[JayCT]

Originally Posted by beerbeer

Yard Goats sell out opener in 30 minutes. Tickets went on sale on Tuesdays at 10 AM gone by 10:30.

The fans that got shut out of the opener are gobbling up tickets for the first week end.

Tickets To Yard Goats Home Opener Sell Out In 30 Minutes - Courant Community

Another bad day for the naysayers.

I saw this and it is a very good start. I hope they can continue the momentum. Jay

[SAE72]

Originally Posted by JayCT

What does one have to do with the other? That is like saying that because the Department of Social Services has a deficit, the Department of Transportation should not rebuild anymore bridges. Jay

They are related regarding the overspending of taxpayer dollars on dreams and schemes that many times do not return what was originally proposed or promised. They are related because the State is in financial trouble, and cities like Hartford are also. Think about where those multi million dollar losses could go to improve the quality of life of the citizens , instead of looking at an empty stadium 350 days a year .


Over $ 90 million to build it, and losing millions on it each and every year. Does that sound like a sound fiscal decision?

[East of the River]

Originally Posted by SAE72

They are related regarding the overspending of taxpayer dollars on dreams and schemes that many times do not return what was originally proposed or promised. They are related because the State is in financial trouble, and cities like Hartford are also. Think about where those multi million dollar losses could go to improve the quality of life of the citizens , instead of looking at an empty stadium 350 days a year .


Over $ 90 million to build it, and losing millions on it each and every year. Does that sound like a sound fiscal decision?

The stadium was stupid. I don't believe there has been a study anywhere in the world the showed a net positive in economics due to a sports stadium. It's one of those strange things that economists from the left and right agree on don't spend tax dollars on sports arenas.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by SAE72

Before another $ 250 million is spent on new XL Center, how about getting those losses under control? For that kind of money, customers should expect more than 3rd world parking . How many times a year is it used ? Less than a dozen ?

Out of curiosity, I pulled up their web site.

The Cirque du Soleil is there Thursday through Sunday. If you've never seen it, it's worth every penny.

There are lots of minor league hockey games. TobyMac if you're into Christian hip hop. Jeff Dunham the ventriloquist. A home show. A kid's fair. The season is over now but some UConn mens/womens basketball and hockey games.

Ringling Brothers farewell tour from April 27th thru 30th.

If you're into Pink Floyd, Roger Waters is there on September 24th.

[SAE72]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Out of curiosity, I pulled up their web site.

The Cirque du Soleil is there Thursday through Sunday. If you've never seen it, it's worth every penny.

There are lots of minor league hockey games. TobyMac if you're into Christian hip hop. Jeff Dunham the ventriloquist. A home show. A kid's fair. The season is over now but some UConn mens/womens basketball and hockey games.

Ringling Brothers farewell tour from April 27th thru 30th.

If you're into Pink Floyd, Roger Waters is there on September 24th.

I think you misunderstood my point . I was talking about Rentschler Feld, and the staggering losses we are paying over there. Before we spend 250 million on the XL Center, how about we get those losses across the river under control ?
Don't we have a Concert Facility in the Meadows ? How often is that used ?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by SAE72

I think you misunderstood my point . I was talking about Rentschler Feld, and the staggering losses we are paying over there. Before we spend 250 million on the XL Center, how about we get those losses across the river under control ?
Don't we have a Concert Facility in the Meadows ? How often is that used ?

The Meadows, called the Xfinity Theater, is a seasonal facility. It is only opened from May to October. The rest of the time there are no large scale venues in greater Hartford, just the XL Center.

As GeoffD notes, the XL hosts a lot of events all year round. In addition to those open to the public, it works with the Convention Center to host events that would not fit into the convention center facility. Without it, the Convention Center could lose events as well. Jay

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by SAE72

I think you misunderstood my point . I was talking about Rentschler Feld, and the staggering losses we are paying over there. Before we spend 250 million on the XL Center, how about we get those losses across the river under control ?
Don't we have a Concert Facility in the Meadows ? How often is that used ?

I don't see how Rentschler Field Stadium has anything to do with downtown Hartford. It's the UConn football stadium. It's a lousy team in a weak conference so the team plays to empty seats. It's 6 home games. It's not like even a winning team filling the stadium on 6 fall Saturdays would do much for the local economy.

[ryanthegoldengod]

I don't think you can compare Rentschler Field with the XL Center. Football stadiums are without a doubt a colossal waste of money because they host so few events in a year. Arenas are the best bang for your buck due to their higher amount of activity. Plus XL Center events do spur business for the surrounding bars and restaurants. Rentschler does not because everyone brings their own food and drink and tailgates.

[SAE72]

The XL Center , as it stands, loses $ 3 million a year. That's what it has in common with the Football Stadium across the river. The " projections" are that spending $ 250 million of taxpayer money will generate a couple million in profit. Those projections are based on a heap of speculation.

[beerbeer]

Originally Posted by East of the River

The stadium was stupid. I don't believe there has been a study anywhere in the world the showed a net positive in economics due to a sports stadium. It's one of those strange things that economists from the left and right agree on don't spend tax dollars on sports arenas.

This is not as cut and dry as this makes it sounds. Things are rarely this simple.

For the Rent, most of the loss is depreciation. That is around two million a year. But that money was spent a long time ago. It is only a loss on sheet of paper. And even then a lot of the original 90 million was plowed back into the Connecticut economy in the form of labor and supplies paid to contractors, many of them local.

Here's the bet and it will take another ten years to find out if it worked. If UConn can get into a better conference like the ACC or B12, then they will receiver twenty million dollars a year from the conference. The stadium cost would be recouped in five years. That remains to be seen, but that is the bet.

BTW, take a look at the neighborhood around Washington DC's Verizon center before it was built and look at now. The building was not the sole driver but there is no question of its economic impact. When the building was in Landover, Maryland, it had almost no multiplier effect. It shows the difference between building in the suburbs and building downtown.

Even this analysis is an oversimplification. My point is that it is much more complex with many more variables than a simple number. As I said, my guess is the Dunkin Park stadium will be a big plus for the city and that's without factoring in the social and entertainment benefits.