NO NEW STADIUM. You don't throw out something that's a classic. I agree that large sums of money need to be spent to make Tiger Stadium a shining star, but never replace it. There's too much history there. And it's a gorgeous architectural piece.
Replacing the upper west section is already out for bid, I've seen the plans. I've heard that they might not be replacing it all at the same time due to time restraints, but it will mirror the east. I believe the long term goal is to continue the upper section on the North and South ends also. If it increases capacity by 20,000 @ $30.00 a ticket for 7 home games that comes to 4.2 mill in just ticket sales....if they can sell that many. The company I work for was involved in the East side expansion and will probably do the west also.
The new west side is the only sure thing. Enclosing the uppers is an extremely LONG term plan that would rely on the continued success of the team and demand for more tickets. If we are not selling out 95,000 then there will be no need to add more sections.
It would be nice to tear out the West deck and make it like the new one. I don't think they ought to try to close the upper decks in completely; we don't consistently fill the seats we have now. Also, for the construction fellows out there - I know that neither of the upper decks is supported by the old stadium, but how much longer can those old sections continue to support the weight, and take the pounding that they do? They have been there a long time. How much have concrete-and-steel construction techniques changed in the last 70-plus years? It would seem that one of these days we're just going to have to build a new place. I love Tiger Stadium.
