Do the Panthers need a new stadium?

[Skew]

Only if you pay the tab, Mr. Richardson.

An article every taxpayer should read when asked for public funds for new stadiums.

Marlins’ profits came at taxpayer expense

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports Aug 24, 9:17 pm EDT

The swindlers who run the Florida Marlins got exposed Monday. They are as bad as anyone on Wall Street, scheming, misleading and ultimately sticking taxpayers with a multibillion-dollar tab. Corporate fraud is alive and well in Major League Baseball.

A look at the leak of the Marlins’ financial information to Deadspin confirmed the long-held belief that the team takes a healthy chunk of MLB-distributed money for profit. Owner Jeffrey Loria and president David Samson for years have contended the Marlins break even financially, the centerpiece fiscal argument that resulted in local governments gifting them a new stadium that will cost generations of taxpayers an estimated $2.4 billion. They said they had no money to do it alone and intimated they would have to move the team without public assistance.

In fact, documents show, the Marlins could have paid for a significant amount of the new stadium’s construction themselves and still turned an annual operating profit. Instead, they cried poor to con feckless politicians that sold out their constituents.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-marlinsfinancials082410

[ElkinPanthersFan]

Other than the fact that Richardson never asked for public funding for BOA to be built? He had it envisioned to be PSL's from the start and not cost NC/SC anything to build the stadium.

Richardson is a stand up man. I hardly believe that he would do that.

[Skew]

There was talk the other day of the Panthers wanting to build a new stadium in 10 - 15 years.

Mr. Richardson/Panthers have 3 options:

1) Pay for it himself

2) Ask for public funds (from local taxpayers)

3) Screw the current PSL owners and sell new PSLs for a new stadium.

[panthersphan]

Not for 25+ years at least....

If anything, some nice renovations for inside the bowl and around the concessions

[Skew]

The Panthers FO said 10-15 years. "We need to plan ahead"

4th option: combination of the first 3 options.

[Brooklyn Bully]

It needs to be renovated sooner than later. The outside is still great looking, and the club level is beautiful. The rest is cold and drab. The field and seating bowl need to be gussied up, we already need larger replay screens, and it's just boring looking to me. Remember when baseball stadiums were circles? DULL. Now they come in all shapes and sizes and are beautiful. The seating bowl, though still a bowl, could use some sort of architectual changes to just make it look better. Everything seems in great shape though.

[CLTPanther]

I would think the life span of a stadium is more than 30 years. There are some really old stadiums out there.

[Darth Biscuit]

I have no problem with the stadium as it is now...

[Squirrel]

There was talk the other day of the Panthers wanting to build a new stadium in 10 - 15 years.

Mr. Richardson/Panthers have 3 options:

1) Pay for it himself

2) Ask for public funds (from local taxpayers)

3) Screw the current PSL owners and sell new PSLs for a new stadium.

I'm interested in their plans for the PSL Owners when they do build a new one. I dont think they will totally screw them. I think they will charge a extra $500 for a transfer fee for the new stadium which I think most would be willing to play. But to have buy new ones would alienate the fans.

[Guest]

Still one of the best in the league.

[Neylus]

I just don't get all this new stadium talk. OK maybe in 15 years. From a team revenue standpoint it might make sense to build new but thats about it. I love everything about our current stadium - inside/outside and location.

One thing is for sure, all this new stadium talk isnt going to help PSL sellers at all. They better come up with a solution on that one soon.

[Squirrel]

I just don't get all this new stadium talk. OK maybe in 15 years. From a team revenue standpoint it might make sense to build new but thats about it. I love everything about our current stadium - inside/outside and location.

One thing is for sure, all this new stadium talk isnt going to help PSL sellers at all. They better come up with a solution on that one soon.

Still think the team should either buy the PSL's back or turn them into shares for the team. As a example for every $1000 your PSL is worth you get 20 shares of the company. Cheap for the team to do and the PSL owners get value for their PSL's.

[Panthers_Lover]

I just don't get all this new stadium talk. OK maybe in 15 years. From a team revenue standpoint it might make sense to build new but thats about it. I love everything about our current stadium - inside/outside and location.

One thing is for sure, all this new stadium talk isnt going to help PSL sellers at all. They better come up with a solution on that one soon.

They are looking down the road ... but these things take time to plan. It's not too early to be exploring options.

[pstall]

I live on the sports economist website. Time and again that guy debunks the notion of stadiums being a cash cow and now a black hole financially.

I read the article skew posted yest and just shook my head. Audacity of these guys.