An Analysis of Taxpayer Funded Pro Hockey Arenas & Their Comparables

The prevalence of taxpayer funded sports stadiums is a hot topic in today’s sporting world. The goal is to look at the hockey arenas in the NHL and determine whether having taxpayer funded arenas are at all worth it for the city. To accomplish this, we need to look at what the current trends are in regard to arena construction. Are the teams paying for the bulk of the cost or are the cities? Also, how does the arena situation in the NHL compare to that of the other major North American sports,the NFL,MLB and NBA. In doing so we get a greater understanding of what the market norm is and whether pro hockey is in line with, behind, or even surpassing the other sports regarding public spending. In doing so, we gain a greater understanding of the issue that is the decision to fund, or not fund these arenas with public dollars.There is then a concise and detailed look at the possible merit of using public funds to build professional sports arenas. At its conclusion, the paper provides a detailed look for both team leaders and the public alike to make an informed decision on whether they want their tax dollars going toward pro hockey arenas or if the money is better spent in other area