- There are only so many tax dollars available for a stadium. If USF decided to build its own stadium, the school would undoubtedly ask Hillsborough County - and maybe also the city of Tampa - for contributions. And the school's talented lobbyist, Mark Walsh, would court the state legislature. But these are the same troughs the Rays would have to draw from.
- There are only so many private dollars available for a stadium. If USF is to make a stadium happen, it will have to lean on Tampa's biggest corporations for donations, sponsorships, and ticket commitments. There aren't many big businesses in Tampa, and the Rays are hoping to one day leverage them into contributions too.
- If USF leaves Raymond James Stadium, the NFL will pressure for upgrades. It's only a matter of time before the NFL tells Hillsborough County a 100%-financed stadium isn't enough and "if you ever want another Super Bowl again," tens of millions of dollars of upgrades will be necessary. Granted, this isn't a very good time to ask, but if USF ends its RayJay relationship for any reason, the NFL could pounce.
So a USF stadium would not be good news for the Rays. Unless, of course, a county commissioner and one Tampa Trib reader get their wishes: a dual-use Rays stadium on USF's campus.
Correction: A USF stadium would not be good news for the Rays' hopes of a new stadium in Hillsborough, not Pinellas. I think your piece may have lacked that clarity.
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ReplyDelete"If USF leaves Raymond James Stadium, the NFL will pressure for upgrades. It's only a matter of time before the NFL tells Hillsborough County a 100%-financed stadium isn't enough and "if you ever want another Super Bowl again," tens of millions of dollars of upgrades will be necessary."
If the NFL 'needs' upgraades, they need not tell Hillsborough County - they need to tell the free-loading Glazers, who can easily pay for them with round off error from their approximately $200 million per year in TV revenues.