Field of Schemes - by Neil Demause & Joanna Cagan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Field of Schemes is a play-by-play account of how the drive for new sports stadiums and arenas drains $2 billion a year from public treasuries for the sake of private profit. While the millionaires who own sports franchises have seen the value of their assets soar under this scheme, taxpayers, urban residents, and sports fans have all come out losers, forced to pay both higher taxes and higher ticket prices for seats that, thanks to the layers of luxury seating that typify new stadiums, usually offer a worse view of the action. The stories in Field of Schemes, from Baltimore to Cleveland and Minneapolis to Seattle and dozens of places in between, tell of the sports-team owners who use their money and their political muscle to get their way, and of the stories of spirited local groups-like Detroit's Tiger Stadium Fan Club and Boston's Save Fenway Park!-that have fought to save the games we love and the public dollars our cities need. This revised and expanded edition features the first comprehensive reporting on the recent stadium battles in Washington DC, New York City, and Boston as well as updates on how cities have fared with the first wave of new stadiums built in recent years. Neil deMause is a Brooklyn-based journalist who writes regularly for the Village Voice, Extra!, and Baseball Prospectus and runs the stadium-watch Web site fieldofschemes.com. Joanna Cagan is a teacher and writer in New York City. She has written for numerous publications, including the Village Voice, the New York Times Magazine, and Interview.

Review Quotes

"In exposing the template used by greedy owners and corrupt politicians, the authors have provided a great service for concerned public officials and fans who no longer have to sit in silence."--Christopher Keshock, NINE

"Field of Schemes is a superb work of investigative reporting and righteous indignation. The fan pays twice: once for the stadium and again for the ticket to get into the stadium. If enough fans read it, we could break this cycle."--Allen Barra, sports columnist for the Wall Street Journal and author of The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant-- (3/21/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"A thoughtful and comprehensive examination of the curious issue of love and money in sport."--Frank Deford, Senior Contributing Writer at Sports Illustrated and author of The Entitled

"A well-written and poignant analysis of America's stadium mess."--Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics, Smith College, and author of In the Best Interests of Baseball? The Revolutionary Reign of Bud Selig

"If this book had been around for the Greeks to read, they would have learned that they should've billed Troy for the horse."--Molly Ivins, newspaper columnist, political commentator, and best-selling author

"This is as crystal clear as it gets. Field of Schemes shows exactly how your tax dollars end up in the pockets of sports team owners and players in our fake democracy."--Jim Bouton, author of Ball Four and Foul Ball-- (3/21/2007 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Neil deMause is a Brooklyn-based journalist who writes regularly for the Village Voice, Extra!, and Baseball Prospectus and runs the stadium-watch Web site fieldofschemes.com. Joanna Cagan is a teacher and writer in New York City. She has written for numerous publications, including the Village Voice, the New York Times Magazine, and Interview.