, Columnist
Cities Pay Dearly for Pro Sports, for Good Reason
Listen up, Vegas: Some of the biggest benefits, like cultural identity, are impossible to count in dollars.
Early enthusiast.
Photographer: Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Sometimes you can't just follow the money.
Las Vegas's plan to commit $750 million of public funding toward building a football stadium for the Raiders -- a plan being debated in the legislature this week -- is bringing out the predictable critics. They argue that the economic benefits would not make up for the initial outlay, or that public money would be more productive if invested in infrastructure or education.