular Titans stadium. CLT has committed ~$900M to renovating NFL & NBA venues. Neither city has money or political capital to subsidize an MLB ballpark.
It's not socialism if Republicans support it.
These rural expanses could be Georgia’s next big development sites
State leaders are pumping a new round of funding into select rural Georgia communities to prepare their development sites for the needs of industry.
buff.ly
February 3, 2026 at 1:50 PM
It's not socialism if Republicans support it.
The @tampabaytimes.bsky.social has done a pretty good job of covering the Rays stadium saga, but this is a terrible headline. What matters for public policy is the public cost ($1.15 billion), the public share is totally irrelevant. It implies that the public ask is low, and it's not.
Rays tell Hillsborough they’ll cover at least 50% of Tampa stadium cost
Rays tell Hillsborough they’ll cover at least 50% of Tampa stadium cost
A county document “describes the key elements and guiding principles which could form a feasible framework” for a stadium at Hillsborough College.
www.tampabay.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:06 PM
The @tampabaytimes.bsky.social has done a pretty good job of covering the Rays stadium saga, but this is a terrible headline. What matters for public policy is the public cost ($1.15 billion), the public share is totally irrelevant. It implies that the public ask is low, and it's not.
Rob Manfred's legacy as commissioner isn't looking so hot. Labor strife seems inevitable. MLB clubs are scrambling for new public stadium deals, while NFL teams have no problem. Now the league has totally flubbed broadcasting, after it basically invented today's streaming model.
February 2, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Rob Manfred's legacy as commissioner isn't looking so hot. Labor strife seems inevitable. MLB clubs are scrambling for new public stadium deals, while NFL teams have no problem. Now the league has totally flubbed broadcasting, after it basically invented today's streaming model.
In other words, the Rays are seeking a $1.15 billion subsidy from taxpayers.
February 2, 2026 at 7:56 PM
In other words, the Rays are seeking a $1.15 billion subsidy from taxpayers.
It's kind of amazing how many people think what economists deride as the broken window fallacy is a core tenet of Econ 101. We're talking something that was debunked 175 years ago.
February 2, 2026 at 7:31 PM
It's kind of amazing how many people think what economists deride as the broken window fallacy is a core tenet of Econ 101. We're talking something that was debunked 175 years ago.