In preparing to withstand Hurricane Milton, officials made the decision to utilize Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, as a shelter for thousands of weary storm personnel and first responders. Reports indicate that they abandoned this plan after recognizing that the storm’s intensity may prove to be too much for the domed stadium.

They were right.

The destruction of the Teflon-coated, fiberglass roof of Tropicana Field is a problem beyond the cost of repair, though, and is symptomatic of a larger issue.

The design and construction of elite sporting venues, such as the ballparks, stadiums and arenas built for teams in the MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL, has been exclusively focused on revenue generation through the incorporation of high-end (read: expensive) seating and corresponding amenities within the venues, many of which are adjacent to redevelopment initiatives in the form of shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Academic research has largely shown, however, that these venues do not fulfill the economic promises that are used to garner support for them, which often come in the form of public subsidies and tax incentives for team owners.

Unfortunately, this design imperative — a focus on both in-game and year-round revenue generation as catalysts for revitalization — continues a long tradition of deprioritizing the needs of citizens in the communities within which those venues reside. If elite, professional sport venues are to be built........

© The Hill