i think even the 2/3 retruning number is overly-optimistic...depending on how far out the timetable goes, of course. i've said before, you're probably talking about a city of 400,000 people in 5-7 years. this was a city with a greater metro population of around 1.7 million before Katrina.
That just chaps my ass. The city gets slammed and then takes another wallop courtesy of Benson? Worst owner in the NFL.... What they should do is put the team in Mississippi. They'd be 45 minutes from everyone that is their drawing area. I know there is not a major (city over a mil population in the bunch) but look at it this way: Pensacola:54,734 (Escambia County 298,859) Baldwin County (Alabama): 156,701 Mobile: 400,526 (county) Pascagoula:25,873 Gautier:16,853 Biloxi:50,115 Gulfport:71,851 Bay St. Louis:8,293 Slidell:26,845 New Orleans:462,269 (Orleans Parish) 453,590 (Jefferson Parish) Baton Rouge:224,097 That's a ton of folks that professional sports are saying in effect "Screw you." That's not a lot of real estate with a ton of folks there and they don't deserve a pro team, yet LA, who cares not a whit about pro football, does? I say build a retractable roof stadium far enough away from the coast in Missippi that is 45 minutes away from Mobile and about 45 minutes away from New Orleans. Build an NBA-type arena there as well, utilizing the same parking spaces and garages. Put it right beside I-110 that goes down to the coast in Biloxi. Perfect location. Easy access in and out. It wouldn't be in a toxic waste part of town as most stadiums are. But that idea makes too much sense and no, Benson, Mississippi could not afford to build that stadium that you need to build. This whole corporate welfare crap just really pisses me off.
