Problem is they are in very real danger of losing the UT-OU game. You just know that Jones will be angling to have that game in Arlington as soon as the new 'Boys stadium is complete, and with more seats and more luxury boxes he is likely to sway them over. Even adding Tech and A&M wouldn't make up for losing the Red River Battle.
I honestly don't see how the Cotton Bowl can get the A&M-Tech game and not have it be a money-losing proposition for the City of Dallas. I can see why Tech would go for it, since Jones Stadium isn't that big and they only host every other year, but in order for A&M to agree to it, they'd have to make more money off of that game on a yearly basis than what they currently make off of hosting that game every other year. Kyle Field is big and holds over 80,000 people, and Texas A&M gets every dime off of those 80,000 people, save for whatever ticket and other revenues they share with Tech. Still, each home game is a huge money maker for Texas A&M. Granted, they only host every other year, but still, the City of Dallas would have to offer them more guaranteed money on a yearly basis than half of what they get off of one home game. And I'm not sure that they can do that without losing money or offering more money to A&M than Tech. It's basically the same reason why they're having such a hard time keeping the Texas-OU game. Both Texas and OU have upgraded their stadiums with more seats, luxury boxes, and so on, to the point where they could make more money hosting the games on an alternating basis than they do by keeping the game in Dallas. Honestly, the only way that the City of Dallas can keep the Cotton Bowl relevant, the only way to keep the games it currently has and to add new events, is to complete redo it -- new seating, new luxury boxes, wider concourses, new locker rooms, everything -- and that'll be expensive. They wouldn't spend that sort of money on the Cowboys, but then, the Cowboys would be getting a lot of the revenue streams if they had spent the money. Still that sort of renovation would create new revenue streams that don't currently exist and would help them draw more events. Maybe the "Cotton Dome" idea several years ago wasn't that crazy.
Exactly. Keeping the Texas-OU game at the Cotton Bowl is going to require a completely new Cotton Bowl. Hell, I could see the SBC Cotton Bowl game moving to JerryWorld unless the Cotton Bowl is completely renovated. And it wouldn't be without precedent. The Orange Bowl game moved from the Orange Bowl to Pro Player Stadium 10 or so years ago.
It's funny she says that about soccer matches but Laura doesn't realize who owns the rights to them, SUM which is run by the MLS owners. I would have to say the CB will never host another soccer match unless it just hands out money like candy on Halloween.
Good points, Dustin. It might be better to have TAMU vs T-Tech play in the Alamodome. More sutied, bigger stadium, closer to that magical halfway point than Dallas is. (But not as many alums as in Dallas, I suspect).
Yeah, and I had the pleasure of going to the one OB that was actually held in the old stadium in the last 15 years......UF vs Penn State, I think it was. I sat in the front row and I couldn't see over the player's bench. The only thing I saw was the ball flying through the air on a passing play. I only knew if it was completion based on the crowd's reaction......worst game of my life....except the Gators won.....woo hoo!!!
Dude...she's a politician....even if she did know about SUM she would still spew a bunch of BS so she could get her ideas through the council vote. I'm sure her staff is armed with enough info to know that the chances of getting decent revenue out of the CB through soccer exhibitions is closer to nil then any real number.
I just hope that since we left, the CB dies a slow death while the city spends money on the upkeep of the stadium. They screwed us over for years considering that we were the only tenant and they are going to get their come uppins now.
Here is the SUM website if you want full info. on what they do. http://www.soccerunitedmarketing.com/
And that's the problem with Dallas' civic leadership. While I can't blame them for not completely rolling over for Jerry Jones, I DO blame them for not having a plan in place for the Cotton Bowl. Yes, a renovated Cotton Bowl (or Cotton Dome) would be expensive and would have to compete with similar facilities in Houston, San Antonio, and Arlington for big events like bowl games and Final Fours and Super Bowls and such. But right now, there is not a single big event that wants to come to the Cotton Bowl. They're not even in the competition, and the events that they do have are looking to leave. And this shouldn't be a secret to anyone in Dallas government. Hell, they should've known this when the Cowboys split town in 1971. The fact that we're still sitting here 35 years later with pretty much the same dump in Fair Park is a failure of civic leadership.
They also own the rights to the Interligia, the tournament to determine the MFL entrants to the Copa Liberatadores. After that, any MFL friendlies are fair game for the City of Dallas to attempt to make money off of. Good luck to them....they are going to need it. Even with the large Mexican population in the city, attendance has been waning for these lately, and the appearance fees that the team's ask have been growing.
You can't just schedule any old teams, either. Only a few will really draw, and those are the ones that charge real money. Dustin's right; barring radical thinking, I don't see the CB's future. Sort of like RFK.
Err, this is the woman who is currently trying to completely change the rules so her job is moe powerful, hmm. a) No way TAMU vs TTech leaves their home stadiums b) I don't agree with cities bending over to get a stadium so I find it hard to blame them wrt the Cowboys but c) judging by what we've been told about the deals the Burn got over the years it serves em right
Seeing the CB/Fair Park slowly die is very painful for me. Fair Park is such a wasted resource that could be used to revitalize a poverty stricken area of town, but nothing in Dallas can get done because from the politicians to the people with the money to make a difference are all looking out for number one, rather than any sort of civic pride. It is entirely different over in Fort Worth where the Bass Family cares about the city. It was different, or so I'm told, when people like Johnsson ran things and when Perot was more active. Hopefully when people like Cuban and Perot Jr. mature and start thinking about their legacy something can get done, but for the time being we are stuck with fantasies like the Trinity River Project and fixing potholes, which seems to have multiplied since the Sea Hag got into office. Off on the tangent, but seeing people (suburbanites?) wish bad things upon the city of Dallas is either a sympton or a cause for what is dysfunctional with the Metroplex.
a philosophical question that i was pondering the other night whilst a wee bit drunk. you could probably look at like it's a symptom of past and current dysfunction and a cause or contributor to future dysfunction.
I too dont blame the city of Dallas for not lining Jones' pockets on a stadium deal. Look at how bad a deal the AAC is for the city. A Cowboys stadium would have been a first class screwing. If the city of Dallas wanted world class soccer in the Cotton Bowl they shouldnt have held MLS over a barrel. I would like to see the college pointyball games kept there but other than that I dont see a whole lot happening there. But overall for a 75 year old stadium the place really isnt that bad. Of course that is a lot easier to say knowing we wont have to go back there.
Something to be said about the CB is the pitch, & the sight lines & memories. The latrines, corridors, and the gates left plenty to be desired.
I just heard the honorable windbag Miller on the radio and she was quoted as saying that she is interested in making "the CB the premiere College Football in the nation !" Good Luck ! She had the chance to continue talks and reach an agreement w/ Jerry. I found more substance to her madness here...http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/wfaa/cheinbaugh/stories/wfaa041129_am_cottonbowl.a64e043b.html
Normally I'm not a big fan of publicly funded stadia, but in this case I think the city was being too defensive with JJ. They absolutely have to protect thier own interests, but look at what they are left with now. They had a chance to really pump some interest into a crumbling part of the city, and they pretty much walked away.
Its a public/private partnership....the city is actually getting something out of it....as well as the school district......this is quite the different deal, IMO.
Is it different from Jerry's deal, he's paying for part of it. My understanding of the Arlington deal is that the ISD gets a nice break on costs for their playoff games. What's the difference?
Yep. windbag Miller shut the door on Jerry before further negotiations could evolve. I was not privy to all that was involved but the impression that I walked away with was that Miller just wanted to show the reason she wears skirts.......