The dealmakers, particularly Ballard, took some very intense heat for their effort. This is a great treasure for hundreds of thousands of people who go to the games, who wouldn't have that experience. There's a lot of pride. There are numerous spin-off benefits to the deal. The region's reputation is enhanced by baseball in a fine stadium.
Businesses have an easier time recruiting employees, an real economic benefit.
Washington state is big league territory. The Safeco Field experience also proved the public-private partnership is a viable option in Washington state, a tactic that will help build and support public facilities elsewhere. These will be, in a smaller way, as important to their communities as Safeco Field is to Seattle. Someday, someone may ride a high-speed chairlift at Mission Ridge because someone was farsighted enough to weather the criticism and try to build a baseball stadium near downtown Seattle. That's just a small reason to cheer.