(The Center Square) – The Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park has not increased hotel stays in Cobb County, according to a paper from two leading sports economists.
The paper pushes back on claims that building the stadium with public funding would lead to 100,000 to 300,000 additional hotel room nights per year.
The park opened in April 2017.
“Our findings are consistent with existing research that indicates devoting public funding to a sports venue in the hope of generating sufficient returns through increased economic activity from imported visitor spending is not a sound justification for taxpayer support,” said the paper from J.C. Bradbury of Kennesaw State University and E. Frank Stephenson of Berry College. “Furthermore, though the interjurisdictional move within the same metropolitan area may have attracted some imported commerce from neighboring counties, any visitor effects would likely be less pronounced as visitors can choose to stay in non-Cobb jurisdictions – particularly in Fulton County, where downtown Atlanta is located.”
A previous peer-reviewed paper from Bradbury showed that Truist Park costs Cobb County taxpayers about $15 million a year with that ongoing cost being around $50 per Cobb County household per year.
Stephenson recently completed a paper showing that the NFL Draft did not lead to the claimed number of visitors for host cities.
Truist Park has been held up as a model for modern sports stadiums, including when it recently hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The park has boosted profit for the Braves and the Atlanta Braves Holdings, the Braves’ owner after it split off from Liberty Media.
But the $392 million in public cost to build the stadium from Cobb County, the Cumberland Improvement District and the Exhibit Hall Authority have led to the county taxpayer losses.
The stadium debt is paid for through a county hotel-motel tax, countywide rental car tax and an additional special service district 3% hotel room tax and 3% property tax.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
