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Originally Posted by arkitekte
And building a domed stadium without an NFL team with suites purchased by corporate companies is? I don't think expanding the Cook is wise by any means, but convention centers hold conventions, domed stadiums are for football games. That's not saying a stadium can't hold conventions, but if you're in the game to bring conventions to town, don't build an indoor stadium when trying to compete with cities that have built convention centers.
San Antonio built the Alamo Dome to attract an NFL team, when that fell through they utilized what they already had to hold conventions.
The Liberty Bowl and Southern Heritage Classic as well as Memphis football aren't enough to justify a domed stadium. That's not a knock on any of them, it's just that for a domed stadium that size, you need an NFL team that brings in millions of dollars. The City is pumping money into the Liberty Bowl because they understand the current tenants' needs.
A domed stadium, or any new stadium with bleacher seating is an extreme shortcoming. If you're going to spend money, at least make it nice.
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It's not just about football. An indoor stadium could be used for so much more that Memphis cannot offer now, which is lost revenue going to Nashville, St Louis, and other cities that can. If Memphis had a nice modernized stadium already, and just needed a new cc, then a nice new attractive cc would be the way to go. Expensive, but needed. But that's not the case. They NEED both.
Here's just an example of what all a multi-purpose facility could be used for.
- Memphis Tigers football (permanent home)
- Southern Heritage Classic
- Liberty Bowl Classic
- Second major bowl game (new stadium would be attractive)
- Possibly relocate the Senior Bowl to Memphis (tourist destination with Graceland, Beale St and Civil Rights Museum to attract)
- MLS franchise (Fastest growing sport in America. Upper deck could be curtained off to reduce seating capacity)
- Conventions: trade shows, indoor flea markets and auctions, Eposes, religious crusades, international care shows and other events that Memphis can't offer now
Memphis by not having a multi-purpose facility now is losing a lot of revenue that the city desperately needs. They need to start thinking outside of the box and stop living in the past.