If You Build It, They Will Come

The amount of money involved in professional sports today is staggering!  The extravagance of stadiums, player contracts, ticket prices and the value of teams is almost beyond comprehension.  Regardless of the high costs we still love to watch our sports, perhaps more than ever before.

There is something to be said about attending a college/professional sporting event in person.  Even if you do not have the best seats there is something about the sounds, smells, electricity of the crowd and the fact that you can say "I was there."

As a spectator I have observed that there are three elements in the evolution of the facilities that host large scale sporting events.

New sports venues over recent decades have increased accessibility, improved comfort features and amenities, created better seats and sight lines and are arguably more aesthetically pleasing.  Comfort control, retractable roof and options to buy gourmet food are all par for the course.  As a spectator I must say that I do not miss old venues with nicknames like "barn" or "dump" regardless of their nostalgic appeal.

A second element in the evolution of sports venues is the shift in philosophy of the game day experience going from fan to corporation.  Simply put, seats for fans have been replaced with corporate luxury boxes or suites.  A good example is Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.



Compare the press box in the before picture in the top photo to the massive block of corporate suites in the photo on the bottom (after renovations).  I do not blame schools/teams for taking advantage of the opportunity for financial gain, more power to them.  Suites offer the opportunity to watch a game in luxurious opulence, but at the price of sacrificing seats for the average "true" fan.

All the benefits of the new venues come at a price.  An increase in comparative cost should be expected as new venues have more/better facilities and features.  Here are a few examples of "nice" stadiums from recent days gone by compared to "nice" stadiums of today.

Houston Astrodome:  1965, $35M ($278 in 2018 funds)
Houston Reliant Stadium (NRG):  2002, $352M
Verdict:  reasonably similar price

Texas Stadium:  1971, $35M ($221M in 2019 funds)
Cowboys Stadium:  2009, $1.2B
Verdict:  steep increase in expense, cost due to ego?

Los Angeles Rose Bowl:  1922, $272K ($3.4M in 2018 funds)
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: 1923, $1M ($14 in 2018 funds)
Los Angeles Rams/Chargers stadium:  expected opening fall 2020, estimated cost $5B
Verdict:  staggering increase, hard to grasp

Modern sports venues are a pleasure to patronize with their features and comforts.  A high ticket price may be the price you pay (no pun intended) for the improved experience.  The choice of attending or not attending an event is up to the individual.