Still visibly shocked at the local Greyhound bus station’s sudden disappearance, one Edmonton community member admitted, “I don’t know where everybody is.” In 2017, the station, which had been well known as the hottest local hangout spot for people to gather, share resources, and build relationships, was demolished in front of their very eyes. Despite its cherished status, the location had been long eyed by property developers looking for the best place to build their new sports stadium. To them, the Rogers Place would put Edmonton on the world map as a vibrant urban centre with contemporary cultural amenities.

Edmonton’s story points towards one common assumption: that it seems plausible that a thriving sports economy, which entails anything from sports facility operations, goods, and services, would attract business, increase tourism, and benefit the local community. However, given that several sports facilities are privately owned and rarely invest back into local communities, this belief is easily refuted. Instead of furthering city development, an increasingly privatized sports economy causes urban gentrification, setting back city resilience through weakening community bonds and the local culture that comes with it. On the contrary, a de-privatized sports economy would be more beneficial for fostering urban resilience by addressing gentrification and uniting local community members. This article will elaborate with case studies from the US, Canada, Brazil, China, and Italy.

Private Sports Venues: The Catalysts Towards Gentrification

When private sports facilities are built to improve a city’s welcoming image to outsiders, they simultaneously make it less welcoming to the people already residing there. Gentrification refers to the transformation of a neighborhood’s value from low value to high and is often accompanied with racial discrimination and social class unfriendliness. Within the sports industry, the construction of private facilities creates a cascading, gentrifying effect where hotels, bars, restaurants, and other amenities are built nearby to give fans a more convenient experience when they visit. Designing such a tightly-knit cluster of businesses can also improve overall sales during busy sports seasons.

Yet over-accomodating non-locals is often done at the expense of local communities, driving up the cost-of-living by increasing housing costs and harming diversity as a result. Brooklyn, NY is no stranger to this phenomenon. When the Barclays Center was originally built in 2012, it was meant to be a world-class entertainment arena  and a symbol of city pride. However, soon after its opening, median house prices for 1-bedroom homes in Prospect Heights leaped from US$400,000 to US$664,000. Furthermore, from 2012-2020, the Black population decreased by 23 percent, while the white population increased by 203 percent. For a historically Black borough, Brooklyn’s changing demographic clearly reflects unfriendliness and racial discrimination towards Black residents, signifying the somber “triumph of [private] capital over local communities and culture.”

Median House Prices for 1 Bedroom Units in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York

Unsurprisingly, sports gentrification entails land seizures that affect poor people disproportionately. When Brazil secured the privilege to host the 2016 Rio Olympics, its government originally intended to use it as an opportunity to transform its metropolitan areas through infrastructure upgrades and beautification projects. However, it tore apart several friendly, tightly-knit neighborhoods in the end. Prior to the event, several poor Indigenous encampments were violently forced to leave the construction area to make room for an Olympic Village, an array of private sports facilities that would serve as a “legacy hub” after the games concluded. In Vila Autódromo, 97 percent of its 700 families were displaced. Similar to how the Barclays Center was seen as a progressive change for Brooklyn residents, the Olympic Village was intended to be a positive investment. Yet both have led to gentrification, police violence, and even human rights violations.

Discriminatory policing can also facilitate sports gentrification. In Edmonton, Canada, local police had been known to unnecessarily surveillance entire communities, and their actions only intensified after the Rogers Place opened in 2016.  On game and concert nights, Indigenous residents were increasingly banished from those areas. Many facilities and shops that served the community, such as the beloved Greyhound bus station mentioned earlier, were also removed for the constructing the Rogers Place, which only further broke the Indigenous community’s sense of belonging apart.

Public Sports Facilities: An Experiment for Democracy

Public sports venues provide an alternative that lowers stress while building strong social ties, building an atmosphere where communities can grow together. One advantage of this setting is that it does not require any new construction; instead, it can be carried out by repurposing urban vacant spaces and operating at a low cost or through crowdfunding, breaking any financial barriers to enjoying sports. When sporting events are held in public spaces, they contribute to a more inclusive urban life, a more secure sense of belonging, and a more culturally diverse community.

In China, public marathons have become extremely popular due to relaxed approval requirements, minimal startup costs, and thriving running culture. The number of marathons in China has surged from 14 in 2008 to 1,828 in 2019, with extensive public participation. Furthermore, Chinese marathons co-hosted by governments and enterprises already accounted for 74 percent of total marathons by 2019.

A graph with 12 columns with white area showing marathons held by formal organizations and shaded area showing marathons held by informal organizations.

Moreover, urban marathon routes mostly cover pre-existing streets or scenic boulevards. These public spaces allows runners to immerse themselves directly into the environment and deepen their sense of belonging to the city as they compete. Among the most fascinating examples is the Great Wall Marathon, where runners scale China's most prestigious historical landmark, taking in the spectacular scenery and soaking up its cultural significance. Marathon enthusiasts have also spontaneously formed various "running groups" to arrange runs and share experiences on social platforms. These groups, spanning cities, social strata, and intensity levels, strengthen communities by giving runners a sense of achievement and community.

Likewise, Italian community residents have reclaimed and repurposed abandoned urban buildings through "squatting" to establish community gyms to unite the community. These gyms charge little or are nearly free, offering social opportunities through sports to groups in vulnerable social positions such as undocumented migrants, the unemployed, ordinary young people, and families, thereby strengthening community cohesion. Public sport venues greatly boost a community's post-disaster recovery, which obviously strengthens urban resilience. After a fire at an Italian community gym, it reopened in just two days with help from community members—including donations—even though some helpers had never set foot inside.

This well illustrates how public sports unite community members to face difficulties. Like public sports facilities, community gyms have enabled residents to enjoy athletic leisure and fight against gentrification, breaking down the racial segregation that sports might bring about due to economic barriers led by private sports venues.

Why Public?

With the displacement caused by the Rio Olympics, Sara, a 16-year-old Brazilian from Vila Autódromo, recalls: “None of us wanted to leave. And why did we have to? They want[ed] to make money on that land. They’re going to sell it and get richer.” Stories like Sara’s show how a privatized sports economy not only fails to meet its expectations for economic growth, but leads to increased gentrification, resulting in the displacement of marginalized populations and exacerbated social injustices. A public sports economy, however, effectively combats the cultural homogenization of communities caused by gentrification through utilizing low-cost operations and existing resources. They bring a sense of belonging and togetherness to urban sports participants from all social strata, uniting communities in a shared future of urban resilience.