It turns out that handing over taxpayer dollars to billionaire owners tends to be far less popular among regular citizens than among well-connected government officials.
Saturday’s soccer match was afflicted by a deadly cocktail of a stadium packed to the brim, violent fans and the use of tear gas by police. Here’s how the disaster could have been avoided.
Buffalo Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula received a sweetheart deal from the state to finance their new stadium.
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Study after study has shown that stadiums are terrible public investments. Taxpayers rarely want to pay for them. So why do governments keep subsidizing them?
Don’t build new venues when you can re-use what you’re already got such as the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
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The relaxed rules allow Brisbane to bid to host the Olympics at a much lower cost than previous host cities have had to bear. But who really benefits?
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is known to Melburnians simply as the ‘G and is host to a range of sports including Australian Football League and soccer, as well as other events.
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The main sporting venues in Australian capitals have had an upgrade in recent times, with the notable exception of Sydney, where leaders seem mired in indecision and political bickering.
When public money is at stake, such as in the redevelopment of the Western Sydney Stadium (artist’s rendering shown), people have a right to expect more.
Infrastructure New South Wales
As the contentious Sydney Football Stadium redevelopment shows, Australians want their sports grounds to be of benefit to the whole community, not just sports fans and the elite.
Aerial view of the Sydney Football Stadium, which is to be rebuilt, and Sydney Cricket Ground. Questions of stadium design to deal with extreme heat are becoming more urgent.
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The Australian Open tennis and the recent Ashes Test cricket series show why our sporting stadiums need to be “climate-proofed” to deal with extreme heat.