How is Falcons’ stadium with no taxpayer liability a problem?
Arthur Blank wanted to keep Rich McKay around to be his front man for a new stadium deal. (Curtis Compton/AJC.)
A six-pack of observations about the Falcons’ push for a new stadium, which I have absolutely no problem with (I guess that counts as one):
♦ 1. Let’s reaffirm the obvious here: Yes, owner Arthur Blank wants a new stadium so that he can make more money. With too many club seats (thousands of which go unsold at games), too few luxury suites and limited ways for Blank to generate revenue at the Georgia Dome through signage, martini bars, etc., he is at a competitive disadvantage compared to other owners, many of whom run teams that represent the Falcons’ primary competition in the NFC: Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Arizona. (Minnesota also has been pushing for a new stadium. New Orleans has been receiving concessions and is in a special situation, given the city’s economy post-Katrina).
♦ 2. We obviously have more important needs in Atlanta than a new football stadium. The Georgia Dome is not falling apart. But if Blank wants to fund this project by himself, nobody should have a problem with that. If taxpayers are willing to pass an initiative for a special hotel-motel tax to help partially fund the project, nobody should have a problem with that, either. Yes, it would be wonderful if voters could be moved to vote for a hotel tax to help raise money for education and prevent 1,500 teachers from losing jobs. But realistically, that’s not going to happen.
♦ 3. I don’t like domed stadiums. I’ve been in just about every one, and the Georgia Dome actually is one of the better ones. But I’m old school in this way: football and baseball are outdoor sports. Rain, wind, ice, snow – don’t care. I would still rather see a football game outside. The elements should be part of a football game. The thermostat should not be.
♦ 4. Can domed stadiums make more money than outdoor stadiums? No question. Officials can host basketball tournaments, split the stadium in half for simultaneous conventions and stage rock concerts in a ridiculously over-sized venue without concern of bad weather keeping fans away. But I’m going old school again. Hate basketball and concerts in 70,000-seat venues. Is this supposed to be about attendance records or fan experience? And I’m certainly not worried that the SEC championship is going to wither if the game is moved to an outdoor venue.
♦ 5. The Falcons are right to push for a downtown stadium. Suburban venues stink. They don’t have a vibe. Ted Turner’s decision to build Philips Arena downtown helped revive downtown. The fact is, Turner could have made more money by putting the arena in the northern suburbs. (His advisers were pushing for it.) But he was committed to improving downtown. I’m not at all suggesting Blank is pushing for a downtown stadium for the same reason. But in town venues definitely are cooler.
♦ 6. If you want to know why Blank retained Rich McKay even after Thomas Dimitroff was hired to replace him as general manager two years ago, this is it. McKay has tremendous knowledge about the league. But his primary function is to get a new stadium deal. McKay’s presence and his being out front in this deal create a bit of a buffer for Blank on a hot button issue.
So, do you agree and disagree with my points? And if the Falcons could get a new stadium new without any taxpayer liability, how would you feel about it?
♦
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249 comments Add your comment
The Rock
May 24th, 2010
3:32 pm
IT DOESN”T MATTER if Blank gets a new stadium or not. If you SMELLLL what the rock is cooking.
dean
May 24th, 2010
3:35 pm
SOGADOG @ 2:38pm: THAT’S funny. And True!
CW
May 24th, 2010
3:43 pm
Dear David, I agree, I let my disappointment in sports in general take over. In the past 12 months I have become increasingly disillusioned with pro sports and more recently with college sports. Sorry for getting getting carried away.
Hamad Meander
May 24th, 2010
3:47 pm
MrHughes – beautiful soap-box speech! Let’s be honest here. Outdoor football is fine for about 3 games a season. The rest are either hot as hell, rainy, or cold and wet. The State of Georgia should sell the Georgia Dome to Arthur Blank for $216,000,000 million (a really good deal), let him renovate it to get the most money out of it, let him rent it to the NCAA and SEC, and ACC for college games and he’ll make a crapload of money on it. I can’t imagine a hundred million dollars couldn’t make the Dome the best football watching facility in the South and that would put you less than three times cheaper than Dallas spent on their state-of-the-art and ridiculously expensive to attend games JerryDome.
FalconFlyer
May 24th, 2010
3:48 pm
Sounds to me like Jeff Schultz is, or has been all along…kissing Mr. Blank’s AZZ on this one. The Dome is Home! Leave it as is! Go Falcons!
MrHughes
May 24th, 2010
3:51 pm
He won’t go to Gwinnett. There’s not enough space or infrastructure to support a 70K facility. The next facility is going to seat somewhere around 65K-70K people. The Arena at Gwinnett Center has traffic troubles when 4K people go for TNA Wrestling. That area can’t handle a NFL sized football stadium. Plus, you are already hearing Gwinnetians gripe about the Braves building a stadium in their backyard. He’ll likely put his MLS stadium there and that will be it. No way that the Falcons go to Gwinnett. Gwinnett can’t afford to build a football stadium anyways if they are using bonds for the Braves thing. The County Commission lost all kinds of politcal capital by making that secret deal with the Braves.
Art can’t afford to build and run his own stadium. Stadiums are very very expensive when you realize that they sit empty aproximately 98% of the year. Would you pay a $325 per month car note on a vehicle you could only drive 10 days a year? Multiply that $325 by 15,384 and think of it on that scale. Art will get GA Dome 2.0 on the existing Dome site when the state is ready to replace the GA Dome. The Falcons will play at Sanford or Bobby Dodd for a couple of years and we will have a new facility that benefits the public good and still puts money in public coffers. The new facility won’t be put in location a worse than the Ga Dome. The Dome has 3 interstate highways intersect within 5 miles of it, Marta access, and the massive infrastructure of downtown Atlanta (Northside Dr, Courtland, Williams St, International Blvd, Piedmont Rd, North Ave, Ponce De Leon, Marietta St, 10th St, 17th Street, Peachtree St). That can’t compare to I-85, 985, Sugarloaf Parkway, and some county roads.
J-man
May 24th, 2010
3:58 pm
Well, I may hold a minority opinion, but if the Falcons build an outdoor stadium, it’s possible that I will never see them play again. I could live with a retractable roof, but the Falcons don’t like that idea.
Whatever happens, I’m sure the tax payers will end footing the bill for almost all of it.
Ted Striker
May 24th, 2010
3:58 pm
Not for a new stadium unless it’s funded without a special hotel-motel tax. That’s still a tax.
PaulD
May 24th, 2010
4:14 pm
Once again I read comments from people who just don’t get it…
The Hotel/Motel Bed tax has already passed – it was voted for by the citizens of Atlanta – suburban residents do not get to vote on Atlanta city issues. The tax has ALREADY been extended to 2045. It is designated for STADIUM PAYMENTS ONLY – if it does not go to the stadium, it can NOT be assigned to other needs. If the new stadium is not built inside the Atlanta City Limits, the tax proceeds can NOT be used to pay for it. So the Hotel/Motel tax already is going to this issue – however, the comment about how the tax will not fund both is correct – there is a limit to these funds.
No additional tax can be applied to the stadium built inside the City limits WITHOUT a vote by the Atlanta taxpayers – again, suburban residents need not apply. Tax issues for schools, hospitals, etc. are on the ballot every single vote and the majority DO pass. However, the use of those taxes are NOT designated in a way such as the Hotel/Motel tax is and the bureaucrats have a tendency to mismanage those funds away from the intended use (refer to Georgia Lottery Funds for HOPE scholarships)
The remainder of the costs will be born by Arthur Blank – but in truth, it will be the people who purchase the tickets. No new stadium has been built of this projected size WITHOUT a PTL and none will – face it, whether we build a new stadium or re-model the old, a PTL is coming. Will the fans support it, remains to be seen. No one ever thought a Superbowl ticket would have a face value of $1000 either but now they do and it still sells out in seconds.
JSS
May 24th, 2010
4:40 pm
@ Ted Striker
Bingo,
http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/94639334.html
FALCONS SEEKING NEW STADIUM
May 21, 2010 by Associated Press
ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay said Friday the team wants a new stadium within seven years, but it doesn’t appear the Georgia Dome is going away.
Frank Poe, the executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center which manages the Georgia Dome, told The Associated Press on Friday the facility may be renovated, but it won’t be torn down. He said the dome simply is too valuable as a revenue-producer.
Poe said a new open-air stadium for the Falcons would complement, not replace, the Georgia Dome, which opened in 1992.
“If there is a second stadium we still have to keep the Georgia Dome in operation,” Poe said.
He said the Georgia Dome must be kept to draw such events as the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Southeastern Conference football championship game and SEC basketball tournaments in 2011 and 2014. The Georgia Dome has been home to two Super Bowls and will host its third Final Four in 2013.
Only 10 of the 106 Georgia Dome events in 2009 were Falcons games, including eight regular-season games, according to the GWCC.
The SEC has a contract to stage its football championship game in the facility through 2015.
Only 10 of 106 events, amazing that certain people want to sink another $700 million in Bond issues for a stadium? If you believe Arthur Blank can build a new stadium with the accouterments that will enhance the “game day experience” that will make it worth it for less that $500 to 750 million good for you… It is not going to happen…
When GA sold $700 million in Bonds last October, the credit rating agencies were already screaming and threatening the State’s AAA bond rating… That would mean more than half of a 1.4 billion dollar bond float would be for a football stadium! Does that not sound stupid and foolish?
Hamad Meander
May 24th, 2010
4:44 pm
My previous comment didn’t make it, so here it goes again. Folks nostalgic for the times of old, where the Falcons played outside – I don’t get it. In Atlanta, the weather goes from HOT in September to wet/cold/crappy in November/December. You really only have one month (October) where outside football is superior to inside football. The GA Dome is a fine facility for the Falcons in that we have a fan base that isn’t going to be as excited about going to see the team in inhospitable conditions. Don’t blame the fans for this! The only reason people go to games in Chicago or Green Bay when it’s 20 degrees and snowing is that they don’t know any different!
My suggestion is still the best – sell the Dome to Arthur for $216,000,000. Effectively paying back the taxpayers of GA for the Dome. Let him renovate and rent the Dome to the SEC, ACC, and NCAA to host events. Make the seats and luxury suites exactly how you want them, and make a ton of money. I can’t imagine that $100,000,000 wouldn’t make a real nice GA Dome, and you would still be more than three times less than Dallas paid for JerryDome.
Scoots
May 24th, 2010
4:54 pm
Retro-fit the Dome!
My god, do we really need Turner Field, Philips Arena, the Dome and an additional Falcons stadium? Spend some money to fix up the dome with a retractable roof, rearrange some of the seats/boxes to fit the market so Blank can make some more money, and add some better amenities; and let’s just use what we’ve got.
I’d love to watch some Falcons games outdoors in the fall – that would be great- but I’ll take the current Dome over unnecessarily building an additional stadium.
puki2
May 24th, 2010
6:16 pm
No,no,no, and hell no. There’s no need for a new stadium anywhere not downtown and not in the suburbs. The one you’ve got is good enough. “Pro” ball players are gettin’ to be real “wusses”, can’t play baseball in the sun nor football in the snow and for all that they’re paid entirely too much!! It’s all escalating way too high!! no need for coctail lounges and over – priced beer. You get a hot dog & a coke or a bag of peanuts & a 7-up. My advice to the fans,… pull your money back and make these “wusses” earn their keep and stop blowin it up their …..
tyger
May 24th, 2010
9:19 pm
He can move the Falcoons to Birmingham for all I care, I got the NFL Package baby!
JR1967
May 24th, 2010
9:21 pm
When did Mr. Blank change the spelling of his first name to “Arhtur”?
Jim Ragan
May 24th, 2010
9:24 pm
If a new stadium fails to be built, I guess the Falcons future new theme song will be “I Love LA”
Chip
May 24th, 2010
9:41 pm
Grew up in Atlanta and now back here but was In Nashville when the Oilers/Titans moved up & I like the way they did LP Field. PSL’s paid for the bulk and it is a nice set up (except for the flood earlier this month). Plus that stadium can get as loud as any dome I have been in.
waw
May 24th, 2010
10:07 pm
Design a simple, classy, beautiful outdoor stadium – the exact opposite of the McDallas Dome – and Falcon’s facility would be an inspiration.
Rone
May 24th, 2010
10:31 pm
Why put the a new stadium downtown instead of in the ‘burbs? Simple. Most all burbinites commute five days a week from a half hour to an hour and a half each way. If you make this trip for your job, then why not for an enjoyable football game?
In addition, I agree with the retractable roof. This makes perfect economic sense, and provides shelter for the (pun intended) fairweather fans of Atlanta.
Atlanta Falcons New Stadium | Venue Insider
May 24th, 2010
10:59 pm
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Matt 4
May 24th, 2010
11:19 pm
Check it out. If and when the Falcons build a new stadium it will sell out every game the first year just because of the fact that it’s new. Then if the Falcons put a even better product than they did in the 08 season people will keep coming back. I like the retractable roof idea however it cost A LOT more money. I think a new stadium would be great for Atlanta, the economy and tourism rates would rise. I have never liked the dome. I believe with a new stadium will bring things like super bowl, NCAA Games and Soccer.
Dookie
May 24th, 2010
11:26 pm
All the same people saying that the game should be played outdoors are the same ones who won’t be there in the rain or snow. As someone from the northeast, who has weathered the bad-weather games in person, rain and snow are fun to watch on TV, not in person. If they can’t sell out the dome as it is, they won’t sell out an open-air stadium on a hot, cold, or rainy/snowy day. Rectractable roof, Period. Can’t afford it?…then wait 5 years and revisit the issue.
The Other Jeff
May 24th, 2010
11:34 pm
To Jeff Schultz, and any of you who agree with his six points, PLEASE take note of the following rebuttal:
1. Yes, we know Mr. Blank would like more “revenue opportunities” with a new stadium, but let’s face facts: WINNING TEAMS GENERATE ATTENDANCE AND MONEY, BUILDINGS DON’T!!! Yes, Houston has a beautiful stadium… watch the Texans go 6-10 for five more years and see how much of an “advantage” it is. Detroit has new digs, and they suck. Conversely, Dallas played in creaky 40-year-old Texas Stadium for YEARS and it didn’t seem to hurt them in the mid 1990s, did it? My point: if you build a new stadium, they will come, but if your team stinks on ice, they won’t be coming 5 years from now. But a CHAMPIONSHIP team can fill up ANY stadium. My example: the 1991 Atlanta Braves. Go back in time and try to get a seat in Atlanta-Fulco in August of that year. An old stadium didn’t bother Atlanta’s teams back THEN.
1.A. I don’t buy the competitive disadvantage argument at ALL. The reason Atlanta hasn’t done as well in recent years as Dallas or Philly or the Giants or Tampa or whoever is because those teams had better DEFENSES, NOT better stadiums!
2. I agree, Blank or another private entity or a hotel-motel tax are not only the BEST ways to finance a new stadium, they are the ONLY fair and legitimate way. Any other method, where you’d take tax dollars from Georgia citizens, is highway robbery. Pro sports owners are millionaires and billionaires… let ‘em build their own d*** stadium.
3. I’m a die-hard sports fan and I LOVE domed stadiums. Schultz said “The elements should be part of a football game.” Yes, if you’re playing a pickup game, fine. If you’re going to a high school game and paid $5 for a ticket, fine. If you’re paying $85 PER TICKET, not including parking, $5 hot dogs and $8 beers, sleet and snow and a wet seat for your wife to sit in are NOT COOL. Outdoor games are fun in good weather — they SUCK in a cold rain, unless you’re wasted… and in that case, why are you paying $85 a ticket just to get drunk???
4. At this point, Schultz lost his mind. My god, stadiums these days HAVE to think of other events to host, not just football games! What, the stadium is gonna bank enough cash from 8 Falcons home dates? Sorry Jeff, Atlanta NEEDS a place where U2 and Bon Jovi and AC/DC and Nickelback will come play… where are they gonna go play, Eddie’s Attic? You said “Hate basketball and concerts in 70,000-seat venues. Is this supposed to be about attendance records or fan experience? And I’m certainly not worried that the SEC championship is going to wither if the game is moved to an outdoor venue.”
Ummm, Jeff, that is WHY the SEC moved its title game from a beautiful, old, OUTDOOR stadium in Birmingham to Atlanta… FOR THE MONEY MAKING ABILITY OF A DOME!!! The Final Four and SEC championship and mega-concerts and huge exhibitions are not coming to Atlanta without the Georgia Dome, and our community should NOT suffer because clods like you “just like football outdoors.” Egads, that is shallow.
5. Downtown is better than suburbs? Jeff, I have never been panhandled at Gwinnett Place Mall or Town Center or the Marietta Square. I fear for my life walking past Centennial Park to a parking lot. You said “Suburban venues stink. They don’t have a vibe. Ted Turner’s decision to build Philips Arena downtown helped revive downtown.” Dude, DOWNTOWN VENUES DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A ‘VIBE’!!! People go for a fun, safe, enjoyable experience and to see their favorite team win or favorite concert. I don’t give a S*** about “vibe”. And Philips Arena did NOT revive downtown… every time I go, me and 20,000 other suburbanites go to our game or concert then flock the heck out of there.
6. What you said about McKay is irrelevant. The bottom line is this: The Georgia Dome is PERFECTLY FINE for what it does: host 8 Falcons games a year. The EXTRA stuff — the SEC championship, GHSA state finals, NCAA basketball Final Fours, concerts, conventions, etc. — all of THAT is predicated on having a roof overhead so that a spring thunderstorm or pelting cold November rain does not ruin an event for ticketholders and sponsors.
Ask Atlanta folks if they appreciate the dollars that come in from all of those things. Now ask if they want to take it all away so you and a few dozen others can drink beer and go “wooo-hoooo” in the rain at a Falcons game in early December. Case closed, I win, the next stadium (five years from now) SHOULD BE a Dome or a retractable roof facility.
You want an outdoor venue? Go to Turner Field or Sanford Stadium or Grant Field. You want a successful venue that brings money to Georgia? KEEP THE ROOF!
COME....ON
May 24th, 2010
11:54 pm
Correct the problem, Build it outdoors, make sure there’s room to tailgate, football indoors is not football, we have great weather here.
Season ticket holder for 13 years until UGA ticket became avalible and they traded Matt S. Build it outdoors and I’ll purchase season tickets. Do it ! Don’t talk about it Aurthur…. Just do it !!!
Oh yeah, do it with your money, no worries… you’ll make it back 10 fold.
By the way, no one gives a damn if it’s downtown or not. There’s a great spot off Best Friend road!
Native, never go downtown, not since they closed down penny a beer – Nickle a drink night every Wednesday.
The Other Jeff
May 24th, 2010
11:57 pm
And by the way, the bottom line on this issue should be this: This is a team that is owned by ARTHUR BLANK, not Atlanta… so HE should pay for WHATEVER he wants to build. But let’s remember… WE’RE TALKING ABOUT 8 FOOTBALL GAMES A YEAR, maybe 12-13 if you include preseason and playoffs. IN NO WAY can anyone justify the hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars that would be spent just for THIS. A baseball stadium, I can see (81 dates a year, minimum)… a hoops/hockey arena, I can see (about 80-90 dates between the two)… but NOT for 8 football games.
On a side note: one of the best Falcons games I remember was 2008 against the Rams, with the Falcons and the fans GIDDY about being in the playoffs… that whole game was loud, like a party. And my 65-year-old dad LOVED that we were not out in the pouring rain that day. Flash back to the FIRST Falcons game we ever went to together — it was Nov. 25, 1979, and the Saints won 37-6… it was FRIGID and pouring rain and we were SOAKED and miserable… my dad took me home in the third quarter because we were shivering.
We also went to the Georgia Bulldogs bowl game in Nashville against Boston College on Dec. 28, 2001… that was the COLDEST we’ve ever been at a sporting event… it was MISERABLE. Temps in the 30s and a steady wind made it even colder. And my dad also tells me about going to some VERY cold Peach Bowl games in Atlanta in the early 1970s.
So, “outdoor football” ain’t all it’s cracked up to be… in Miami, maybe, but in Atlanta, you have a chance at all kinds of weather. And when I’m paying $60, $80, $100 PER TICKET, I want my butt dry and my ears not to freeze. That’s why domes were INVENTED, so let’s take advantage of that!
You want Falcons football outside? Fine, go play their games at Parkview or Brookwood. I will take my games indoors, thank you.
COME....ON
May 24th, 2010
11:58 pm
The other Jeff; You suck!!!!! Get a life. No one cares about your 6 points, Football is not about making Money for the city. It is about having fun…… screw the dome
The Other Jeff
May 25th, 2010
12:01 am
Note to COME…ON : you said we have “great weather here”… what city do you live in?
I went to the UGA-Tech game in November 2008 and it was MISERABLE… pouring rain, cold, and windy. It was a disgusting day and I hated teh whole experience. I went to a road game a few years ago, at Clemson, and it was so hot and stifling that people were getting sick and passing out. Went to a Tech Thursday night home game a few years back and nearly froze my butt off. Where is this “great weather” you are talking about?
For a college game, I might endure it… but for close to $100 a pop for a pro game, sorry dude, the Falcons owner can build me a damn roof.
The Other Jeff
May 25th, 2010
12:04 am
COME…ON : obviously, you are some uneducated hick who cares nothing about economics or our Atlanta community. My six points spelled out, with reasoning, why we do NOT need an outdoor stadium. Your counterpoint was “you suck”. Nice to know I’m reasoning with a third-grader who could not even spell “nickel” correctly in your post at 11:54 p.m. Perhaps you should put down the Jack Daniels and think of the myriad reasons why Atlanta does NOT need to have this kind of investment and tax burden and relocation argument at this time.
Dookie
May 25th, 2010
12:04 am
Come…On: Though ‘The other Jeff’ is a bit long-winded, his points are much stronger than yours.
The Other Jeff
May 25th, 2010
12:05 am
And if you hate the Dome so much, good, you go sit in the hot sun and boil in September… I’ll gladly take your ticket and watch the Falcons in the comfort of a nice, and might I say VERY adequate, Georgia Dome.
The Other Jeff
May 25th, 2010
12:07 am
Thanks Dookie — I do have a tendency to write long, I apologize.
Your points were very good as well… you were DEAD ON about the people not coming to games in bad weather… happens all the time in outdoor venues.
Your final point summed it up best: “Rectractable roof, Period. Can’t afford it?…then wait 5 years and revisit the issue.” AMEN BROTHER!!!!!
Dreman1731
May 25th, 2010
12:24 am
Why is everybody so whiny about the stadium being downtown???? If you’re too scared to come downtown, move to Atlanta and help make a difference or just shut up about it. Like Schultz said, Atlanta has so far from the past, but some people just want to live in the past. How often is it you hear a Falcons, Braves, Thashers or Hawks fan attacked after a game or before, you really don’t. You know why, because there are tons of security. You guys are scared to tailgate anyway, if it rained or snowed, you’ll run to your cars and drive home. Doraville is not going to allow a stadium in their backyard, it’ll be a mess out there with 285 and 85. And Dekalb County has other business to tend, so they’re not pushing Doraville at all. There are no nice hotels are there, could you see an SEC game here, people staying downtown and riding way out there to the stadium? Are you serious? Or any other event for that matter. Atlanta is a perfect location like it is now, it’s in the middle, so people from all four corners of the city can converge on one central location. Could you imagine leaving church and having to drive those extra miles to the stadium, you can’t ride the train and tailgate from your car…I feel that the Falcons should PONY up the money for a retractable roof and get it done!!
The Other Jeff
May 25th, 2010
12:34 am
You make some good points Dreman1731… as to my view, allow me to clarify: I’m not saying those of us who don’t live downtown are AFRAID to go downtown… I’m saying that we don’t LIKE to go down there because it’s a HASSLE. You can’t just walk to a nearby TGI Friday’s or Hooters or Dave & Buster’s and have a drink and wait for traffic to clear out… you have to go get in your car and sit in traffic because there is ONE way in and ONE way out for most suburbanites. Take a wrong turn and you’ll end up on Griffin Street or Pryor Street or Rhodes Street or Lowery Blvd. or in Vine City, and THAT can be dangerous.
And it is NOT a long drive from downtown to “the suburbs”… what, 20-30 minutes? And how many Falcons season ticket holders are FROM downtown? I’d say 70-80 percent are from the ‘burbs.
Finally, it is NOT a big deal to have a stadium 20 minutes out from downtown hotels… you really think the people that come for the SEC championship football game STAY downtown and walk places? Heck no! The Florida fans I know come here, stay in a MUCH better priced hotel in the ‘burbs, then rent a car. They love going to visit places in Gwinnett, Marietta, Decatur, Monroe, Douglasville, etc. and then driving back to their hotel. Getting around Atlanta is NOT that hard with a map. And they pay 1/3 for hotels outside the perimeter than they would if they stayed downtown.
I know the city of Atlanta folks want desperately to keep the stadium there, but they have to recognize that it’s a business… and if most of your clients live out in the ‘burbs, why not take your product there? You don’t seen the Falcons training facilities downtown, do you? Nope, they are… you guessed it… in the suburbs.
The Other Jeff
May 25th, 2010
12:48 am
And Dreman1731, I DO agree with you that the Falcons SHOULD pony up and pay for it… don’t try to guilt taxpayers into funding this. And a retractable roof makes the MOST SENSE… keep it open for nice days, but on cold, rainy, sleeting, nasty days, at least have an option to close it up.
dan
May 25th, 2010
1:49 am
PLEASE!!! ANYWHERE but Gwinnett! God I hate that county!Freakin Republicanville USA!
Hot Tuna
May 25th, 2010
2:43 am
Empty club seats by the thousands….Winning seasons and deep runs in the playoffs,Super Bowl appearances and Super Bowl victories will cure this..Worried about fan attendence in outdoor venue..See above formula..In the words of Al Davis “Just win baby”.
T.A.
May 25th, 2010
2:46 am
After reading these comments, I find it so funny that some of these people on here seriously expect a new stadium to go out to the suburbs, especially the northern suburbs. The northern suburbs are home to the worst traffic in the metro area and virtually no rail connections (except North Springs and Doraville, which are both areas that are generally developed.) If we look at land space alone, the southern suburbs would be the best bet. Looking at more than just the land space factor, I’d say none of the suburbs are suited for a stadium. There’s no easy way to get from suburb to suburb unless you’re driving a vehicle. With thousands of people watching games, people would never make it with the lack of mass transportation we have metro-wide. Therefore, I believe that if a new stadium was to be built, it will be built Downtown. My belief is supported by the existing MARTA system (both rail and buses), ample parking, and the current arrangement of the interstate system in the area.
JDL
May 25th, 2010
4:33 am
I say leave the Dome where it is, hello to Falcon Stadium, finishing saying goodbye to Herndon Homes & cover up that huge waste of space parking lot.
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Hamad Meander
May 25th, 2010
11:21 am
The Other Jeff – love your points. You are the man! You are absolutely correct about people really not wanting to pay $85.00 a ticket to go sit on a wet, cold seat to watch football. Winning will solve all problems. More revenue, more people in the seats, more continued success. If they only had me in the draft room picking their rookies…..
Sell the Dome to Arthur. Let him renovate, own, rent out, and do whatever he wants to the roof. It’s got good bones, it’s in a GREAT location and it hosts 100 events a year. It’s a great venue, and it still holds a lot of value to the people of Atlanta.
Outdoor Rules
May 25th, 2010
4:00 pm
Blank and McKay want an outdoor stadium, and that’s all that matters. Blank owns the team and should get what he wants. Atlanta better pay for it, or he’ll get mad and move the team to some city that will give him $600 million to build it. Atlanta’s always behind the times—get the money out and pay up!
Time isn’t right for Atlanta Falcons to seek public funds for new stadium – ESPN | Team building day
May 25th, 2010
4:37 pm
[...] December, had no use for the complex at that point. And the weather, even in early January …How is Falcons' stadium with no taxpayer liability a problem?Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) all 7 news [...]
Time isn’t right for Atlanta Falcons to seek public funds for new stadium – ESPN | Team building day
May 25th, 2010
4:37 pm
[...] December, had no use for the complex at that point. And the weather, even in early January …How is Falcons' stadium with no taxpayer liability a problem?Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) all 7 news [...]
Gungie
May 25th, 2010
5:28 pm
First of all..a lot of us think it is too dangerous to go downtown for football (falcons) or baseball..parking sucks…and having to park in some of those neighborhoods is just not worth risking your family getting robbed or killed.. having your tire slashed and then having to wait for a repair truck to come it just isn’t worth it. If there was a safe enviroment it wouldn’t matter if the team was not a super bowl team, people would come out for the total experience of food fun and the game. Give us a safe place to go and they will come. The bottom line is.. It is not safe
Pay the Money
May 25th, 2010
10:20 pm
It will take a ton of money to keep the falcons—$700 million for a new stadium is worth every penny. The city needs to pay up quick and do what blank wants.
Jalen
May 27th, 2010
10:15 pm
I remember games at the old Fulton County Stadium.
Scorching heat sitting in the sun side of field first half of season.
Our good old southern thunderstorms blowing through any second.
Terrible late season weather games.
Trust me, we DO NOT want to go back to outdoor football in Atlanta. Attendance would PLUMMET, in addition to revenue from all the other events a dome can have.
Build a retractable roof dome! Thats best option.
Fiddlesticks
June 1st, 2010
11:20 am
Built it and his (arthur’s) money will come.
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June 8th, 2010
9:01 pm
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