Looks like a stadium decision might be coming soon? http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650224506,00.html Write to Salt Lake County Council and put in your two cents. http://www.council.slco.org/
I hope those deals go through. The Real SL shouldn't be that hard, it looks like there going after a very specific type of funds that may make it less contentios.
Right, because they'll definitely give a shit what someone who doesn't live in Utah, much less Salt Lake County thinks. Remember when the Guardian had a bunch of people write letters to voters in Ohio telling them to vote for Kerry?
Right. The old "I've never been to Salt Lake, but I might just visit if you build a soccer stadium, and tell all my friends to do the same" letter just doesn't really accomplish much. Especially when it's sent as an email. This is the other edge of the sword with regards to RSL releasing a lot of financial numbers. Sports franchises have long lived off of public largess by using emotion and obsfucation.
If you think it's a waste of time then don't send an e-mail, but I fail to see how sending an e-mail to a politician telling him how you would spend your tourist dollars would hurt. How the H.E. double hockey sticks is this the same thing? So you are saying we should never send an e-mail to a public official expresssing your views when you don't live there?
I second that. This team has the most potential to be big for MLS, when a SSS is built. Of course if the decision doesn't go in RSL's favor, I hope, it doesn't mean RSL is leaving town. Just that it will take a little longer.
Before we all start preparing for seppuku - exactly what is the difference between this, and the 5-year-saga of the Metrostars and the NJ Government? I mean, that went on for years, with starts and stops, and while I'm sure it sucked balls for MetroBulls fans, it did have a happy ending. Why can't Checketts take the long-term approach, and stick it out? Rice-Eccles seems like a pretty nice stadium, they've got great fans, etc. . .
From what I understand, Rice-Eccles makes it really, really hard for them financially, and the U is not exactly the best landlord of all time.
Is there any kind of legal precedent here, at least in Utah? If any other sports team wants public assistance in Utah and doesn't provide the level of detail RSL did, could MLS sue for discriminatory treatment?
sounds like RSL has been done up like a kipper by that consulting firm who have pretty much concluded what RSL's opponents wanted.
Yeah, but I also thought that they concluded that RSL can only book 6 concerts instead of the 11 Checketts and the Head of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anticipated and said was doable. It seemed to be an undercurrent of 'who the heck would want to play in Utah' in that assumption, which if others pick that up slight and say 'We're projecting eleven concerts cause Utah is just that good' helps the mental calculation on which is the likely more accurate assumption. To me 11 seems more accurate.
I agree. I really hope it works out in SLC cause it seems to have alot of potential but those projections(the MLS ones not sure about the concerts) go against every trend we have ever seen in MLS. I could see why people would be skeptical especially if they researched the history of MLS franchises. Just look at Columbus and LA and see how the crowds dropped after a few years in the new stadium. I know team performance played a part in that but I doubt its just that. As you see in other sports, once the luster of the new stadium wears off the crowds drop back.
Depends on the competition from other venues in the same market. It's a lot easier, and cheaper, to put a concert on in an indoor arena (Delta Center) or outdoor "shed" style arena than an outdoor sports stadium. Some of that can be mitigated by having a grid over the stage area (like both PHP and Toyota Park), but the projections are still somewhat dependant on how many shows of a certain size are likely to be played in that market. I spent ten years in the arena/stadium concert business, and I know enough to know that I don't know the answers myself, but I do know that adding a venue doesn't magically add to the number of shows in a given market. What it does do is tend to lower the profits of each venue in a market as venues bid against eachother (or make payoffs) in order to get shows - decreasing profitability for all venues. To be honest, the real numbers I'd be interested in seeing aren't from concerts but from other sports events. High school and college soccer, lacrosse, football tournaments or championships. International soccer friendlies and tours. Renting the stadium for commercial shoots, etc...
I don't think the crowds have really "dropped off" in LA, in as much as the team just went through two years of suck. I fully expect the Galaxy to lead the league in attendance once again this year. And when you add in the growth of attendance for the Goats, the Home Depot Center is kicking ass. PHP attendance climbed last year, and looks like it will go up again. CCS attendance did drop off, but that's one data point in three, and the Crew were another team that really has sucked, or been unwatchable, for most of the last few years. I think we're way to early in the SSS era to be making across the board generalizations.
Dear Salt Lake County Council, Do you really want a future where your teenaged daughters are sneaking off to Colorado to see David Beckham? Wouldn't you rather they stayed at home? Approve the stadium for your family's sake! With much thought, Jabinho
I agree with your point that it probably too early to make generalizations but unless soccer is different from other sports I would expect it to have the same general pattern once once the newness of the stadium wears off. You should have put an asterisk next to you galaxy comment.
The report doesn't look all that bad to me. I expected much worse. Looks like the DRC tried to put out the worst news they possibly could. Anybody with any sense can see that they went way too conservative on their numbers. They tried to make this deal look as bad as possible and to me it looks like a failed attempt. They didn't even consider other sources of revenue like radio, advertisement, and merchandising. Those are some of the biggest drivers in a business. Salt Lake and MLS need this franchise, I hope the deal passes