Bids to bring major-league soccer to Charlotte or Raleigh offer a major contrast in the way taxpayers would be forced to help foot the bill. A new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report compares the proposals involving North Carolina’s two largest cities.
“Large subsidies aren’t necessary to attract major-league sports, and stadiums don’t have to be built using taxpayers’ scarce dollars,” said report author Julie Tisdale, JLF City and County Policy Analyst. “A city and its taxpayers seeking a sports franchise will be served better by leaving the building of stadiums to the private businesses that will benefit most from them.”
“If taxpayers are going to play a role, it makes sense to minimize that role and to maximize the return on investment,” Tisdale added.
Tisdale’s report arrives after Major League Soccer officials visited both Charlotte and Raleigh. They are two of 12 cities with ownership groups seeking new MLS franchises. MLS has announced plans to add two teams in 2020 and two more in 2022.
Read the full report here.
