But some subsidies are smart, and others are not.

If cities were getting huge economic benefits from their subsidies to pro sports teams, I probably wouldn't be complaining. It's the fact that they get little to no benefit from enormous investments that make the subsidies here dumb.

Seems like the crux of the argument here is in who gets to decide what's a smart municipal investment. I agree with you that sports is a dumb investment.

Professional sports maybe, but grassroots sports for kids (and perhaps even adults) are a fantastic investment.

Parks are available and useful to everyone. I can get behind that, and all the activities people like to do in parks.

Stadiums have one use, and they're not generally available to everyone for other purposes at any time.