Every year, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) subsidizes the NFL's Pro Bowl, the annual all-star game that doesn't earn great ratings and struggles to maintain player participation. A new study by two economics professors at College of the Holy Cross reveals that spending is a much poorer deal for Hawaiian taxpayers than the HTA claims.
In 2014, for example, the HTA paid the NFL $4 million for the right to host the event and covered an additional $152,000 in event costs. The NFL kept all the ticket and media profits from the event. In return, the agency claimed, up to 47,000 additional tourists visited the Hawaiian islands to watch the game, bringing their money with them.
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