Why is everyone who lives here so against getting a professional sports team (Houston: home, school)

[scm53]

What are you talking about? We have pro baseball, pro hockey, pro soccer, pro basketball. What do you want?

If you want a reason, this is as good a one as there is.

[cBach]

We do have a professional sport here, it's called the Grand Prix and it triumphs any US based pro sports program. F1 racing is more world wide and more important than any other professional sport. As long as we don't have other professional sports, our ability to host F1 is unimpeded. If/when we ever get another pro sport, it may infringe upon F1, and we don't want that.

When we built the F1 track, we put all our eggs for pro sports in that one basket. Now, as Mark Twain states, "watch that basket".


The problem with US based professional teams is that you must have a tax payer funded stadium that goes out of date every 15 years. So, every 15 years you must waste $500 million up to $1 billion on a stadium, only for that stadium to only last another 15 years.

Darrell K Royal Stadium has had a far longer life, in general that's the case with university stadiums. Plus, it seats more people than NFL stadiums and is cheaper so it's easier for people to go to a game there.

Go to the Grand Prix next year, it's really exciting. It beats any NFL game (and I've seen the 49ers play at Candlestick, Chiefs at Arrowhead) or any MLB game (I've seen the Giants, Chargers, Rangers, Orioles, Red Sox, and Royals at their respective stadiums).

To be realistic, the Dell Diamond offers a really good experience for a minor league, better for kids than any of the above mentioned stadiums.

I'm totally okay with us being king of minor league US sports but hosting the only Grand Prix in America.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Antny12

As the title says...why? I think it would be a great thing for this growing city. It brings excitement, entertainment, brings in revenue (yes I know..tax payers would most likely help fund a stadium), and it creates a culture-identity. Personally I think Austin would be a great city for a pro-nfl team. I get the whole- la-san antonio argument...but personally I just went to San Antonio today and was sooooooo unimpressed with it. It felt isolated-extremely dirty-unsafe- and the streets- even near the alamo-riverwalk where desolate. I was asked for money several times, and just had a real uncomfortable vibe which I who am from Chicago have never even had there before. I just think from business people, investors and from the influx of people from other areas it would be an awesome thing. And I know the whole university of Texas argument but im sorry the college game and professional are not the same level no matter how you slice it.
thoughts?

i think our metro area has only been big enough recently and before that we were too close to other franchises.

buffalo is 6 hours from NYC
the other smaller metro areas are the largest in their state so they draw from the entire state
san diego is close to LA but the metro is 3m.

So I would say it is possible, but we just got to the size where we could support one so now it will take someone with deep pockets (i.e. red mccoomb) who also doesnt already have a vested interest in UT football (i.e. not red mccoomb).

San diego chargers were founded in 1960 when the metro area was about 1M they are about 2 hours from LA.

Buy land out east as thats where a stadium will go . Highland mall property would have been a great place for it.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Zepheyr

I don't mean to sound like the grammar police, but you said it so many times...

It's couldn't care less.

You're right. Thanks for the correction. It's been a long day.


(notice I spelled it "you're" & not your. )

[Antny12]

Well there are a bunch of negatives to a professional sports team but coming from Chicago where there are numerous sports teams, nascar track, and so much more it just feels as though Austin would or could be a good fit for a variety of reasons. I know that for some it would be hard to imagine right now but it just feels that Austin is growing out of a smaller-college feel town and trying to become something more...Austin is the biggest city without a pro-team. Going to San Antonio today just did not impress at all. I actually disliked it a lot. I dont see the allure of a pro-sports team there. Especially given the make-up of the city and the people who live there..it just doesn't make sense for someone to want to build there. Immediately when you hit Austin you can just see and feel the difference. I mean take a look at the 10 plus cranes around the city, or the sleep suburb towns that are growing so fast its hard to keep up with, and given the population growth it seems the suburbs and city is only going to expand further and further out. I personally believe Austin is a good spot for a team and I believe eventually its inevitable that there will be one. Just my view- didnt say it was right or that anyone else was wrong. Thats what makes convos like this interesting.

[RoadWarrior12]

It won't happen. Every single expansion team in the past couple decades has been a fiscal disaster for the city that landed the crappy expansion team.

The only people that ever want pro sports are the ones that move to Leander, tell everyone they live in Austin, and want a pro team here so they can don their jerseys from whatever team hails from whence they came.

[smuboy86]

To the OP, as a San Antonian, please don't come back. We get it, San Antonio is obviously a little too ethnic for your taste. One the other hand we love our spurs and have supported them since the 70's. We have also supported and sold out NFL games when the saints had to play in the Alamodome due to Katrina. Btw have you ever been to downtown Austin? I'm sure they still have tons of panhandlers.

[Antny12]

Dallas Cowboys are a diaster? Carolina Panthers? Florida Marlins? Houston Texans? Miami Heat? or the Tampa bay bucs? Come on man...be serious. And who cares if they do that? I know tons of people who are from the suburbs of Chicago but say they are from "chicago". Big deal. I doubt everyone likes living in the city where there is typically more crime, crappy schools, higher housing costs, and more noise issues. So everyone has their own taste in what they prefer..leander is literally 15 minutes from lakeline mall which is 2 seconds to "Austin". I dont live in Leander if that was an attempted jab at me by the way. And even if I did I could careless because unless I get really lucky and can afford to live in west austin, westlake hills or near 620 then I am not particularly interested in LIVInG in the city. I love to GO to the different parts of the city but not live for those reasons.

[Antny12]

SMUBOY-

I was in San Antonio for the first time today as I said, and from my view thats what I think. I didnt say it was a crap hole that no one should consider living in. I just didnt get the feeling that I get in other cities that support major teams like I do in Austin. The Spurs have and continue to get great support and I think that its awesome. There are plenty of panhandlers in Austin but I have yet to be approached...doesnt mean i wont ever be but to this point Ive been left alone. I just had an uncomfortable vibe once we left the "touristy" areas. The Riverwalk was very nice though. I didnt spend months there..just hours. I didnt mean to offend anyone. So if I did than I am sorry.

[cBach]

We have F1, that is and should be enough. No need to get fleeced by the NFL.

I don't want my tax dollars supporting the NFL. If they are so professional, they should be able to fund their own stadiums.