Building new sports stadiums is good for the private equity firms and real estate interests that stand to profit, but not for the public. Throughout the country, professional sports teams dangle arenas and stadiums as civic dreams come true. But for the communities subsidizing them, they are often more like cynical exercises in urban grift. Taxpayer money that could have been spent on public services and infrastructure instead line the pockets of ultra-wealthy sports franchises, accelerating gentrification and displacing city residents.

For our August print issue, Gabrielle Gurley examines the future of city stadiums with the proposed Philadelphia 76ers arena in Chinatown as a case study. Philadelphia’s Chinatown community is facing what could be the death of a robust cultural enclave, mirroring how Washington D.C.’s Chinatown was displaced after the Washington Wizards arena was built in the 90s. Philadelphia’s residents, along with communities all over the country who face potential displacement from proposed stadium plans, are fighting back.

You can read the entire story for our August issue here.

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