J.C. Bradbury

@jcbradbury

Economist, Georgian, Gadfly Stadium Subsidies, Film Incentives, Local Economic Development, Sports Economics Tariffs bad. Vaccines good. Conjecture is not evidence. jcbradbury.com Book website: ThisOneWillBeDifferent.com

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J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· 28d

For the millionth time: STADIUMS ARE NOT ECONOMIC CATALYSTS. 50 years of research shows stadiums don't create new wealth. No public stadium project has ever paid for itself. Yet, the Speaker is optimistic that something that has never happened will surely work this time.

Despite uncertainty over the outcome, Indiana lawmakers passed the law to build the stadium with overwhelming bipartisan support and remain hopeful it will come to fruition.

Asked for comment, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston said in a statement that local elected officials and residents of Lake and Porter counties have been very supportive.

“This project will be a catalyst for growth across the entire northwest Indiana corridor, creating jobs, attracting new residents and businesses, boosting tourism and generating new revenue that will benefit the region and taxpayers for generations to come,” Huston said. “I’m optimistic about getting this project across the finish line and continuing to work with local officials and residents to bring this transformative opportunity to northwest Indiana.”

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· 28d

While it's true that Indiana is capable of funding a new stadium for the Bears, it's clearly not a good idea. It's laid out well in this article. @gpropheter.bsky.social explains.

A buyer should beware of a Bentley on sale for half price, says public finance analyst Geoffrey Propheter. So should the public on a sports stadium, Propheter says.

“With sports facilities, few lawmakers ever ask what’s behind the curtain,” Propheter, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver, told the Tribune. “They are so in love with what they see that they ignore what they can’t see.”

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· 29d

Super Nintendo Chalmers: May I see it?
Principal Skinner: No.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· 29d

Unbelievable.

As a deadline to commit public dollars to Moda Center renovations rapidly approaches, it appears that Portland city councilors will be asked to approve spending $120 million on arena renovations next month without knowing where that money will come from in the city budget.

According to city officials, that’s because the Portland Trail Blazers have yet to share details of the renovation plans they have in mind for the Moda Center. The Blazers say they need the city to commit to funding before they’ll share designs.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· 29d

If you miss this, you'd better be dead or in jail.
And if you're in jail ... break out!

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 13

The editorial board of the Oregonian continues to embarrass itself. Describing considerate councilmembers making evidence-based arguments as presenting "reactive rhetoric" is pure gaslighting. 🤡 www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2026...

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 12

Watched England-Norway at The Brewhouse, rooting for my DNA. Super fun, but I'm too old to stay for the nightcap, too.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 10

As a kicker, he says the following. Keep in mind that the Cobb subsidy to the Braves was $300 million and Zimbalist claimed that it was good for the local economy. So, is he saying, "Don't believe me when I say the Braves deal paid off"? Man, that Zimbalist is a piece of work.

"The citizens who are going to either vote for you or not vote for you during the next election should understand that it's not something that promotes economic development, even though they argue it does," Zimbalist said. "If they're calling upon the city to put down $300 million or $500 million or a billion dollars in this thing, they like to be able to make the argument that this is going to be really good for the local economy. That argument is not to be believed."

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 10

Now back to the original article. When asked about The Braves' much ballyhooed stadium development, Zimbalist described it as an exceptional success among stadium projects. Did he disclose his previous professional consulting relationship with the Braves to the reporter?

The mixed-use argument: Does The Battery change the math?
Supporters of the Tampa project frequently point to The Battery Atlanta as a model for what Tampa could achieve. The Battery Atlanta is the mixed-use development surrounding the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park in Cobb County, Georgia.

Zimbalist said The Battery is a legitimate success story, but cautioned against assuming Tampa's project would replicate those results.

"I think it is a successful case study. It's not overwhelmingly successful, as might be claimed, but it is successful," he said. "If Tampa were able to do something like that, then let's look at it closely."

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 10

When questioned about the obvious conflict of interest regarding his paid review of the Atlanta Braves stadium project, at the time, he defended his consulting fee as a stamp of legitimacy as a professional.

Zimbalist, who estimates he turns down about three-quarters of the expert-for-hire solicitations he receives, argued that instead of it creating a conflict of interest, the Braves’ remuneration gave his work a stamp of legitimacy.

“If I didn’t get paid there is an element in it that says I am not a professional, I am doing it for some other reasons,” Zimbalist said. “The payment thing is, ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’”

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 10

... I couldn't help but notice the stance of prominently featured Andy Zimbalist, who said we shouldn't trust commissioned studies because of the incentive to produce favorable conclusions. It's ironic since Zimbalist has a side-hustle of conducting for-hire commissioned studies.

The Rays say the project would generate $55.5 billion in economic impact over 30 years. A separate study commissioned by the Tampa Sports Authority put that figure even higher at $75.5 billion over the same period.

What independent economists are saying
Zimbalist said those projections should be viewed with deep skepticism. Not because the project lacks merit, but because the firms that produced those numbers were paid to reach favorable conclusions.

"Every time a stadium proposal is made by a team, they always go out, and they hire a company. They pay them big bucks, could be a million dollars, to do a study, and it's very clear what that study is supposed to show," Zimbalist said.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 10

Good grief. We were told to swallow purchased concocted projections before the World Cup, which contradicted decades of research demonstrating megaevents don't have large impacts. Now you want more time? Oh yeah, I'm sure THIS ONE will be different!

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

I hate everything.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

LOL

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

Mbappe after waiting 3 minutes on VAR.

Reds from Shawshank Redemption: I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid ... I want to talk to him. I want to try to talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can't. That kid's long gone, and this old man is all that's left.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

No one should ever take the Metro Atlanta Chamber seriously ever again. metroatlantachamber.com/an-early-loo...

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

Genuine class.

Owner Tom Dundon’s wife, Veruschka Dundon, along with their five kids, fill the first two lines of names as they are all engraved on the trophy. The family’s inclusion drew mixed reactions on social media, but the addition of family members who are deemed to be “involved with the team” isn’t new. In 2024 and 2025, Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola included his wife, Teresa, and their three sons.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

Projected: $40,000/day for 16 days. Actual: $1,000 for 4 days → gave up and shut down.

He signed up for four booths, two in South Downtown and two at Steele Bridge. He said he spent $128,000 on booth fees, rental equipment, labor and perishable food.

Using a tool provided for Welcome to ATL vendors, he projected he would make about $40,000 a day for the 16 days he was going to be vending. That would’ve been more than $600,000 in one month.

But sales fell far below those projections. He said he sold less than $1,000 in the four days he had his booths set up before cutting his losses and pulling out of the activation.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

Good showing from @naasecon.bsky.social at the @weai.bsky.social meeting in Denver. These economists seem universally skeptical.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

For Pete's Sake, He's Fleeing the interview

Scene from the move Fargo

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

I have a book chapter that covers the misguided ethos behind local economic development policy, which contributes to stadium subsidies. I chronicle my experiences on Cobb's development authority. Shoot Anything That Flies: Doing “Economic Development” academic.oup.com/book/62944/c...

Local economic development policy administration is another contributor to the prevalence of stadium subsidies. Sports venues are often promoted as economic development projects, even though research evidence demonstrates that stadiums are poor development anchors. This represents a symptom of a broader problem in local policymaking which sees the active promotion of economic development using incentives as necessary and productive. This chapter explains why incentives are not needed for real economic development to occur; in fact; evidence suggests that incentives may be counterproductive to their intended goal. The practitioner ethos among local economic development bureaucrats helps explain why economic development justifications for venue projects are persuasive among policymakers.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

Shot www.telegram.com/story/news/l...

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury· Jul 9

Andy Zimbalist is really something. He points to the research...except when he's a consultant, and then miraculously the stadium he's been hired to evaluate is a magic money machine.