Why Is That?

Once upon a time, cities were strong economically, and stadiums big. Then cities went into decline, and stadiums started to shrink. On top of that, the smaller they’ve become, the more they get touted as economic engines. Why is that, do you suppose? Consider that the Yankees won 27 pennants and 20 World Series playing in the original Yankee Stadium between 1923 and 1964; seating capacity fluctuated between 58,000 and 82,000. All that success did nothing to stem Gotham’s post-WWII economic decline. Throw in the Dodgers winning nine pennants in Ebbets Field and the Giants adding another thirteen in the classic version of the Polo Grounds, 1911-1954. That’s 49 pennants for one city. Not only did all that success not do much for New York’s economy, it couldn’t keep the Dodgers and Giants from relocating west. And yet, somehow, we’re supposed to believe stadiums and teams have this magic power over local economies. The Colts and Orioles tended to field very good teams when they played in Memorial Stadium, when the seating capacity stood somewhere between 47,000 and 53,000. Again, on-the-field success did nothing to prevent urban decline. Camden Yards, which was supposed to supercharge Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, opened with a seating capacity of 49,000, which has since been reduced to just under 45,000 [all capacity figures taken from Wikipedia]. (The Ravens play in M&T Bank Stadium with a capacity of 71,000, which makes it an outlier for shrinking stadiums). The Lions used to play at Tiger Stadium, with seating for 52,000 after 1936. The team moved to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1975, capacity 80,000. Now back in Detroit at Ford Field, the Lions play to 65,000 fans. According to what I heard on NBC News twice over the weekend, the Lions and their hometown are back in a big way, though exactly why that would be so is hard to say. The stories didn’t cite population growth; crime and unemployment figures; or improved public schools to make that argument. No, new downtown construction and the Lions going to the NFC Championship are supposed to serve as proof. Why is that?