Keith D. McEntire
Tabor College
David Mace
Abstract
As the mayor of Anytown, USA an opportunity to secure a big opportunity that could solidify the town as a top tier tourist location. While there are numerous opportunities and costs that come with this decision, this paper will seek to evaluate and ultimately decide a path for Anytown to pursue. The primary issue that this paper will address is that Anytown does not have a suitable facility to house the team. How does Anytown expect to attract a professional sports franchise without a facility to place them in? This paper will address these questions and any others that reveal themselves as Anytown pursues a franchise or not.
“In the Los Angeles area, there are options for a proposed stadium on the former site of Hollywood Park in Inglewood and a proposed stadium in Carson where the Chargers and Raiders would play,” (Peter, 2015). As big towns like Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and St. Louis battle to keep or attract NFL teams to their locations, the biggest concern the teams face is stadium and facility concerns. The established football teams know that if they are to draw fans and their wallets to events and maximize profits, the teams have to provide quality entertainment in a quality establishment. In the 2012 NFC Championship game in San Francisco, California, the 49ers were about to play to a home crowd. The energy demands for the biggest game to be seen in that facility in over a decade caused a nearby transformer to explode and delay the game. The infrastructure surrounding the legendary stadium was starting to show its age and the need for a new stadium was mandatory. This kind of example can apply to any league, any sport, and any high-populous town. Anytown, USA is considering such an investment. What are some key details Anytown will need to consider as they consider what the future opportunities can bring?
1. Creating an expansion team or lure an existing team?
2. In what order should Anytown implement, team first-stadium second or stadium first-team second?
3. What extent would the team enhance the local economy?
4. Should the stadium be publicly funded or privately financed?
5. The mayor’s position on the issue.
First, should Anytown look to create a new fan base or relocate fans by bringing an existing team to town?
Expansion Team or Existing Team
In 1995 something happened in the NFL that caused a town to fight the league as hard as they could. “Art Modell would be allowed to move the Cleveland team to Baltimore, but he would not be allowed to take the Browns history with him,” (“Cleveland Browns (1946-1995, 1999-Present),” 2015). Baltimore was able to lure the Browns out of Cleveland with a new stadium that the Browns could not obtain my staying put. While Baltimore looked to lure an established team, what ended up happening with the fight between fans and football resulted in an expansion team being created. The opportunity that Anytown currently holds is that there are teams who are in similar situations and are possibly looking for a new town to call home. The question Anytown needs to consider is if the town can supply the demand for a new or established team.
If Anytown can supply the demand for an established team it has to achieve a few requirements before any team will seriously consider their offer. Will the demand for a team exceed the current demand that provides profits from their current location? If the demand for the team is high and Anytown is willing to pay the price for the team, it could be a profitable situation for both the team and Anytown. This philosophy could apply to both an expansion team and an established team. Anytown could provide certain incentives to the league and a potential team to help draw more appeal to this offer. However, the big problem Anytown still faces is the lack of establishment to house this team.
Is the cost of planning and