The Acee post morphed into an Ideal Stadium Size post so I figured we might want to beat up that topic in a separate post.
A lot has changed since the initial SDSU West proposal was shown to the public about 18 months ago. The passage of time and submittal of competitive proposals has given us all a chance to reflect.
It certainly makes sense for the City of San Diego to attract an MLS franchise. Consider our proximity to the border and the futbol fans in our midst. And some of us feel the NFL has gotten way too big for its britches and is pricing itself into an elitist entertainment option that has no future legs.
Soccer stadia around the world aren't limited to 35,000 fans, or whatever number feng shui would consider to be ideal. If the entertainment option is priced right and the product is good, the right-sized stadium is the one that meets the demand for seats.
I'd say the same criteria apply to big-time college football.
So here's my bottom line ... and it's the bottom line.
San Diegans have not shown a tendency to spend public money on sports facilities. You can square that tendency when applied to public universities.
So let's say our product remains good, and we're in a sold-out 35,000 seat stadium. The options will be to expand the stadium to meet the demand, or charge more for the seats to create more revenue ... because it's always about more revenue.
If we charge more for the seats, we constrict demand; and when the product isn't as good, who wants to pay the big bucks? So now we have a smaller stadium and can't sell it out.
The alternative is to expand the stadium to meet the demand. There goes another $250,000,000, or whatever. And where does that money come from, and what does it take to sell the notion, say, seven or eight years after the stadium is constructed? The momentum to fund and construct a stadium exists today, but will to be there in 2030?
So my vote is to build the larger stadium today and do everything we can to put fannies in the seats. There's no NFL competition, so it should be easier. If we lever the new stadium, higher academic standards, and a continued good product, into P5 membership - which should really be everyone's goal - filling the stadium would be infinitely easier.
So I vote for a 50,000 seat Aztec stadium with good sightlines, futbol compatibility, decent parking/public transportation options, and $2.50 beer (well, that last is unattainable but it's fun to dream).
PS, most of us posters remember when Jack Murphy Stadium was open to the view of the mountains to the East. That's my idea of feng shui. It's no coincidence SDSU's architect is making that central to the design.
