When the Lights Go Out: Public Sector Management of Abandoned Sport Facilities

Abstract

This paper explores how local governments have addressed abandonment of a high-dollar investment: publicly funded sport facilities. The issue of abandoned professional sport facilities is becoming more ubiquitous as teams seek new, more modern, state-of-the-art venues to maximize operational revenues. This creates a scenario where the average lifespan of a professional sport facility is only 27 years. Using a comparative case study analysis, this research examines how municipalities have approached the redevelopment of abandoned stadium infrastructure in Detroit, Houston, and St. Louis. Successful outcomes related to the redevelopment of abandoned stadiums in Detroit have seen public and private stakeholders take advantage of their unique assets in public-private partnerships. However, abandoned stadium infrastructure in Houston and St. Louis have remained idle for years as local governments failed to secure private investment to aid with redevelopment efforts and/or created additional bureaucratic red tape that limits the prospects for site redevelopment.