Professor Robert Bauman From Holy Cross Warns of Economic Downside to Ballpark Investment

Robert Bauman, an expert on the economics of ballparks from Holy Cross University, has been vocal about his opinion on public investment in building parks. He believes that ballparks do not pay for themselves and are not a good use of public funds. Despite being a Worcester resident himself, Bauman also warns against the potential economic downside if the ballpark were to fail in the long-term. While acknowledging that ballparks can have great benefits such as providing people with a sense of identity and pride in their city, he emphasizes that these “identity benefits” shouldn’t be used as an excuse to hide any potential risk or downfalls to building them. Currently, the park is paying for itself and no one knows what the future holds but it’s essential to be upfront about the reasons why it is being built.