I just read an article n variety n is there any truth to the rumor amp goin sports

[davideduardo]

While BigA and David are right in the points they were making, there has been a movement in the past 20-25 years to build more sports stadiums in the hearts of cities, though they are usually smaller stadiums for baseball and basketball rather than football (here in Sacramento, the NBA Kings---our only pro franchise---have moved from suburban Sleep Train Arena to downtown's Golden 1 Center).

Since you are obviously a better researcher than me (and 99.99% of the population knows more about pro sports than me) I wonder if there is any data on how many stadiums (stadiae?) have been built on land acquired by exercising eminent domain laws.

This thread has involved the tarnish on the Dodger Stadium caused by displacing a poor but vibrant Hispanic neighborhood through that legal procedure. So now I am wondering if any other major baseball, football, basketball or other large arena or stadium based sports has used that method to get the land for a new facility.

 

[oldies76]

While BigA and David are right in the points they were making, there has been a movement in the past 20-25 years to build more sports stadiums in the hearts of cities

And Channel Flipper and myself are right also in certain points we made. I've been a Dodger fan since 1981, following them greatly. That’s about 40 years in following baseballl.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Houston's NRG stadium is suburban

Being in Houston, I got a laugh out of that. While Minute Maid Park (Astros) and Toyota Center (Rockets) are in the true downtown, NRG Stadium is hardly "suburban" as anything inside of Loop 610 here is considered part of Houston's urban core. You have to get out places like Sugar Land, Katy, or The Woodlands to be considered suburban in this massive urban sprawl.

 

[michael hagerty]

Being in Houston, I got a laugh out of that. While Minute Maid Park (Astros) and Toyota Center (Rockets) are in the true downtown, NRG Stadium is hardly "suburban" as anything inside of Loop 610 here is considered part of Houston's urban core. You have to get out places like Sugar Land, Katy, or The Woodlands to be considered suburban in this massive urban sprawl.

Point taken, but then the same argument could be made for the new NFL stadium in Inglewood. Both are roughly ten miles from the heart of their downtowns. And anyone living in Silicon Valley can tell you that Levi’s stadium is in urban sprawl as well. It’s just 44 miles from downtown San Francisco.

 

[michael hagerty]

Since you are obviously a better researcher than me (and 99.99% of the population knows more about pro sports than me) I wonder if there is any data on how many stadiums (stadiae?) have been built on land acquired by exercising eminent domain laws.

This thread has involved the tarnish on the Dodger Stadium caused by displacing a poor but vibrant Hispanic neighborhood through that legal procedure. So now I am wondering if any other major baseball, football, basketball or other large arena or stadium based sports has used that method to get the land for a new facility.

David: This is five years old, but probably the best overview of ten cases:
https://ij.org/action-post/foul-ball-ten-cities-that-used-eminent-domain-for-sports-stadiums/

 

[davideduardo]

David: This is five years old, but probably the best overview of ten cases:
https://ij.org/action-post/foul-ball-ten-cities-that-used-eminent-domain-for-sports-stadiums/

Excellent! Take the rest of the day off!

I am particularly taken by the one sentence that says, "The Institute for Justice has repeatedly argued that eminent domain abuse disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations including minorities, the elderly, and low-income residents.".

While this refers to a different stadium, it says exactly what happened in Chavez Ravine.

File under "Ends don't justify the means".

 

[michael hagerty]

. Excellent! Take the rest of the day off!

Gotta get a job first.

I am particularly taken by the one sentence that says, "The Institute for Justice has repeatedly argued that eminent domain abuse disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations including minorities, the elderly, and low-income residents.".

While this refers to a different stadium, it says exactly what happened in Chavez Ravine.

File under "Ends don't justify the means".

Hey, YOU try bulldozing Bel-Air.

 

[CTListener]

Excellent! Take the rest of the day off!

I am particularly taken by the one sentence that says, "The Institute for Justice has repeatedly argued that eminent domain abuse disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations including minorities, the elderly, and low-income residents.".

While this refers to a different stadium, it says exactly what happened in Chavez Ravine.

File under "Ends don't justify the means".

Not even to accommodate "the beautiful game" in Miami, where David Beckham's MLS expansion team will occupy a brand new purpose-built stadium? Or is a soccer team in Miami a dumb idea to begin with, given the sport's secondary status behind baseball to Cubans and Dominicans? And yes, I realize that Puerto Rico isn't the baseball hotbed it once was, the rest of the world's "football" hasn't exactly rushed in to take it place. Do Puerto Ricans, either on the island or on the mainland, even have a dominant favorite sport anymore?

 

[davideduardo]

Not even to accommodate "the beautiful game" in Miami, where David Beckham's MLS expansion team will occupy a brand new purpose-built stadium? Or is a soccer team in Miami a dumb idea to begin with, given the sport's secondary status behind baseball to Cubans and Dominicans?

There is no longer a Cuban majority in 18-49 or 25-54. Colombians, Venezuelans and Ecuadorians are not only from what was once a single country, but are also the fastest growing group in Miami.

There are relatively few Dominicans in Miami... nor are there many Puerto Ricans.

And soccer is much more prevalent than American Football in secondary schools, so there may be a large and growing interest among younger sports fans.

And yes, I realize that Puerto Rico isn't the baseball hotbed it once was, the rest of the world's "football" hasn't exactly rushed in to take it place. Do Puerto Ricans, either on the island or on the mainland, even have a dominant favorite sport anymore?

Yes. For the last 50 or 60 years, it has been politics.

The other sport, and very popular, is basketball.

 

[CTListener]

There is no longer a Cuban majority in 18-49 or 25-54. Colombians, Venezuelans and Ecuadorians are not only from what was once a single country, but are also the fastest growing group in Miami.

There are relatively few Dominicans in Miami... nor are there many Puerto Ricans.

And soccer is much more prevalent than American Football in secondary schools, so there may be a large and growing interest among younger sports fans.

All that said, according to the article, eminent domain was used to acquire the land, and minorities were negatively impacted. Do you have the same problem with a soccer stadium coming into existence in that manner that you do with baseball-specific Dodger Stadium or any of the other facilities -- including a NASCAR track -- mentioned in the article? Or does the further popularization of a sport on the rise in the Miami schools -- and popular among Ecuadorians and Colombians (and even some Venezuelans, although their country hardly ever produces quality players or qualifies for the World Cup) -- justify Team Beckham's new palace?

Oh, that new club. It's not actually going to be called Team Beckham. Instead it will be called Inter Miami FC, honoring Internazionale of Milan, Italy. Not exactly a great way to ingratiate yourselves to a Hispanic potential fan base, but then, this is MLS, which also has a team trying to tap into the name and the heritage of Spain's top club -- in Salt Lake City, Utah!