Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago3rd
Has anyone done a study to show how much San Antonio has done to keep the Spurs in S.A.? I voted for the Alamo Dome because the Spurs threaten to leave then they threaten to leave after that and they had the public build the AT&T Stadium....then they say they want more money.
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The Dome was not built for the Spurs. It was built to attract an NFL team. The team moved to the dome after Red McCombs decided he could make more money with the basketball configuration, suites and concession contracts that he managed to get. The city welcomed this after it became apparent that no NFL team was coming and they needed someone to use the facility. The city then promptly tore down the Hemisfair Arena and built a parking garage for the convention center (another short-sighted move; they took away a venue for parking).
As far as the city spending tax money for the team, there were probably two occasions: raising the roof of the Hemisfair Arena (mutually beneficial to the team and city; although the structural support for the upper level created the famous "obstructed views") and the at&t center. You could counter that spending with the advertising benefits the city gets from name recognition and national television coverage of the team. Besides the city totally embraces this team, it's all they have.
I think the city made a big mistake by not working harder to locate the arena downtown. That's when going to a game was a real night out. People would go downtown to eat, go to the game, then stop at a bar afterwards. This was locals going downtown at least 41 times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring). Since then, downtown businesses mostly cater to tourists. The current location by the Freeman is horrible; there is no reason to stay. In fact there is every reason to leave.