Monday, Save Our Stadium, Hughes — the group opposed to CSU’s proposed on-campus stadium — brought a sports economist to analyze the projections made by consultants hired by the university.
Joel Maxcy, who SOS brought, said the financial and attendance projections CSU provided were overly optimistic. This argument about financial projections, which made up a majority of Maxcy’s presentation, completely misses the point of what CSU hopes to accomplish with an on-campus stadium. Focusing on financial projections simply moves the discussion in the wrong direction and acts as a way for SOS to spread useless rhetoric.
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Should the stadium be built, the university has made it clear that the success of the on-campus stadium will be judged in more than just revenue — it’s about improving the football program, increasing the visibility of the university and much more. Revenue is only part of the package.
The truth is, revenue projections are just that, projections, and no one — neither SOS or CSU — knows how much the stadium will make. Logic alone says an on-campus stadium will make more than Hughes Stadium currently does.
It’s important for both supporters and opponents of a potential on-campus stadium to realize that the proposed on-campus discussion doesn’t begin or end with potential revenue.
As long as the funding for a possible on-campus stadium comes from private donations and not from students’ already increasing tuition, as President Tony Frank promised, the stadium is a great idea for CSU regardless of projected revenue. It’s about boosting CSU as an institution and making that diploma we work so hard for a little more valuable.