Claudia Lanio

2025-10-17 11:11AM EST

New stadiums are often sold to the community as a boon, something that will revitalize an area, stimulate the local economy, and bring in new entertainment options. But too often we glaze over the significant downsides and drawbacks to such an endeavor. Politicians will glaze over and wave away the communities being displaced to make room for construction, or the fact that these buildings are most often built using taxpayer money, rather than investing the money in something that benefits the entire community.
These issues are magnified when these stadiums are built for one-off or short-term events, like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics. This can be seen particularly in the case of Brazil, who hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2016. Both organizations require new stadiums be built for their events as well as having the host country foot the bill in its construction.