DrewD007
- Woodridge, IL
Quick trip up the stairs and then use the concourse. Also I may have just imagined it, but I believe there is an open area under the lowest rows of seats that could make for a tunnel if need be.
Memorial Stadium Renovation
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Quick trip up the stairs and then use the concourse. Also I may have just imagined it, but I believe there is an open area under the lowest rows of seats that could make for a tunnel if need be.
I just don't see how that's a $100 million solution.
And forget the $100 million now, the indoor facility was $12.5mm, the Guenther renovation was another $100 million.
Inflation-adjust those numbers, throw it into one pile, go back to our circa-'99 status quo ante and you're telling me with all that money for renovations our players are going to be climbing up icy concrete stairs in cleats outside in the dead of winter to go to and from practice? Really? They aren't going to have an adequate place to park? Really? We have 5 rows of prime seats we can't sell and our student section is up in some horrible floating island? Really?
It's time to get this stuff right.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Oh, c'mon. Players aren't going to wear cleats in that scenario. They'll change into their cleats when they get to Irwin. Problem solved. Is it ideal? Of course not. But it works.
South Farms
- near Ogden & Rt 83
my lord, how did the guys who wore leather helmets ever survive ?
Same could be said of our circa-'99 situation. Why bother sinking a quarter of a billion dollars?
The arms race is a little ridiculous, I will grant you. But you accept the challenges as they are.
It can't be We Will Win If or We Will Win At. Gotta be a period at the end. Seamless modern excellence is the state of the competition in football facilities. All 13 other Big Ten schools are going to spend what's needed to get there.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Conflate much? The issue was player safety (and, secondarily, convenience). Now, you're pivoting to the arms race.
Quality of the facility is going to matter much more than where it is located. Look at Clemson- they take a Bus from their locker room to the stadium, which in turn provides an electric entrance and one of the most unique traditions in College Football.
But that is the arms race. I'm not conflating, I'm saying they're the same thing because they are.
Check out Iowa's new facility, check out what Purdue is planning, check out what Minnesota is planning. It's the football player's entire life under one bright, shiny roof. This building will be your home and you'll have everything you'll need here. That is what we're competing against. This isn't Bama and Oregon, this is everybody now.
We're gonna spend ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS and still have these chintzy loose nail elements of what we're presenting to recruits and expecting our players and staff to work with? The all-in cost of Oregon's Jetsons-era masterpiece that everyone drools over was $68 million. Now, what does that translate into in State of Illinois public expenditure dollars? A fair and depressing question. But still. This is enough money for an A+
Those of us who grew up playing football in stinky, gross used pads on mostly dirt fields and in rusty, dank locker rooms that you're sharing with every other team at the high school find all of this a little ridiculous. I'm with you. But you either accept the competition you find yourself in or you accept losing, period, end of story.
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Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
I think Whitman gets it. Yes, we're absolutely in an arms race. Am confident Whitman will put together a very good plan and make it happen.
Trust but verify :thumb:
They make it work. They make it first-rate. That's all I'm asking.
And by the way, Clemson have now broken ground on the most ridiculous facility in the country. So much so that you wonder if it isn't a little shark jump-y. Laser tag? Mini golf? It's all a bit Chuck-E-Cheese for me, but regardless, they're going for it.
Can we at least get a brief presser on what they're even THINKING about doing? Renderings would be a dream...
Chieftain13
- StL
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
Agreed. That looks excellent !
Can we please not post in this thread until we have something official? The excitement of new posts kills me, lol.
Definitely would be similar to what I would like. I personally would be fine with more luxury boxes at the top like that, as long as they can fill it. A winning team would certainly do that!
Yeah that reno looks great, but let's win first. Otherwise we'll just be building empty seats, making the stadium look even more empty. Rest assured, though, #wewillwin
Not sure anyone is talking about adding seats, just making better use of the seats we have by putting them closer and making the whole end zone more functional for the team and more comfortable for the fans. Somebody in row 10 of that end zone will probably be willing to pay just a little more than the person in row 10 of our shoe being 40 some yards back further. :thumb:
It's the facilities that really matter. Ultimately moving the seats closer to the field is about the space you open up to build the facility back there.
peace davids
- Colorado
Imagining this in Memorial Stadium makes me very happy. Do this, finish the east side concourse to match the west, make some modifications to the NEZ to better tie it into the stadium (patios and lounges on both sides), and we might be in good shape.
I wish we had OU money. I know we do pretty well, but I can't imagine that big of a build without some winning football and some increased revenue.
Boy is that thing gorgeous, though. Timeless looking.
DrewD007
- Woodridge, IL
Projections have the B1G paying out $25 million/year more than they do now with the new media deal in a couple years, which is why Whitman was able to pay Lovie. This increase will help pay for these projects.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
When we start winning, attendance should burgeon, along with revenue.
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