Dr. Andrew Zimbalist has managed to be at the forefront of several sports stories when they get to the economics sector, especially when it comes to stadiums and arenas being financed by taxpayer dollars. Zimbalist's latest book, Circus Maximus, focuses in on the plight that is the I.O.C.'s Olympic Games and FIFA's World Cup. Zimbalist shares his knowledge of the terrible deals that nations and various U.S. cities have crafted over the years in order to attract a rampant, out-of-control stadia financing plan, many times for facilities that are never used again after their 17-20 days of initial operation for either the Games or World Cup. Zimbalist talks about the issues current stadia financing plans in the United States, which he states have improved over the deals of the past, and how minor league facilities are typically better deals for municipalities overall because of the revenues generated.
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Jens Sejer Anderson serves as International Director of Play the Game is an international conference and communication initiative aiming to strengthen the ethical foundation of sport and promote democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in sport. It is run by the Danish Institute for Sports Studies (Idan), an independent institution set up by the Danish Ministry of Culture. The task of Idan is to create overview over and insight into the field of sport nationally and internationally. Jens covers several of the current problematics issues surrounding sport, including the 2022 World Cup, as well as match-fixing, doping and massive stadia construction amid national debt. Twitter: @JensSejerA