Cooling off USF-stadium worries

[BULLfreak]

Cooling off USF-stadium worries

If any Bulls fans are worried about USF's future in leasing Raymond James Stadium for home games -- or what it will cost the Bulls to do so -- the first thing I'll say is to sit down and relax.

USF is entering the final year of a 10-year agreement to use RayJay, and athletic director Doug Woolard had lunch Tuesday with key officials from the Tampa Sports Authority. The Bulls paid $86,000 per game to lease the stadium last season, and at the TSA's executive board meeting Tuesday night, executive director Henry Saavedra mentioned some initial figures from a first draft proposed for a renewal: 10 years, starting at $120,000 per year, with new parking concessions to help USF.

First, this is just a starting point, and I have little reason to think USF would sign such a longterm lease, which would table the possibility of an on-campus stadium for a decade. USF is much more likely to sign a 3-year or 5-year deal, with options beyond that, that would give the Bulls the freedom to end that commitment should the financial and logistical hurdles to an on-campus stadium clear up in the next few years.

To fuss about the $120,000 figure is failing to look close at the numbers. If USF and TSA don't work something out this summer and play the 2006 season under the old agreement, the Bulls will likely pay between $95,000 and $100,000 per game. The rate has gone up on an annual basis since 1998, when the Bulls started out paying around $50,000 per game.

A major new part of the proposed renewal, included in this original draft, would give USF the use of 3,000 parking spots in each game. Those spots sold for $10 each last season, so if the Bulls opted to keep that price, that would cover $30,000 of the higher lease each home game. TSA handles the staffing of the lots, so that wouldn't cut into the new revenues, either.

TSA isn't just randomly jacking the price up on the Bulls. Their costs have gone up as well. The old 10-year lease agreement was based on average attendance of about 24,000 fans, all in the lower bowl, so last year's larger crowds meant higher costs -- in the cleanup of the stadium, which is charged based on attendance; in police and security staffing, in other manpower costs that increase with bigger crowds.

Don't forget about rising gas prices. Sod replacement costs are up 42 percent from last year, and the average electric bill for a game day went up $1,000 -- from $7,300 to $8,300, from a year ago, according to TSA director of operations Mickey Farrell.

Any event at Raymond James -- a USF game, a monster truck show, etc. -- calls for a ticket surcharge of 8 percent, capped at $2.50 per ticket. For USF, that means that every $20 ticket sale includes $1.60 in surcharges, amounting to about $250,000 in total surcharges last year. Given that USF represents a big chunk of the non-Bucs stadium use, you'd think that's another figure that could be open to negotiations.

The easy spin, upon seeing that $120,000 figure, is that TSA is ransoming USF because it's the only viable home for Bulls football in the immediate future. But if USF weren't at RayJay, TSA loses a major tenant, so there's demand on both ends of this negotiation. Aside from maybe an occasional neutral site game, it's not like another college would keep the stadium from sitting unused every Saturday.

And if you're worried about the tone of negotiations, Woolard, Saavedra and Farrell were supposed to go fishing together on Thursday morning, and high winds were the only thing keeping that from happening. They'll hit the water again soon, and even if renewal talks carry on beyond this summer, I don't think it's a serious problem. And for all the vitriol on message boards this week, Farrell said he'd gotten all of five e-mails concerning the topic.

Look for USF to sign a shorter lease to keep them at Raymond James for the next five years or so, with options for a longer stay but a window open, just in case the right situation comes up for an on-campus stadium down the road

http://www.sptimes.com/blogs/usf/

[Brad]

Glazers and the TSA still suck...sorry.

[E.T.]

Glazers and the TSA still suck...sorry.

No sorry ... they have us over a barrel. Just hope it ends up being abetter deal for USF.

[CoolBull1]

It really is a bunch of crap...$1000 more in utilities per game and roughly $1250 for people to clean the stadium (25 people * $50 per ...or about 5 hours each at $10 per hour which is probably overstated) doesn't justify this kind of increase.   The cop/security piece I guess adds another $5000 for a big crowd...but shouldn't these things be taken care of in the surcharge to the ticket prices since it appears the ticket surcharge goes to the TSA?  That's the way I read it.  Tickets generate $250K in surcharges annually, so effectively, we're paying these "community representatives for the community stadium" about $766K.  I would assume the purpose of the surcharge is a staffing consideration based on how many people will be there....then you get into issues of the parking revenues and concessions; that's got to net the TSA at least $150K per game.  Somebody refresh my memory; do we get a piece of the parking and concessions?  I don't think we did under the old arrangement and I believe we had a very small piece of concessions.

Point is, it's a one sided agreement and at some point the OCS needs to become a reality.  At it stands now, it's all money that cannot be allocated to scholarships and other essential items at the univ. athletics level.  The TSA is not a friend to USF.

By the way, I've heard comments connecting the Glazers to some of the one sided issues....could somebody provide meat to the discussion as to their connection to the stadium and their rights with regard to revenue sharing.  No representation on the TSA but I'm sure they have influence.  

[Knight_Light]

TSA does save a lot of $$$$$.

Believe they only had 1 full concession open on the UCF (East) side for that game last year.

Only 1 portable vendor sold water/lemonade...and that line alone took over 20 mins to buy 1 bottle.

USF should have GUARANTEES from TSA with "service guarantees", especially for games that have much stronger advance tix sales.

Contracts should be a 2-way street...and since USF has zero control over the employee staffing at games...they should at least have guaranteed "services/amenities" standards so all their fans enjoy themselves at games so they will come back in the future.

KL

[smazza]

i dont think most are too worried about this

why not sign 15 year deal?

[Brad]

TSA does save a lot of $$$$$.

Believe they only had 1 full concession open on the UCF (East) side for that game last year.

Only 1 portable vendor sold water/lemonade...and that line alone took over 20 mins to buy 1 bottle.

USF should have GUARANTEES from TSA with "service guarantees", especially for games that have much stronger advance tix sales.

Contracts should be a 2-way street...and since USF has zero control over the employee staffing at games...they should at least have guaranteed "services/amenities" standards so all their fans enjoy themselves at games so they will come back in the future.

KL

Good point...while it has been more than a year since I have attended a game at RJS, I can recall being in the club area and standing in line for 30 minutes or more for concessions because only one line (out of several in the area) was open for business.  Not the way a donor in the club area wishes to spend their time.

[Guest Ari_Hinkelberger]

we Need a stadium real bad

gotta see it happening in the next 5 years.  just going to have to have happen.

that place is just awful to watch a college game.

no atmosphere.  stadium is half empty.  the field isn't even painted.

it just sucks.  we need our own stadium.  it's coming soon.  i can tell

[Joe]

Very Smazzical Ari.

While I agree with most, I think the atmosphere is good for what the stadium offers. I hate NFL stadiums, and as nice as RJS is I cannot stand the pirate ship and the thousands of corporate ads that make it up.

I think in 5 yers we'll have plans for a stadium more solidified, however, it is not prudent right now, as much as I want one.

[Guest Ari_Hinkelberger]

I understand the situation, just wish we had our own stadium.  I think Jim and the boys deserve it.

It will happen eventually.  no doubt.