The economics of taxpayer-subsidized stadiums

Shiny new stadiums can end up costing taxpayers billions

A rendering of the Tennessee Titans' new stadium
A rendering of the new Tennessee Titans stadium, which will cost taxpayers $1.26 billion
(Image credit: Manica Architecture / Tennessee Titans)

The U.S. is continuing to see a rapid influx of new sports stadiums either being proposed, approved by city councils or already being built. The soon-to-be Las Vegas Athletics will have a brand-new ballpark built for them when they move to Sin City, the Tennessee Titans broke ground on a new football stadium earlier this year, the Buffalo Bills are prepping a new stadium for 2026 and the Chicago Bears are negotiating on a new stadium to replace their aging current venue. And these are merely a few notable examples. 

But these stadiums do not come cheap, and they are often at the expense of taxpayers — many times more so than the team's fans may realize. The Titans' new stadium will cost about $2.1 billion, the new Las Vegas stadium is pegged at about $1.5 billion and the Bears are looking to secure $2.4 billion for a new stadium. While it might seem obvious that the team and their owners would be the ones financing these stadiums, cities often look to taxpayers to help offset the cost of these behemoth structures.  

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Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.