Week in Insights: Cut Sports Arena Subsidies and Make Teams Pay

If the Trump administration is looking for ways to offset the cost of extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, eliminating subsidies for sports venues would be a fantastic start.

Public financing for stadiums funnels taxpayer dollars into projects that could be funded by the billionaire team owners who benefit from their construction. The justification for public funding usually points to the facility’s potential to create jobs and economic activity. But such projects yield little, if any, economic return to local communities.

Studies have shown that publicly funded stadiums fail to deliver on their public interest promises. Cities ...