June 14, 2004
Goofus vs. Gallant
It's subscription-only, but The New Republic's website has an excellent analysis by Aaron Schatz that compares L.A.'s courting of an NFL team with D.C.'s of an MLB franchise, concluding:
Los Angeles and Washington offer case studies in the right and wrong ways to attract a sports franchise. Williams has bought into the fantasy that stadiums and professional sports teams are worth the expenditure of public money because they generate economic growth. By courting Major League Baseball so aggressively, he has enmeshed himself in a bidding war for which D.C. taxpayers will almost certainly pay a steep price. Los Angeles, on the other hand, has basically dared the NFL to ignore its lack of a football franchise. And as of two weeks ago, it appears that the city has called the league's bluff. In the end, both mayors will probably get their teams. But only one will have served the interests of his constituents in doing so.
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