Abstract
This comment on Nelson’s article, “Prosperity or Blight? A Question of Major League Stadia Locations,” which appears in this issue of Economic Development Quarterly, looks at the possible economic contribution of professional sports to a metropolitan area by summarizing earlier critiques of the literature on the topic, three regression studies that are similar to Nelson’s, and an article that relates central-city economic vitality to suburban economic vitality. The possibility of omitted variable bias in Nelson’s analysis is raised and the appropriate caution provided that sports stadia in a central business district may only be acting as a proxy for the overall strength of the central city. Nelson is commended for the work he has done, but more work along this line needs to be completed before specific public policy toward the desired locations of professional sports stadia is set.
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