If you need to distract yourself from the Flames utter crappiness, click over to Andy Grabia's fantastic interview with noted economist Brad Humphreys. Grabia has been fighting the pro-new-arena hegemony that has arisen in Edmonton over the last 18 months or so. This is his latest salvo and it's a doozy.
Why should (Alberta resident) Flames fans care about this stuff you ask? From the interview:
People interested in providing government subsidies to sports teams – team owners, real estate developers, elected officials, and others who will benefit directly from these subsidies – loudly and consistently claim that large, important economic benefits flow from professional sports. Their evidence takes the form of (1) unsupported assertions (“of course these benefits exist!”) coupled with ad hominem attacks on opponents (“only an idiot, or an economist, would believe that sports aren’t great for the local economy”) or (2) Economic Impact Studies that are really promotional forecasts based on badly flawed methodology. [...]
Should Calgary Flames fans care about this issue?
Yes, because, like it or not, if the Province subsidizes the construction of a new arena in Edmonton, they will be paying for it too. Government dollars are fungible, and $100 million of Provincial money spent in Edmonton is $100 million not spent somewhere else.
In addition, there's been rumblings that the Flames will be looking into a new arena sometime in the near future. I haven't heard any specifics on the topic, but there's a good chance this fight is going to have to be fought all over again in a few years.
