I really don’t understand. So what if they were allowed to have 25 concerts? The stadium was approved. The new capacity is set and whatever happen will happen. Are you trying to set up a 30-year “I told you so”? Can’t we just enjoy watching football games?
Mike Wright to NU
- Thread starter Medill '03
- Start date
Contribute several billion and maybe we can build one.
I agree with CMcCat that the new stadium will offer a one of a kind facility literally not available anywhere else in the country. It is perfect for a ton of events. If Evanston will allow more events, NU can fill up it's dance card. I think the income stream to Evanston will be a powerful elixir but it will also take building structured parking plus perhaps contribution to traffic improvements. We shall see.
CMcCat, you must live near the stadium to care one way or the other on whether NU was deceptive. I just think NU had $800 mil and Pat Ryan wanted a new stadium with or without other events. More events - particularly during the summer when school is largely out - will be icing.
CMcCat, you must live near the stadium to care one way or the other on whether NU was deceptive. I just think NU had $800 mil and Pat Ryan wanted a new stadium with or without other events. More events - particularly during the summer when school is largely out - will be icing.
HS football championships = recruiting and connections with top HS coaches
NU graduation = obvious
Special Olympics = good PR
Don’t bother. Anyone questioning the use for the Special Olympics doesn’t deserve a response. Especially someone that doesn’t attend any events at the previous venue.
It’s a good thing we reduced capacity to accommodate the loss of those tickets.
A couple hundred folks isn’t going to make a difference. At all. And likely offset by increased corporate/hospitality purchases.
Sarcasm isn’t your strong suit
Better. Phew.
And no, definitely not a strong suit on the boards. Frankly, I usually assume the dumbest possible take and work backwards from there.
...leaving you open for some juicy trolling.Better. Phew.
And no, definitely not a strong suit on the boards. Frankly, I usually assume the dumbest possible take and work backwards from there.
Carry on!
The United Center is an indoor stadium located in downtown Chicago. Why would artists capable of selling 20,000 plus tickets choose an outdoor facility in Evanston, Illinois that has limited parking and is difficult to get to for most of their fans? Why choose that over Wrigley or Soldier Field? Or the United Center? Outdoor concerts in the Midwest are a huge risk. I doubt they will be able to find more than 6-8 acts a year that could sell 5,000 tickets in Evanston.Here’s the facts to back you up:
List of entertainment events at the United Center - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
...leaving you open for some juicy trolling.
Carry on!
Very aware. Just trying to play the role
Pretty sure the City takes a significant chunk of performers’ revenue as tax for in-city performances, that wouldn’t be the case in Evanston (though I’m sure they’ll find a way to still get their pound of flesh).
Evanston has never been known as a low tax community, so I would be shocked if a City Council that barely agreed to 6 concerts would forego significant revenues to attract more concerts.
I went to many combined indoor/outdoor concerts(Jimmy Buffet, Books& Dunn etc) that the new stadium would be ideal for.Now that the old stadium is gone, I see no reason NU should not try to maximize revenue , which would also secondarily benefit Evanston's economy. Schedule the events to limit inconveniencing the neighbors
Roof only over the fans. There is a possibility that the structure is being designed to accommodate a full roof in the future if desired but don't know. Even if a full roof was added later on, conditioning and insulating what is fundamentally an open air structure would be expensive.
I live 20 minutes away on the north side of Chicago and have highly valued the ease of access and in-and-out of the stadium. I have had seats right near an east side second level portico for over 25 years. I can leave the stadium after the 3rd quarter and watch the finish in my living room. (I don’t do that often and, regretfully, I did so for the Minny game last fall). I like natural grass. I like the sun and open, bowl-esque nature of RF. I am not real high on spending money - I don’t experience visceral pain in doing so like my born-in-the-depression father did but the apple fell reasonably close to the tree. I don’t attend many big concerts.
I hope you see where I am going. Pat Ryan’s money and NU’s contingency planning for its post-B1G future don’t quite drive me wild.
This is the whole point of the project. Taxes and union labor requirements make the UC or Wrigley vastly less attractive than a new RF to performers and their representatives, particularly those with affiliations to NU or its sports licensing partner.
You're a bit spoiled in my humble opinion. I live 450 miles away and can no longer make the drive, although I did for many years. Now I fly and take a taxi from from the airport to an Evanston hotel, where I stay for 2 nights. I tailgate before and after the game, and would never consider leaving in the third quarter. Of course I've gone to most of our bowl games as well, beginning with the Rose Bowl, and most recently last year in Vegas. Like you, though, I prefer natural grass and haven't gone to more that a couple of concerts lifetime.
I am more than a bit spoiled and respect your humility and commitment to the ‘Cats. Trust me when I say I would stay to the last bloody minute but I judiciously wield my veto power as an expression of comity towards family members who are sometimes there for the cotton candy.You're a bit spoiled in my humble opinion. I live 450 miles away and can no longer make the drive, although I did for many years. Now I fly and take a taxi from from the airport to an Evanston hotel, where I stay for 2 nights. I tailgate before and after the game, and would never consider leaving in the third quarter. Of course I've gone to most of our bowl games as well, beginning with the Rose Bowl, and most recently last year in Vegas. Like you, though, I prefer natural grass and haven't gone to more that a couple of concerts lifetime.
So Ryan is putting up north of $400 million so NU’s sports licensing partner can promote its acts? And there are no union requirements or taxes in Evanston? It’s the Alabama of Cook County?
I’m sorry, you are just going to believe some random person on a message board who blurts out a conspiracy theory with no proof to push his views?
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You and I are similar, except I only moved back a couple of years ago. Live in Wisc, would drive down to the game, street park Wilmette, plant my ass in the seat and stay there (standing to cheer, of course). Leave for restroom or a soda. Rarely left early unless my youngest was with.
While would have preferred a QB who has better passing stats, there's a good chance Wright's less than stellar stats were partly a result of the talent or lack thereof around him.
The good thing is that Wright has a decent amount of game experience and even more so just being a college QB.
Still, will need a threat of a passing attack as the better Ds (not necessarily even talking about talent level - see Army) can shut down a 1 dimensional run-oriented O.
The good thing is that Wright has a decent amount of game experience and even more so just being a college QB.
Still, will need a threat of a passing attack as the better Ds (not necessarily even talking about talent level - see Army) can shut down a 1 dimensional run-oriented O.
Yeah, being in the right system for one's skill set is huge, as is having a play caller who isn't simply calling plays and knows how to call a game.
You’re way too focused on “post-B1G.” Gragg could barely plan for a home venue in 2024 and 2025, he isn’t working that far ahead.
So which is it, is our leadership the 3 stooges that can't figure out where the football team is going to play this year or are they chess masterminds scheming 10 years ahead?
I feel reasonably confident that these guys are just trying to get this AD through the day-to-day business of the rebuild while preparing for the inevitable payment of Fitz's settlement and having to apportion a huge chunk of the AD's revenue to athletes in the next 2 years.
Nobody is thinking about 2027 let alone anything beyond that. The next 2 years already has so much upheaval to plan for...
I feel reasonably confident that these guys are just trying to get this AD through the day-to-day business of the rebuild while preparing for the inevitable payment of Fitz's settlement and having to apportion a huge chunk of the AD's revenue to athletes in the next 2 years.
Nobody is thinking about 2027 let alone anything beyond that. The next 2 years already has so much upheaval to plan for...
If that is true it is a remarkable condemnation of executive leadership of a major university.
I think DG is little more than a figurehead and is not involved in big decisions. He has been provided his small autonomous zone which prioritized getting the stadium deal through the city council in partnership with Davis.
I must believe Schill, a guy who led U of Nike for seven years, is laser focused on the future of big time college sports which will be among the top three forces affecting the place he presumes to work for the next decade. He’s not a dumb guy. He’s made some dumb decisions in the heat of battle which maybe indicates his skill lies in longer term planning.
My question is who at NU owns the Learfield relationship. I think that is a key driver of much of the thinking behind various decisions.
I can imagine a scenario where 2 years from now this conversation takes place...
Consultant: "Gentlemen, we're here to discuss the state of Northwestern athletics. As you know, we've taken a significant financial hit on the Fitzgerald payout. Eating that contract was bad, but the punitive damages exceeded our expectations."
Schill: "One second, I don't believe I've met everyone at the table."
Consultant: "This man is your Athletic Director, Doctor Gragg."
Schill: "Oh yes. My apologies. You grew a beard?"
Gragg: "It helps with avoiding... well anyway"
Consultant: "Okay. Well, the new stadium is still coming along and of course ticket revenue declined sharply for the two seasons on the landfill. I mean lakefill. And we're a few million over budget, but the trend of the overages is flattening"
Gragg: "That wasn't my fault!"
Schill: "That wasn't my fault. Jinx!"
Consultant: "Okay gentlemen... So, with the athletes salaries north of $15 million, we're still not competitive in attracting players and that is showing up in the records of our men's football and basketball teams.
Schill: (giggles) "Ha, Ha. You meant coaches salaries. You said "athletes!"
Consultant: "No, Doctor Schill. Thats the player's salaries."
Schill: "We're paying the players? Since when?"
Consultant: "Okay, why don't we break for lunch?"
