Friday, June 13, 2008
Flawed Logic in Stadium Fight
Yesterday, David Nakamura of the Washington Post published a story about a trio of political opponents to public financing of sports stadiums who are trying to stop the District Council from helping keep D.C. United in the city. It’s the same trio that tried to stop the baseball stadium – and failed.
They claimed then that was a bad investment by the city and that tax dollars shouldn’t be used for a soccer stadium. However, in typical political fashion they’re conveniently “spinning” the truth while using several key arguments against the project.
First, the D.C. government isn’t planning to levy any new taxes at all to help pay for the facility. They’re using excess (and unexpected) funds from the baseball stadium revenues.
Second, Umm, guys? If the baseball stadium hadn’t been built, there wouldn’t have been excess revenues in the first place, yet you opposed that too.
Third, in the same breath they used to say the MCI Center was a success [thanks to a large number of events there per year], they betray their own claims of intelligent debate by saying there would only be 30 events per year at a new soccer stadium. Yet even a caveman would know the Washington Freedom, Major League Lacrosse, college and high school sports, concerts, and other special events would clearly stand in line to use the facility.
In my opinion a D.C. United Stadium anywhere outside of the city would be a disaster that represents the difference between soccer becoming truly main stream in this country within the next 10 years as opposed to the next 30 - if ever. This country needs to prove to our own eurosnobs that we can match the overall experience and passion that goes with the sport world wide. And when we do, the sports columnists, TV dollars, and international stars will follow.
D.C. United has an opportunity to become the first truly global soccer team from this part of the world by offering a game-day experience with real "buzz" and a palpable energy from the stands that burns the experience into fans' amygdalas, creating a craving to return again and again (addiction). We need an atmosphere that is hardly discernible from attending a match in London or Berlin, and to get that the stadium has to be downtown, surrounded by commercial businesses, pubs, restaurants, and public gathering spaces in order for that to happen.
MLS does not need another suburban stadium. The final location of where to build this stadium needs to be where we draw a line in the sand and refuse to let soccer be pushed to the edges of the mainstream.
Sign the petition
Contact the Mayor
Contact City Council
Tell D.C. United you won't attend games outside the City
Discuss the issue:
Soccer Insider
BigSoccer.comLabels: d.c. united, stadium
They claimed then that was a bad investment by the city and that tax dollars shouldn’t be used for a soccer stadium. However, in typical political fashion they’re conveniently “spinning” the truth while using several key arguments against the project.
First, the D.C. government isn’t planning to levy any new taxes at all to help pay for the facility. They’re using excess (and unexpected) funds from the baseball stadium revenues.
Second, Umm, guys? If the baseball stadium hadn’t been built, there wouldn’t have been excess revenues in the first place, yet you opposed that too.
Third, in the same breath they used to say the MCI Center was a success [thanks to a large number of events there per year], they betray their own claims of intelligent debate by saying there would only be 30 events per year at a new soccer stadium. Yet even a caveman would know the Washington Freedom, Major League Lacrosse, college and high school sports, concerts, and other special events would clearly stand in line to use the facility.
In my opinion a D.C. United Stadium anywhere outside of the city would be a disaster that represents the difference between soccer becoming truly main stream in this country within the next 10 years as opposed to the next 30 - if ever. This country needs to prove to our own eurosnobs that we can match the overall experience and passion that goes with the sport world wide. And when we do, the sports columnists, TV dollars, and international stars will follow.
D.C. United has an opportunity to become the first truly global soccer team from this part of the world by offering a game-day experience with real "buzz" and a palpable energy from the stands that burns the experience into fans' amygdalas, creating a craving to return again and again (addiction). We need an atmosphere that is hardly discernible from attending a match in London or Berlin, and to get that the stadium has to be downtown, surrounded by commercial businesses, pubs, restaurants, and public gathering spaces in order for that to happen.
MLS does not need another suburban stadium. The final location of where to build this stadium needs to be where we draw a line in the sand and refuse to let soccer be pushed to the edges of the mainstream.
Sign the petition
Contact the Mayor
Contact City Council
Tell D.C. United you won't attend games outside the City
Discuss the issue:
Soccer Insider
BigSoccer.com
Labels: d.c. united, stadium
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