What wider benefit? In many ways the football club IS the city of coventry - it is pretty much the only vehicle through which we can display pride in our home city en masse. It matters to people, it is the only thing capable of bringing the people of the city together. 250K greeted the team home in 87. How many would greet a Wasps team 'home' after a similar victory? Well, none, because nobody would care and I suspect the open top bus would stay in the depot. You can't manufacturer that sort of thing, you cannot make people give a shit. The economic benefits of having Wasps here are grossly overstated, and the benefits of a successful Rugby team pales into insignificance when compared to the economic boost and recognition that comes from having a Premier League football team.
We may be getting historically low gates, but the wider city stills cares about CCFC, and will continue to do so. The fact that our city council have willingly forced through an unnecessary sale to Wasps, driven largely by spite, to the undoubted detriment of CCFC (this city's biggest civic asset) remains a travesty.