Stadium Fund (Update)

[BullTiger]

I bet if one of you ponied up about $25M they would find a plan.

The next problem is, that amount will only pay about an eighth of the cost needed for a stadium worth building.

[South_Florida_Flip]

Houston has been in the Big East for a week and they are already planning on tearing down their stadium and building a new one.

Houston already had plans of a new stadium long before the Big East came calling.

[IncrediBULL]

Why, Why, Why do we have to keep addressing this issue. Any university representative who started an OCS drive given the current set of situations, would be lambasted in the media and by public opinion. One would have to be insane to start that discussion..... Why?

Lets look at reasons NOT to start an OCS plan now. 1, worst recession in 40 years. 2, record unemployment in Florida and Bay Area (highest since late 70's / early 80's). Cut backs in every level of government. Cut backs at USF for 4 years running. Been working on other projects to the tune of $50M plus on campus. Still have others which are not completed or are on the books. Prefectly decent, NFL caliber, COMMUNITY TAX PAYER PAID stadium 11 miles away, vacant seats at that stadium at every game, drop in attendance since 2007 season, weak product on field won't be driving more people to games anytime soon, weaker conference which could lose BCS AQ status (and therefore future conference picture and revenue picture is extremely cloudy). BE conference just had shake up. Hard to say how media (ie funding) will embrace it in two seasons. I'm sure I missed a bunch, though.

We all know the reasons RJS is a great stadium (and its cons from a purely USF standpoint) so no need to list those.

While a small population / handful of die hard fans on this board may wish we had and OCS, it is a stupid idea for many reasons. I find it interesting that many who keep asking for OCS on this board are newer posters and often are those with a low post count. Not all, but many of the threads appear to follow that MO. Draw from that whatever conclusion you wish, but it is suspicious that this year the BE was blowing up, a school who hates us to the East's name was thrown around, and we suddenly got lots of new posters on here. Now lots of newer posters are continually asking about OCS and bring it up every few threads. Things that make you go hmmmmmmm?

[smazza]

usf doesnt need a stadium

we need better players

[Triple B]

I think it still goes back to the fact that we still have a ****load of money needed to pay off the current Athletic improvements and there doesn't need to be any competition for that money at this point in time. If you really want to get an OCS asap, help get the current debts paid down so the focus can go there .... If you really don't want to help out that way right now and are fixated on the OCS, set up something where you can personally sock money away and be ready when the drive starts ... but I don't think the University should set up something that's going to siphon funds away from current needs.

[Cow Pie]

Why, Why, Why do we have to keep addressing this issue. Any university representative who started an OCS drive given the current set of situations, would be lambasted in the media and by public opinion. One would have to be insane to start that discussion..... Why?

Lets look at reasons NOT to start an OCS plan now. 1, worst recession in 40 years. 2, record unemployment in Florida and Bay Area (highest since late 70's / early 80's). Cut backs in every level of government. Cut backs at USF for 4 years running. Been working on other projects to the tune of $50M plus on campus. Still have others which are not completed or are on the books. Prefectly decent, NFL caliber, COMMUNITY TAX PAYER PAID stadium 11 miles away, vacant seats at that stadium at every game, drop in attendance since 2007 season, weak product on field won't be driving more people to games anytime soon, weaker conference which could lose BCS AQ status (and therefore future conference picture and revenue picture is extremely cloudy). BE conference just had shake up. Hard to say how media (ie funding) will embrace it in two seasons. I'm sure I missed a bunch, though.

We all know the reasons RJS is a great stadium (and its cons from a purely USF standpoint) so no need to list those.

While a small population / handful of die hard fans on this board may wish we had and OCS, it is a stupid idea for many reasons. I find it interesting that many who keep asking for OCS on this board are newer posters and often are those with a low post count. Not all, but many of the threads appear to follow that MO. Draw from that whatever conclusion you wish, but it is suspicious that this year the BE was blowing up, a school who hates us to the East's name was thrown around, and we suddenly got lots of new posters on here. Now lots of newer posters are continually asking about OCS and bring it up every few threads. Things that make you go hmmmmmmm?

I get the economy, I get everything else you stated... but you have to consider that USF has plenty of $$ it just wastes it stupidly for the most part... the new construction projects have been a long time coming. For about 30 years nothing new was built on campus and the past admin's allowed some of the buildings on campus to fall apart... where did all of this state $$ that was intended for campus upgrades and building renovations go for 30 years?

This is why I don't consider the $50 million in new construction projects to be a big deal.

[The Sheriff]

If I hit the lottery for over $200M, mark my word, the first $100M is going towards an OCS stadium. It'll be a nice write off and the stadium can be appropriately named after LRS. I would give the Bullspen some love fo' sure (gotta pay back Brad Meyer for years of free use on here), as well as Smazza his own VIP section (the section would include a swimming pool where only single women with fake boobies under the age of 35 are admitted - I'll make an exception for the rare gem over 35). My stadium vision would be a success.

[IncrediBULL]

Why, Why, Why do we have to keep addressing this issue. Any university representative who started an OCS drive given the current set of situations, would be lambasted in the media and by public opinion. One would have to be insane to start that discussion..... Why?

Lets look at reasons NOT to start an OCS plan now. 1, worst recession in 40 years. 2, record unemployment in Florida and Bay Area (highest since late 70's / early 80's). Cut backs in every level of government. Cut backs at USF for 4 years running. Been working on other projects to the tune of $50M plus on campus. Still have others which are not completed or are on the books. Prefectly decent, NFL caliber, COMMUNITY TAX PAYER PAID stadium 11 miles away, vacant seats at that stadium at every game, drop in attendance since 2007 season, weak product on field won't be driving more people to games anytime soon, weaker conference which could lose BCS AQ status (and therefore future conference picture and revenue picture is extremely cloudy). BE conference just had shake up. Hard to say how media (ie funding) will embrace it in two seasons. I'm sure I missed a bunch, though.

We all know the reasons RJS is a great stadium (and its cons from a purely USF standpoint) so no need to list those.

While a small population / handful of die hard fans on this board may wish we had and OCS, it is a stupid idea for many reasons. I find it interesting that many who keep asking for OCS on this board are newer posters and often are those with a low post count. Not all, but many of the threads appear to follow that MO. Draw from that whatever conclusion you wish, but it is suspicious that this year the BE was blowing up, a school who hates us to the East's name was thrown around, and we suddenly got lots of new posters on here. Now lots of newer posters are continually asking about OCS and bring it up every few threads. Things that make you go hmmmmmmm?

I get the economy, I get everything else you stated... but you have to consider that USF has plenty of $$ it just wastes it stupidly for the most part... the new construction projects have been a long time coming. For about 30 years nothing new was built on campus and the past admin's allowed some of the buildings on campus to fall apart... where did all of this state $$ that was intended for campus upgrades and building renovations go for 30 years?

This is why I don't consider the $50 million in new construction projects to be a big deal.

Don't you work on campus? Maybe I am wrong about that but I thought I recalled that you did.

I agree with you that for athletics, everything was aging. However, in case you are not aware, USF more than doubled its student population in the past 20 years and are now in the top 10 in the US. USF had total enrollment in the 20k range in the 80's, ad are now nipping at 50k. And those living on campuses has increased as well. If you look around, there has been much construction. Engineering buildings, industry incubator, bookstore, marshall center, student housing, reworking of business school, health sciences, on site daycare, on campus Hills Cty School (for our ed program), and the list goes on and on. That is where the money went, to pay for necessary buildings for students and academics. It was all necessary to help handle our growth.

Athletics has come last, but like Trip said, we need to pay what we have already borrowed back, not start yet another project we cant afford in a very bad period of time. Judy would be fired if she even started hinting we needed to kick off a 300M project right now. It would be a career limiting move for her to even think of asking for that. Given today's political climate, and with a tax payer funded stadium up the road, only someone with blinders on would advocate an OCS right now.

Barring some crazy contribution from a donor or set of donors to kick it off (say someone rich dies and leaves a huge estate to USF specifically calling for an OCS) I really don't see it happening. I bet we are at least 7 - 10 years from that discussion taking place. And probably 15 years from an OCS.....

[IncrediBULL]

If I hit the lottery for over $200M, mark my word, the first $100M is going towards an OCS stadium. It'll be a nice write off and the stadium can be appropriately named after LRS. I would give the Bullspen some love fo' sure (gotta pay back Brad Meyer for years of free use on here), as well as Smazza his own VIP section (the section would include a swimming pool where only single women with fake boobies under the age of 35 are admitted - I'll make an exception for the rare gem over 35). My stadium vision would be a success.

If you won the lottery for say, $250M, and you took the lump sum, you'd get about half ($125M) in that lump sum. Uncle Sammy would take his 40% so you'd be down to $75M in your pocket. Doubt you'd part with too much of that to fund an OCS that still would be 100's of M's short of being funded...

And that pool thing, is that in leau of a Rays pool like the TB Baseball games? Definitely use clear glass for the outsides of that pool. It would be like a grown up version of weeki wachee.

[IncrediBULL]

I think it still goes back to the fact that we still have a ****load of money needed to pay off the current Athletic improvements and there doesn't need to be any competition for that money at this point in time. If you really want to get an OCS asap, help get the current debts paid down so the focus can go there .... If you really don't want to help out that way right now and are fixated on the OCS, set up something where you can personally sock money away and be ready when the drive starts ... but I don't think the University should set up something that's going to siphon funds away from current needs.

Trip, stop making so much sense...