The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie The Real Reason You Pay for NFL Stadiums
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Jan 28, 2026 J.C. Bradbury, an economist who studies public finance and criticizes taxpayer-funded stadiums, explains why stadiums rarely deliver promised economic benefits. Short takes cover how media and consultants sell projects, why deals reallocate local spending instead of creating growth, and why another stadium boom is likely despite weak fiscal logic.
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Stadium Subsidies Don’t Create Net Growth
- Stadium subsidies usually reallocate local spending rather than generate new economic growth.
- J.C. Bradbury says there is "no case to be made anymore" for public funding of stadiums.
The Seen And The Unseen Of Game-Day Spending
- Local spending at games mostly displaces other local purchases rather than adding new demand.
- Bradbury invokes Bastiat: we see spending at stadiums but not the foregone spending elsewhere.
No Such Thing As A Free Stadium
- Governments disguise real costs via what Bradbury calls "physical illusion."
- Using public land or infrastructure makes subsidies look less like direct tax spending but still has opportunity costs.
