Public attitudes towards no-vote stadium subsidies: the development and validation of an ex post proxy referendum

The Routledge Handbook of Sport and Sustainable Development

“…Efforts to secure public financing for a major professional sports stadium project may privilege a city's business elite, and they can more easily organize behind a stadium-subsidy proposal than can ordinary citizens who may oppose public funding (Kellison & Mondello, 2014;Molotch, 1976). Similarly, elected officials may promote growthoriented policies despite the lack of approval from their electorate because they adhere to the political philosophy of civic paternalism, the notion they know what is best for a city and its inhabitants (Kellison, 2016). In these cases, policymakers may even risk reelection to promote particularly contentious projects (Kellison & Mills, 2021).…”