They have reached a temporary agreement to keep the Saints in state for another 4 years. http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupda...ola_tpupdates/archives/2007_03_25.html#245910
Wonder if selling out of suites and season tickets, merchandise sales quadrupling, and the #1 offense in the NFL have anything to do with it?:thumb:
Now we just have to get another long term deal in place so that we can secure either more upgrades to the dome and/or a new stadium, as well as go ahead with getting another Super Bowl. It looks like negotiations for a new deal won't take place until after the Gubernatorial Election, which makes sense to me.
It had nothing to do with last year's success. Benson finally got a large part of what he has been asking for from the state ... a newly renovated Superdome, compliments of Katrina. The issue in 2010 will be a new stadium. Our next governor best not build him a new stadium and/or hand over $18.6 million a year in tax dollars to Benson. I'd like the Saints to stay, but we shouldn't pay through the nose for that to happen.
I think we have to consider the economic impact of the team. I mean just the property taxes and payroll taxes the Saints provide the state must approach that 18.6 million dollars. I would bet even with these subsidies the state sees the better end of this deal. Of coarse I have infinitley more faith in Bobby Jindal's analytical abilities than the current administrations.
There were a few studies done in the late 90's by some cities who were trying to decide if it was worth the money to build new stadiums. I believe the cities were Buffalo, Detroit, and Baltimore. Anyway all three studies determined that the NFL teams in question had an economic impact of around 100 million dollars. Those studies were all run by the NFL teams in question so I don't know how sound their numbers are. If you compare the alleged yearly value of an NFL franchise with the cost of an NFL franchise it makes much more sense to payout $20 million a year and reap $80 million alleged dollars in benefits than it is to try and reacquire a team once your city loses one. This site references the studies I was talking about.... http://www.ftballiance.org/stadiums/impact.php
Well another issue with the new stadium deal is the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl on average generates around $300 million for the city in which it is being hosted. If getting another Super Bowl to the city meant we needed a new stadium, I'd be all for it. Not to mention that at some point, in spite of all the renovations, the Superdome is going to become obsolete. Remember that it's been around since 1975. At the same time, though, having the Superdome is a significant homefield advantage and it just doesn't seem right watching a home game anywhere else. Honestly, it didn't feel right having the games in Tiger Stadium.
If we need a new stadium, we need a new stadium. However, it is ridiculous to pay Benson in leiu of a new stadium - that is money down the drain. The Saints are great for the city & many other cities have found that it is financially wise to invest in state of the art stadiums.
Don't disagree, but it should be done with taxes voted on by the people, not some backroom deal that no one knows about. If New Orleans and/or the state votes to pay more taxes to build a stadium, great, build a new stadium. That's how most cities do it, like Arlington did with the new Cowboys Stadium. We need a dedicated revenue source before committing tax dollars to a new stadium or the Saints.
