I'm a pretty liberal dude, I believe tax dollars should be spent for the betterment of the state and the people who live in that state. That said, the barrier for such incentives needs to be super freaking high for me to consider it a worthy investment. Any temporary event like mania isn't generally going to clear that barrier. Creating tax incentives to induce a private business to move into the state (provided you actually make sure they do it) that will bring a significant number of jobs for a long term period is worth it.

The truth is I think mania will more than likely make up enough sales taxes (8.25% in Texas) and hotel taxes to make up for the relatively paltry spend of 2.7 million but I don't think it'll be a huge ROI.

Also I've lived in El Paso, they're used to getting fucked over by Austin at every turn, sometimes for nakedly corrupt reasons. In 2013 there was going to be a large boxing match at the sun bowl. The chancellor of the UT system decided it was a "higher than normal" security risk because of cartel violence in Juarez (nevermind the fact that cartel violence was significantly declining from it's highest point in 08, 09 and even when Juarez was the murder capital of the world El Paso was still the safest city in America with a population greater than 500k) naturally the UT chancellor (an austinite) offers Texas Memorial Stadium as an alternative site. The outcry was enormous and the promoters told them that if they couldn't do it at the Sun Bowl they wouldn't do it in Texas. The chancellor relented but tried to ruin the event by refusing let them sell alcohol AT AN EVENT PARTIALLY SPONSORED BY DOS EQUIS.

Austin fuck over El Paso on the regular. If they were smart they'd be trying to reincorporate the city in New Mexico.