In Washington in 1996, Senator Jeanne Kohl described how a local community's investment in a professional sports team is vital to an area's growth and development. Not only are many construction jobs created to build the stadium, but there is also a need for restaurants and shops to be in the immediate area. Also, jobs for parking attendants, concessions workers and ticket representatives are needed to handle the volume of people that would attend the event. Besides direct benefits from the building of a new stadium, other benefits include attracting new entertainment from trade shows to concerts.
Citizens receive valuable benefits associated with a sports team in their area.
Money is spent largely on hotels and restaurants, which attracts revenue that would normally be spent outside the local community. The presence of stadiums also helps to revitalize the look and feel of the downtown area. For example, less than 10 years ago, tourists and residents avoided most of the downtown area of Cleveland. Critics, however, often reject the need for public support for facilities. Economists of professional sports have tried to explain that having a sports team in a community actually does very little to enhance the local economy.