Should sports arenas be left to the private sector?

Color me enlightened.

surprise breaking news–Sixers new arena will be “self-funded” (I assume with tax breaks). A far as I remember, only Pac Bell stadium in SF was self paid

Links are helpful!

They’re uncommon, but there are a few other examples.

almost 30 years ago a Local group formed a single-A baseball team and most of the town was for it … The two city council members who were against it were out of town on a rail because they predicted the "Entertainment and shopping district " created for it wouldn’t be enough to pay for the stadium …They were right the "mall " they built for it was/is never more than 40 percent full

Most the businesses (mainly “outlet” stores of big-name places that were supposed to come never did and the ones who did left the minute their leases were up and to add further insult about 5 or so years ago MLB cut 40 teams from its minor leagues and we were one of them

So I don’t know if the million or so of construction that was city-funded ever made up the money …

Now it gets used a few times for different things and there’s been discussions of tearing it down …