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Super Bowl of Welfare
Overview
Many Americans complain about welfare. But what about corporate welfare and welfare for the rich? Why do so many Americans support that? Why do so many sports team owners receive benefits at taxpayer expense? This segment looks at taxpayer-subsidized stadiums.
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Grade level and subjects
• Recommended for grades 6-12
• Subjects: Economics and Government
• Works in Classroom, Hybrid, and Homeschool settings
What students will learn
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• list benefits and drawbacks of taxpayer subsidized stadiums;
• discuss the impact of subsidies on team owners and on taxpayers;
• explain the concept of concentrated benefits and dispersed costs; and
• analyze the incentives for team owners and fans to support candidates who favor stadium subsidies.
Key concepts and terms covered
Concentrated benefits and dispersed costs and Subsidy.
Sample discussion questions
• If someone has no interest in sports, should they be forced to help pay for a stadium? Why or why not?
• Why don’t team owners build their own stadiums? Are taxpayer subsidies more of a bribe to get team owners to move to or stay in a city? Who is doing the bribing? Why?
• The discussion of the seen versus the unseen can apply to jobs. When stadiums are subsidized, what about jobs is seen? What is the unseen effect on jobs? Explain.
• Economists say that the cities and the taxpayers almost never recoup the money that went to the stadiums. So if politicians insist on calling it an investment, just what kind of an investment is it?
• What’s fair about subsidizing professional sports teams and their owners? What’s unfair?
What’s in the free teacher’s guide
This printable 7-page Teacher's Guide includes a lesson description, learning objectives, key vocabulary, a fill-in viewing guide with answer key, discussion and analysis questions, and classroom activities.
Standards alignment
Aligned to state standards — use the SITC Standards Tool to match this video to the standards in your state.