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A number of groups in the U.S. and Canada have mounted organizational drives and information campaigns against public subsidies for major sports stadiums. Below is a partial list.
| Ballparks |
This site provides background, history, design and construction details, aerial photographs, and more for many of the professional sports stadiums for the "big-four" team sports in the United States and Canada. Although seemingly oriented toward the sports enthusiast, it contains a considerable volume of information of interest to diverse audiences.
(http://www.ballparks.com) |
| Ballpark Digest |
This site is dedicated exclusively to baseball at all professional levels. It provides extensive coverage of sports stadiums and team and league histories, including now defunct leagues all the way down to the lower minor league levels. The site provides links to breaking news on baseball stadiums and team ownership, as well as other news on the business of baseball.
(http://www.ballparkwatch.com) |
| Field of Schemes |
"Fieldofschemes.com is the companion website to Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit (Common Courage Press), by Joanna Cagan and Neil deMause. Since 1998, we have been casting a critical eye on the roughly $2 billion a year in public subsidies that go toward building new pro sports facilities."
Though this website has a commercial motivation, it provides a continuously updated archive (organized by month) of news coverage and events related to public support of sports stadiums. Archives begin in 1998 and continue through the present.
(http://www.fieldofschemes.com) |
| League of Fans |
"We work with concerned citizens, sports fans, civic groups, and communities to increase awareness of the sports industry's relationship to society, influence a broad range of issues in sports at all levels, and encourage the cooperative capacities that make the 'sports powers-that-be' capable of helping, not just dominating, our society and culture." This consumer/taxpayer advocacy group was founded by Ralph Nader. Its website contains several main areas, including: commercialism, sports fans, media, taxpayers, and sports culture. Some good information, but clumsy navigation.
(http://www.leagueoffans.org/index.html) |
| National Sports Law Institute, Marquette University Law School |
The NSLI at Marquette University publishes the "Sports Facilities Report", an annual update on the location, ownership rights, revenue distribution, and percentage of public financing of major league stadiums in the big four team sports in the United States. It takes a neutral stance, while recognizing the business and legal importance of these topics.
(http://law.marquette.edu/cgi-bin/site.pl?2130&pageID=472) |
| No Jones Tax |
"The mission of No Jones Tax campaign is to prevent taxpayers from paying higher taxes, new taxes, or for new give-away schemes to build a new stadium for Jerry Jones."
This is a local activist site that provides information and opportunities for supporters to help in the organization's cause. A good example of a site for a grassroots organization.
(http://nojonestax.com) |
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