Kennesaw State economist, and Braves fan J.C. Bradbury, writes an op-ed in the AJC about the foreseeable misuse of funds that went to build the Gwinnett Braves stadium. "Money" quote:

Stadium proponents who claimed the project would be a financial boon to the community chose to ignore the numerous academic studies of past public stadium projects that found stadiums to be financial losers that had no positive effect on the local economy. The supposed economic stimulus of sports stadiums is a myth that has been so thoroughly debunked by economists — a group famous for their penchant to disagree — that a recent survey of the American Economic Association found that 85 percent of its members favored eliminating government subsidies of professional sports franchises.

I'd be interested to hear what J.C. thinks of the other stadiums that have been built for the Braves in recent years, namely in Rome and Pearl. I'd also be interested to see how other new downtown stadiums in the South have fared. I've been to quite a few in recent years, and especially enjoyed the stadiums in Greensboro, NC, and Montgomery, AL. Those stadiums were built with the idea of urban renewal in mind, and each are nestled beautifully on the edge of their respective downtown areas.