Cooling off USF-stadium worries

[USFan]

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.

Same here...

[bullman3]

When we first started up a team, the biggest concern was where to play.  Big discussions, ok we now have a team, where should we play? St Pete Thunderdome or Tampa Stadium.  USF settled for tampa stadium.  At the time it seemd like playing there would be a temporary thing, and we would keep all options open.  Playing in rjs is costing us too much money and we benefit very little from various revenue sources.  3000 parking spots?  Big deal, thats 30,000 dollars.  Give USF 50% of concession profits.  

They say that the original deal is based on am avg of 24,000 fans.  OK so we have more fans, the are getting extra money via concesion sales.   That should a leverage tool for us not them.  An extra 10,000 fans means an extra $100,000 per game.  This whole thing is a joke.  If cfu can build something decent on campus, we should be able to as well.  

Our fans are treated like crap at rjs, our school isnt repected by the tsa or bucs by them offering this kind of deal.  All ties should be cut and let them lose a major tenant.  

[saxamoophone]

Well if you can't make a deal with RJS, we would probably let you play your games at our new stadium on Friday Nights.  

Seriously though... You can put a nice steel stadium up for around 50 million..... isnt' the option of playing in a stadium with your own logo on the 50 AND no stupid pirate ship in the endzone worth that alone?

[Triple B]

Well if you can't make a deal with RJS, we would probably let you play your games at our new stadium on Friday Nights.  

Seriously though... You can put a nice steel stadium up for around 50 million..... isnt' the option of playing in a stadium with your own logo on the 50 AND no stupid pirate ship in the endzone worth that alone?

No.

[saxamoophone]

Well in that case Triple_B...

Go BULLS! =p

[Guest bullistic930]

My thoughts on this:

I would say that most of the "we don't need our own stadium crowd" just doesn't get it.  

Of course, the school has to be fiscally responsible. We can not just build a stadium, everything else be damned.  

I think it has worked out well so far.  If USF had built a stadium to play in before, how big would it have been? 30k?   But what happens 10 years down the road when our fan base builds up?

We have used RJS (and continue to use them) as we make our way up through the ranks into primetime college football-land.  When our explosive growth begins to balance out (and we have a better idea of how big of a deal this will be) THEN it will be time to invest in our own really nice OCS.

You just never know what our fate holds. I can see it going either way. In the least, I see USF becoming a decent competitor in the BE.  At best, a crazy turn of events could bolster USF into being the next hot thing and dare I say we win a national championship?

Regardless...here is why I say those of you who feel RJS is fine just dont get it:  Having grown up in the south, college football has always been a big part of my life.  And your fellow university supporters became your extended family. Gamedays are awesome...with your school colors flying everywhere...tailgating, the works.  It is simply awesome.  It's all about ATMOSPHERE...and the stadium is a big part of that.

If you've experienced it, you know what I'm talking about.  And if you've experienced it, you understand what a HUGE part of college football it is.  It is what brings in fans and makes them fall in love with a program.

USF lacks alot of that college football atmosphere.  Dale Mabry is urban and impersonal.  RJS makes for an awful college atmosphere.  Plus, it makes the team feel second rate playin in someone else's house.  You think UF would want to play in RJS with a big ass pirate ship?

We've got enough campus to stick one in.  And I believe its only a matter of time before we get one.  But I think we should stay in RJS at least until we win a BE championship and get an idea of what our fanbase/avg attendence is gonna look like.

My guess would be 50k.  I think we'd eventually pack it out on several of the bigger games in the year...the Louisville, UCF, UF, Miami, WVU type of games.

I'm just rambling at this point...

[saxamoophone]

My thoughts on this:

I would say that most of the "we don't need our own stadium crowd" just doesn't get it.  

I agree

Of course, the school has to be fiscally responsible. We can not just build a stadium, everything else be damned.  

With all the extra money you would rack in with Concession Sales, Parking, etc you would more then cover it.

My guess would be 50k.  I think we'd eventually pack it out on several of the bigger games in the year...the Louisville, UCF, UF, Miami, WVU type of games.

Yeah you can always expand it later

[Apis Bull]

I don't know anyone who said that we don't need our own stadium.  The main arguement has been the timing of it.

[Joe]

SC, there have been several people who have said RJS is fine and we don't need an OCS.

I agree with Griggsy 100%. I would love to have one now, but it is not viable.

I think RJS lacks a lot of the gameday atmosphere that college football invites. I've been to several stadiums, I love how people invent their own parking spots, I love the colors all over campus, and I love the way the stadium feels when it is packed and the crowd goes crazy.

USF fans do a good job of creating the best atmosphere they can. A lot of times it feelslike some groups are sitting on their hands in a reclined position, but the Louisville game wasn't like that.

What I hate about playing in RJS is the fact that it's the Bucs Stadium and it's very obvious throughout. The stupid signage, pirate ship, and the Flag at mid field.

One day...:-)

[Guest bullistic930]

I went back and searched for a few minutes to see if I could find any ANTI-OCS posts ... for the most part, all the disputes are over timing.  I only went back a couple of months though...but I'm with Joe...it really seems like there were some OCS opponents.

Even so, I would say my point still holds true for those who have no sense of urgency about getting an OCS.

"If you build it they will come."

Let's develop the USF atmosphere while we're young and on the rise.  If we wait too long, we'll solidify ourselves in the mold of "almost big time"