Since Stan "The Man" Kroenke just invested in Denver and has said that he is going to build a stadium for completion around 2006 it got me thinking. The Wizards are going to be the only team that isn't on a coast that is not playing in a SSS. Columbus-Chicago-Dallas-Denver. Hell even if OKC gets one their stadium is built with soccer being a major influence. KC proved that even if you basically give the tickets away for a Wizards game that you can only get 30,000 out to a game. Shouldn't this be a sign that a SSS is the right size for KC.
as much as i'd love to have our own stadium, i'm willing to sit back for awhile and let things develop. let the other teams have their day. i think we need to build a bigger base than what we have right now to support our own stadium. if there aren't more than 30k fans willing to come to a free wizards game, what makes you think that they'll be willing to pay $35 to come to one. novelty only lasts so long. besides, arrowhead is a great facility if you can avoid getting hung up on the 60k extra seats.
All true. Just a quick peek at Columbus' attendance should cloud any romantic dreams of 'Husker-like sellout streaks. This holds for almost any stadium that is erected in any sport. To LA and Dallas, the true litmus will be years from now. The initial sizzle of novelty sellouts will just be the mouth watering expectation of a curious public. The actual steak might be leathery like attendance fall offs like those in Columbus, a succulent filet of a league-wide boom, or most likely something in the middle. Regardless, Arrowhead will remain the best choice for venue in KC. A more interesting question is if teams will outgrow the seating limitations of SSS in x years. At that point in time, Arrowhead will have exactly zero drawbacks. With the exception of being rediculously old. I would think by then HSG will have the taxpayers bent over yet again for a new stadium with all tennents in mind. It's difficult to plead need to cash-strapped governing bodies when the Chiefs were among the most profitable franchises in all of sport. That said, you can bet that on the long-term horizon of HSG is the inevitability of a Chiefs' decline. That decline will be linked at some point to lost taxes for the local governments, lost revenue and therefore lost competitiveness for HSG, lost civic pride for the business community, and the overwhelming need to fund a new home. It's a sale that's been made numerous times almost everywhere at great cost to taxpayers and fans. That sale will be made here again eventually.
This talk about Ben being all-knowing is pointless and absurd. He clearly doesn't know *#*#*#*#*#. (comedic pause) Bwahahaha
Hey, you didn't even give me a chance to post before you mentioned me. As far as Arrowhead is concerned, look for renovations in the coming future. Kinda like what we're reading about Giants Stadium these days. Wider concourses, more restrooms, and more luxury boxes are the keys that most bigger, older stadiums are adding. We dont need a new stadium. As for the Wizards, I've said all along I'm cool with Arrowhead. Its great for tailgating and seating. The only thing I'd like more would be if a stadium were tucked into one of the "districts" like in Napperville. Imagine walking out of the stadium right onto the Plaza or Westport. Otherwise, building a "complex" out in OP is just the same as using the existing complex in Jackson Co. And Dave, you talked about the demand increasing to a point in some years in other cities with SSS to a point where there arent enough tickets. Just look what that did for the Chiefs. Thats a good thing for an organization when its' products demand goes beyond its supply.
Yes, but only on a micro level - such as one team in one city. Even then only for the short-term as it still pertains to hype increasing demand and available price increases over time. On a macro level, as in the majority of a league (which is what I was unclearly referring to), it's just leaving money on the table. It's why all soccer stadia are not 20-30k without luxury boxes. Regardless of current conditions, the overall direction of MLS has always been to get it to a 45k/game league as quickly as possible. We're talking about billionaires here. They didn't get to be billionaires by thinking on a micro level. They pay others to do that. Thank you everyone, that's it for class today. Have a nice afternoon, remember to review your notes, and please read Chapter 4 for Friday's lecture....