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| MARCH2010 |
COVER STORY | MEDIA
How much Is a Sports Team Worth to you?
Sports teams promote their facilities as economic-development projects that create jobs and generate tax revenue. But that’s rarely the case. More often, the value they create is in serving as a source of civic pride and purpose. So how much is that worth? We have an answer. Cover Story
QUOTE/UNQUOTE 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
INDEX OF BUSINESSES AND BRANDS
Amazon.com, High-tech signs of the times, page 04
Amazon.com, Sony in Depth, page 13
Apple, Sony in Depth, page 13
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, Counting Calories, page 14
BCS, Sony in Depth, page 13
CareerCast.com. Risks and Rewards, page 16
Chesapeake Energy, Risks and Rewards, page 16
Dallas Stars, $530.65 page 07
ESPN, Sony in Depth, page 13
Fireman’s Fund Insurance, Risks and Rewards, page 16
Green Bay Packers, $530.65 page 07
J.P. Morgan Chase, Pay or Walk Away?, page 12
Lakers, $530.65 page 07
Lamborghini, Lexus’s $350,000 car: For Show-Offs Only, page 05
LG Electronics, Sony in Depth, page 13
Minnesota, $530.65, page 06
New York Times , A victory for free speech, page 19
News Corp, A victory for free speech, page 19
NFL, $530.65, page 06
NFL, The NSAL, page 04
Panasonic, Sony in Depth, page 13
Porsche, Lexus’s $350,000 car: For Show-Offs Only, page 05
Samsung, Sony in Depth, page 13
Sony, Sony in Depth, page 13
Starbucks, Counting Calories, page 14
Taco Bell, Counting Calories, page 14
Third Coast Guitar Service, Risks and Rewards, page 16
Toyota, Lexus’s $350,000 car: For Show-Offs Only, page 05
Vikings, $530.65, page 06
Yahoo, Risks and Rewards, page 16 |
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| INSIDE THE CLASSROOM EDITION |
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INTERNATIONAL
Desperate Times
Seven years after the U.S. launched a program to boost AIDS treatment in the developing world, that battle is reaching a critical turning point. The flow of funding is slowing, and infections are on the rise. Article
ECONOMICS
Pay or Walk Away?
Research shows an alarming rise in the number of so-called strategic defaults, where homeowners stop making mortgage payments, not because they can’t afford them, but because they think it makes good financial sense. We look at the risks involved, and the moral implications. Article
+ ECONOMICS LINKS
DISCUSSION: Is walking away from your mortgage immoral? Article
WHAT’S MINE: Will the bank seize my iPhone? Article
HEALTH
Counting Calories
Restaurants from Applebee's to Starbucks are pushing new low-calorie menu items in an effort to attract customers who say they want healthier options. Article
+ HEALTH LINKS
LET’S MOVE: First Lady targets childhood obesity. Article
AIRING THEIR BEEFS: Heart Attack Grill sues Heart Stoppers Article
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BIG BUSINESS
Sony in Depth
Sony is placing a huge bet this year on 3-D technology in the hopes of regaining its leadership position in the world’s living rooms.Article
+ BIG BUSINESS LINKS
SUPER BROADBAND: Google to build a new high-speed network. Article.
ADOBE VS. APPLE: The iPad sparks a conflict over Flash video. Article.
Inside the Admissions Office
Watch video excerpts from “Inside the Admissions Office,” an online forum featuring admissions deans from eight of America’s most selective colleges and universities. They tackle such topics as: How involved should your parents be in the admissions process? And what makes a good college essay? Watch
ON CAMPUS
The Ultimate Field Trip
Abby McCartney writes about study-abroad programs, those unique learning opportunities and invaluable life experiences that help many college students broaden their views of the world and grow into themselves. Article
+ ON CAMPUS LINKS
Summer Vocations
The months between school years are a perfect time to try out something new, maybe something you’ve always wondered about, without a lengthy commitment. There’s nothing wrong with lifeguarding or waiting tables for a summer or two. But summers are also a good opportunity to try out future careers. On Campus
Study Guide
College courses are structured very differently from classes in high school. The good news is that many of the same study skills you develop in high school work just as well for college. On Campus
Choosing Classes
After seven semesters, choosing a handful of courses from a catalog of over 2,000 options hasn’t gotten any easier. Still, I do have a few tried-and-true strategies that have found me more wonderful classes than duds, at least so far. On Campus
Facebook Grows Up
For a Web site launched only five years ago, Facebook has altered the daily lives of college students in remarkable ways. Abby McCartney explains how to make Facebook your friend in college. On Campus
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MARKETING
They Just Don't Get It
Women represent the fastest-growing global market, even bigger and faster-growing than the consumer economies of China and India combined. And yet the majority of consumer businesses are managed by men, most of whom don't understand female consumers or realize just what a fundamental role they play in the economy. Article
+ MARKETING LINKS
CEILING INSPECTION: Is workplace advancement gender-neutral? Article
MOTHERS OF INVENTION: Women turn entrepreneurial. Article
CAREERS
Risks and Rewards
Being in high demand is just one reason actuary landed at the top spot on a new ranking of 200 jobs in the U.S. Article
+ CAREERS LINKS
DETAILS, DETAILS: Sweat the small stuff. Article
BRIDGE WORK: A career in translation. Article
OPINION
A Victory for Free Speech
The Journal Editorial Board weighs in on the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC. The decision, which struck down limits on corporate spending for political advertising, was a huge victory for freedom of speech, they write. Article
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
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 QUOTE/UNQUOTE | READ THE STORIES BEHIND THESE WORDS |
“It’s time to save what we can, spend what we must, and live within our means once again.”
—President Obama |
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The president last month unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget proposal for 2011 that projects a record $1.6 trillion deficit. It would raise taxes on businesses and wealthy Americans, cut spending on programs with considerable political support (including NASA missions and farm subsidies), but still add $8.5 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Article |
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“Luckily, folks, they’re not saying I can’t sing anything negative about the network.”
—Conan O’Brien
Ousted host
of NBC’s
“Tonight Show” |
Mr. O’Brien joked on his show about terms of his departure from the network. He and his team walked away from NBC with a $45 million settlement, but it includes
a “nondisparagement” clause, meaning he can’t publicly criticize the network or its executives. Article |
“This will allow the biggest corporations in the United States to engage in the buying and selling of elections.”
—Rep. Chris Van Hollen
Democrat of Maryland |
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Citing freedom-of-speech grounds, the Supreme Court in January struck down part of a law that limits corporate spending on political campaigns, permitting businesses and unions to spend freely on commercials for or against candidates. (See related Editorial.) Article |
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“The intensity of the dump was the problem.”
—Nick Saban,
Head football coach, University of Alabama |
Mr. Saban didn’t care much for the Gatorade shower he received after his Crimson Tide beat Texas for the BCS Championship in January. The Gatorade shower is a cherished sports tradition, but every now and then it goes wrong, like the time in 2008 when Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce brought the tradition to basketball by drenching his coach, Doc Rivers. Article |
“Hello, what about us?”
—Kirk Wolak
Deerfield Beach, Fla. |
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Pets can upset family harmony. Mr. Wolak complains that his wife pays too much attention to Buck, her German shepherd, and not enough to him and their daughter. Mr. Wolak says his wife buys fresh beef, chicken and rabbit for Buck, takes the dog to the park three times a day and puts fresh sheets on the mattress in his kennel twice a week. Article |
photo: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES (PRESIDENT OBAMA), GETTY IMAGES (DOC RIVERS), BLOOMBERG NEWS (U.S. SUPREME COURT BUILDING), TOOLBOX (DOG)
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