It's Hardly Sportin': Stadiums, Neighborhoods, and the New Chicago (review)

Beginning in the late 1980s, Chicago's stadiums were upgraded. A new Comiskey Park and the United Center were constructed, and lights were added to Wrigley Field. The new Soldier Field opened in September 2003. Some of these projects involve public funds, and some involve only private, but they all have had repercussions on the neighborhoods in which they are located. Costas Spirou and Larry Bennett attempt to detail the effect of the projects on neighborhoods surrounding the stadiums, and they do an excellent job of bringing this dimension to the fore. Of necessity, newspaper articles dominate their bibliography. The results are a relatively large increase in our understanding of the political dimension of stadium building and a much smaller increase in our understanding of the economic dimension.

In general, the authors look at two phases of stadium projects. How are they promoted and executed? What are their effects on the neighborhoods in which they are located? Spirou and Bennett concentrate on two effects. One is specific: "how advantageous is the neighborhood impact of such projects?" The other is general: "how effective is sports-anchored urban development in reshaping the identity of older, formerly industrial cities?" (p. 14). Sports are viewed as an important dimension of the "redefinition" of urban culture, a manifestation of the shift from an industrial to a postindustrial economy. Tied to this is the shift toward corporate ownership of sports franchises (with the exception of the National Football League, where it is banned).

Consonant with the way that the economics of advertising is handled in many "principles" books, the economics of sports stadiums has offensive and defensive dimensions. Spirou and Bennett tie new stadiums to a model of urban revitalization through the "culture industry"; the theoretical underpinnings are presented in their second chapter. The logical argument that underlies this model is little more than multiplier analysis; the empirical support is based on a relatively small sample. Conceptually, a rebirth of the Everleigh Club or an armada of one-armed bandits would have multiplier effects. The work of economists such as Robert Baade, Roger Noll, Jim Quirk, Allen Sanderson, and Andrew Zimbalist suggests that these multipliers are customarily overestimated. The authors' discussion attempts to address the first phase and the general effect, but their analysis of the neighborhood element is ambiguous regarding the Pontiac Silverdome. After the second chapter, the offensive dimension, the citywide perspective, is given short shrift.

The defensive dimension is that the loss of a team means a loss of market prominence. In addition, like defensive advertising aimed at maintaining market share, the expenditures are likely to be excessive. Politicians want to avoid legacies that include losing a team. The converse of this dimension is that a sports team is a source of civic pride, and some cities evidently consider that pride to be priceless.

By setting each of these familiar projects within its neighborhood, the authors have added a great deal to our understanding, although it would have been helpful if their net more effectively covered the entire city. Nonetheless, their investigation of both opponents and proponents of change will make this book of interest to anyone living in a city contemplating a new stadium.

Spirou and Bennett note that corporate-neighborhood relations are usually one-sided, but there are three parties. Corporate owners typically cut their deal with local government, after which the neighborhood attempts to make modifications. Those living in Wrigleyville, a regentrified neighborhood, were most effective in achieving their aims. Although they were unable to prevent the installation of lights, they did get a limit on the number of night games. On the other hand, even though the new Comiskey Park was built with neighborhood renewal funds, those living in the area proved ineffective in attempts to alter the plan. Residents of the Near West Side...