Peter Corbett and Sarah McLellan | The Arizona Republic
At the dawn of the millennium, Glendale had a dream of using sports to spark economic development that city leaders believed would transform the sometimes disparaged suburb into a big-league city.
The Phoenix Coyotes moved west to an arena in a farm field in 2003, and three years later, the Arizona Cardinals landed in a futuristic stadium south of the Westgate Entertainment District.
The city’s sense of pride swelled as it hosted championship games for college and the NFL and packed the arena, now known as Gila River Arena, for Coyotes playoff runs.
The good feelings did not last.
