Eighteen years after Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in Baltimore to universal praise -- and seasons of sold-out games -- baseball fans continue to visit the stadium that is often credited with rejuvenating ballpark design. So is it a success?
Former state Sen. Julian L. “Jack” Lapides, a Baltimore Democrat, is one of the Marylanders who from the start opposed using taxpayers’ money to build the stadium. He calls the deal with the Orioles “lousy.”
But Herb Belgrad, chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority when the stadium was built, notes that its purpose was never to create revenue for the state. “This was not a fiscal project,” Belgrad said. “It was to benefit the citizens.”
Some economic studies tout the positive impact of stadium projects here and around the country, but other economists disagree.
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If Baltimore had a half way decent team, it would've had a huge economic impact. Camden Yards is a gorgeous stadium, but the on field product is horrible. 2 trips to the playoffs in the last 17 years? A .250 winning percentage in September the last 8 years. The team is one of the worst run in the Bigs. People are sick and tired of wasting money to go watch a bad team.
ReplyDeleteWhat a scam....the taxpayers got the bill and mega-millionaires get the profits. This goes for the Ravens deal, too. More "serving" of the public...
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