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The Seattle Seahawks are going to enter into a new era in the not-too-distant future with a new owner/ownership group. With new owners comes plenty of questions and concerns. Chief among them relates to fears of a shady businessman moving the Seahawks away from Seattle. Naturally, it's entirely understandable for the Seattle faithful to be worried about their beloved team being stolen away from them. Personally, I don't see a world where the Seahawks are whisked away like the Sonics to some other market outside of the Pacific Northwest.
However, while the Seahawks aren't likely to leave Seattle, another question somewhat related to the topic of moving does persist: will a new owner want to replace Lumen Field? Paul Roberts, a business reporter for the Seattle Times, recently published an excellent article discussing this very topic. In his article, Roberts discusses how a potential new owner will likely want to replace Lumen, as it is approaching 30 years old - the age NFL owners have apparently decided is far too old for perfectly fine stadiums to exist - but will face significant challenges in attempting to do so.
The biggest one being cost, as Roberts writes:
It's an excellent point. When Lumen was first built, Washington voters approved spending $430 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the construction. When adjusted for inflation, that number is "only" $770 million. I say "only" because these are the construction costs associated with the five most recently built NFL stadiums:
We may be a divided country, but I'm willing to bet Washington voters of all political persuasions (even the most passionate 12's) aren't going to be too keen on spending public money for a new stadium. Especially since Lumen Field, as Roberts writes, has kept up with the times.
The rest of Roberts' article is excellent, and I highly recommend it. Overall, Roberts paints a picture to explain why fans shouldn't be expecting a new stadium any time soon.
To that I say: good! Under no circumstances are the Seattle Seahawks in need of a new home. They have an outstanding one as is! Roberts delves into the economics behind this, but I want to take the time to give my two cents on the aesthetics and football reasoning for keeping Lumen. Right now, Lumen is one of the most instantly recognizable stadiums across the NFL landscape. Especially since more and more stadiums are wanting to build bland, forgettable domes that resemble toasters more than modern coliseums. Maintaining unique architecture should be a priority for every city across the country, and Lumen inarguably helps shape the iconic Seattle skyline.
Additionally, I don't mean to sound like Grandpa Simpson yelling at clouds here, but I am a firm believer football is a sport meant to be played outside. Battling the elements is part of the game, and they are what help create home field advantages everywhere! Visiting teams at Lumen Field aren't just facing the Seahawks or the 12th Man. They have to contend with the cold wind and rain of the Pacific Northwest - especially in December and January - as well. There's a reason why the Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl in every single year they've claimed home field advantage throughout the playoffs!
The league continues to shift their rules in favor of offenses. Owners want to build climate-controlled domes so their teams can play a Big 12 style of two-hand touch football where the scores are always 51-47. But that's not football, and we all know it. Keeping some elemental factors in the game will help keep football... football... and not some Madden simulation.
We can only hope the new owners aren't so purely business-focused they can see the bigger picture here than simply revenue on a spreadsheet related to pure dollars and cents. I know, I know, that's far too Pollyanna of me. But it's the only case I can make right now.
Fortunately, Lumen Field isn't going away any time soon.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: The new Seahawks owners should not replace Lumen Field
Continue reading...
However, while the Seahawks aren't likely to leave Seattle, another question somewhat related to the topic of moving does persist: will a new owner want to replace Lumen Field? Paul Roberts, a business reporter for the Seattle Times, recently published an excellent article discussing this very topic. In his article, Roberts discusses how a potential new owner will likely want to replace Lumen, as it is approaching 30 years old - the age NFL owners have apparently decided is far too old for perfectly fine stadiums to exist - but will face significant challenges in attempting to do so.
The biggest one being cost, as Roberts writes:
It's an excellent point. When Lumen was first built, Washington voters approved spending $430 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the construction. When adjusted for inflation, that number is "only" $770 million. I say "only" because these are the construction costs associated with the five most recently built NFL stadiums:
- SoFi Stadium (Rams/Chargers) - $5.5 billion
- Allegiant Stadium (Raiders) - $1.9 million
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Falcons) - $1.5-$1.6 billion
- US Bank Stadium (Vikings) - $1.1 billion
- Levi's Stadium (Seahawks vacation home) - $1.2 billion
We may be a divided country, but I'm willing to bet Washington voters of all political persuasions (even the most passionate 12's) aren't going to be too keen on spending public money for a new stadium. Especially since Lumen Field, as Roberts writes, has kept up with the times.
The rest of Roberts' article is excellent, and I highly recommend it. Overall, Roberts paints a picture to explain why fans shouldn't be expecting a new stadium any time soon.
To that I say: good! Under no circumstances are the Seattle Seahawks in need of a new home. They have an outstanding one as is! Roberts delves into the economics behind this, but I want to take the time to give my two cents on the aesthetics and football reasoning for keeping Lumen. Right now, Lumen is one of the most instantly recognizable stadiums across the NFL landscape. Especially since more and more stadiums are wanting to build bland, forgettable domes that resemble toasters more than modern coliseums. Maintaining unique architecture should be a priority for every city across the country, and Lumen inarguably helps shape the iconic Seattle skyline.
Additionally, I don't mean to sound like Grandpa Simpson yelling at clouds here, but I am a firm believer football is a sport meant to be played outside. Battling the elements is part of the game, and they are what help create home field advantages everywhere! Visiting teams at Lumen Field aren't just facing the Seahawks or the 12th Man. They have to contend with the cold wind and rain of the Pacific Northwest - especially in December and January - as well. There's a reason why the Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl in every single year they've claimed home field advantage throughout the playoffs!
The league continues to shift their rules in favor of offenses. Owners want to build climate-controlled domes so their teams can play a Big 12 style of two-hand touch football where the scores are always 51-47. But that's not football, and we all know it. Keeping some elemental factors in the game will help keep football... football... and not some Madden simulation.
We can only hope the new owners aren't so purely business-focused they can see the bigger picture here than simply revenue on a spreadsheet related to pure dollars and cents. I know, I know, that's far too Pollyanna of me. But it's the only case I can make right now.
Fortunately, Lumen Field isn't going away any time soon.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: The new Seahawks owners should not replace Lumen Field
Continue reading...
