McNair's really need to read the room on this one. There is absolutely no appetite to support public funding of a new stadium...especially when 2 are still standing. Granted I don't live in the COH, but the only way I'd support any public funding was if it involved redeveloping and/or knocking down the Dome finally and redeveloping that area in general. The McNair's and the Rodeo need to handle anything with the stadium itself. A stadium, mind you, that made the cut to host the World Cup in 14 months from now as is.
Yeah, and the County Sports Authority, no s**t. Just like it's always been. https://www.houstonsports.org/wp-co...ds-Voluntary-Disclosure-September-30-2024.pdf
Depends on how you look at it… there are teams that have floated the price but they also get subsidies for the land and other components provided by the city tax free. alternatively, the county funding the stadium gives them the “ownership” with the teams as tenants… but they’re also responsible for the upkeep and upgrades (of which NRG apparently needs a ton of).
The stadium in Seattle opened the same year NRG opened in 2002, and the stadium in Phoenix opened in 2006. Do the owners of those stadiums also want something new?
At first, this seems crazy... But I remember my childhood watching a game at what was once called the summit instead of Toyota Center and thinking hey this is a pretty cool place especially my first time being there in the mid 80s... And then when it finally was time to become the Toyota Center in 2001 or whenever it was, I thought to myself hey it must be time. It's been so long... But then if you do the math and you realize actually the summit was first done in 1975 until 2001 is what 26 years.... The Texans stadium is approaching 24 years... I guess when we look at it from that perspective, even though it doesn't seem like it, they are about due, but I just don't like the optics of it -seems because it's not needed
The Summit, and almost every NBA arena, became grossly outdated in the early 90's. The arenas built in the late 80's became outdated almost immediately. They just weren't financially viable one luxury boxes became a thing, not to mention all of the other game day amenities that were lacking in 70's arenas. The sport grew in popularity like crazy in the late 80s/early 90's. NRG is at worst sub par, it's still a perfectly fine stadium. Just because it "could be better" sure as hell does not justify over a billion dollars of the peoples money.
Once these new wave of stadiums get built (Chicago, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Buffalo, Cleveland, Washington), NRG will be closer to the bottom. The new fixed/translucent roof stadium with more diversified gameday options (and surrounding entertainment districts) are today's version of what the NBA went through in the mid-90's/2000's (and those arenas are ready for replacement) and what baseball went through with the retro parks replacing the cookie cutter ones in the same time period (a "good" outcome, with most of those stadiums still in use). The only reason they're going to be able to finagle public money (or think they can use it) is because NRG is the county's problem. I've never been a huge proponent of mass renovations as it always seems to last shorter (and be just as expensive) as a new stadium... and it causes more disruption in terms of the fan experience or the team having to play elsewhere for a year. The Texans can easily afford a new stadium in an affluent part of town (or in the suburbs).... but NRG is a county project and if there are catastrophic failure issues with their video boards, roof leaks, plumbing, electrical grid (as being described), its a public funding conundrum that will continue to be the case until its put out to stud (like the Astrodome was, lol).
Like I said before, the Astrodome was approaching 30 years old (and already had undergone a massive renovation) when all their tenants said it was unusable.
For current analogies... Miami's Joe Robbie stadium was "state of the art", still in line to host multiple super bowls and major events, but started having major wear-tear issues 20-30 years in, and required a similar renovation project that is currently being proposed. Same with the Georgia Dome, despite multiple costly cosmetic and internal renovation projects, that they ultimately decided to just completely tear down and build a new stadium next door.
I would support a downtown stadium if possible. Need to add hotels, restaurants and whatnot. I hate where NRG is located. I’m not a fan of the stadium. If it happens, it needs to be done right. I feel like they got it right with the Astros park, so something that will last and not have dated feel. Something that offers more around the stadium than just a game.
If the lack of development in the area is the problem, then pony up the money to finally demolish the dome and sell the land to developers
I don't know about this. There is a serious effort underway to gut the educational system, health care and social security. It doesn't matter that people have paid into these systems for decades, the billionaire class wants more and more tax cuts. If Kroenke can privately fund So-Fi stadium in Los Angeles, so can the McNairs in Houston.
Kroenke is a different kind of Billionaire. Owning sports teams is a side job for him tbh. His real money is in real estate development and his wifey who is a Walton heir. The McNairs are what you might call ‘poor’ billionaires. Outside of the team they really don’t have much capital compared to other owners. But you are right he did finance SoFi by himself. He also wanted his team in LA and not St Louis. The league as well. Perhaps we should take a page out of Cali and just stop financing sports teams. Cali is aware of its advantages as a population and economic hub. So they can leverage that in stadium building talks. Most cities and states don’t have said advantages. Texas does and if it wanted could do what Cali does in dealing with these gluttonous owners. But the reality is probably not. The state and its government reps and the culture they foster lends to bending the knee to the wants and desires of Billionaires.
