Our Team! · Insights From the Publicly Owned Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons

Our Team! explores public ownership of sports franchises as a strategy for elected officials to increase the value of place. James J. Keeler examines the successful case of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, which has produced a fair return on the taxpayers' investment. He explains the value of a stadium as a true community resource and emphasizes the importance of public participation in the planning process of this risky investment for a city. Keeler lays out the steps to be followed to maximize state financial assistance, and to organize the public cooperation that will make an investment in a sports franchise a success for a community. The outcome of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre venture confirms the efficacy of public ownership of sports franchises, according to Keeler, and challenges the major league sports policy that precludes public ownership of franchises. He points out that with the common public financing of stadiums in the modern sports world, the public can protect its investment by also owning the sports team.