When the Rogers Place arena opened in downtown Edmonton in September 2016, no amount of buzz could drown out the rumours of manipulation, secret deals, and corporate greed undergirding the project. Working with documentary evidence and original interviews, the authors present an absorbing account of the machinations that got the arena and the adjacent Ice District built, with a price tag of more than $600 million. The arena deal, they argue, established a costly public financing precedent that people across North America should watch closely, as many cities consider building sports facilities for professional teams or international competitions. Their analysis brings clarity and nuance to a case shrouded in secrecy and understood by few besides political and business insiders. Power Play tells a dramatic story about clashing priorities where sports, money, and municipal power meet. Foreword by Richard Gruneau.

"# 1 on Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 27, 2019" - Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers

"# 2 on Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, November 03, 2019" - Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers

"# 3 on Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, November 10, 2019" - Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers

"In Power Play, Jay Scherer, David Mills and Linda Sloan McCulloch not only clear the fog, they situate the whole ordeal as only the latest example of a long pattern of North American pro sports teams coercing public subsidies for new facilities.... No amount of massaging the messaging or shiny renderings will cover up the most fundamental divide in these debates: whether scarce public resources should be spent building something that will generate private profit, and which many citizens cannot reap the benefits of." - The Sprawl

"Power Play delves into the dark world of billionaire club owners, weak mayors and unconscionable subsidies that litter the world of professional sports. The names and dollar values change, but these grinding sagas are all the same: One false move and the dummy gets it. Pay up or you lose the team. So, taxpayers pay and pay". - Blacklock's Reporter

"Ten of the year's best books by local authors to look out for. Many sports fans may not be aware of the true costs behind one of Canada’s most beloved sports. Diving into the politics behind the Rogers Place deal, this book illuminates the facts previously shrouded in secrecy around the manipulation and machination that got the $600-million arena built." - Edmonton Journal

"# 2 on Edmonton's Bestselling Books list; Non-fiction, February 02, 2020" - Edmonton's Bestselling Books

"# 10 on Edmonton's Bestselling Books list; Non-fiction, February 09, 2020" - Edmonton's Bestselling Books

"# 5 on Edmonton's Bestselling Books list; Non-fiction, March 08, 2020" - Edmonton's Bestselling Books