Will Cleveland Real Estate Go Down If Lebron Leaves Again?

[Grant Rothenburger]

Not sure how many of you BP'ers follow the NBA so here is a quick background and look into what could happen:

Lebron James plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He left them in 2010 to go to Miami. When he left, I remember hearing and reading about how much the local economy suffered in Cleveland. When he went back in 2014, I started hearing about how well the economy is doing now that he's back.

So two things:

1. For people who lived in Cleveland when he left; was the decline in the economy bad? I remember reading articles that painted a terrible picture back then. Now I read this one: https://www.vox.com/2017/6/1/15724252/lebron-james... that basically says him being in Cleveland helps jobs within a couple miles of the stadium, and further out had no effect at all.

2. If he leaves again, will it have the same impact, better, worse, or no impact?

I know right now Cleveland is HOTTT!! I'm curious if Lebron is fueling that growth in any way, and if him leaving will hurt the Cleveland real estate market. What do you all think?