DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Jimmy Haslam

Maybe it's me - But Haslam once again being tone deaf to his home town market. A permanent dome? NEVER. even a retractable dome .... pffft.

I've lived through Hue and now this Watson debacle. This is too much. GFU Jimmy Haslam. jmo

I think a retractable roof would be wise. The stadium just wouldn't be for the Browns. The city could host many more events like Indy, Minni, Detroit, etc do. Progress is a good thing.

I agree.

This.

Build that dome! Look forward to this when it happens.

This * 2;

This X 3

I think a retractable dome would be good for the city of Cleveland. They're talking about one here in Nashville as well. I highly doubt that Haslam's motivation for suggesting that a dome be built is about the city itself. It's obvious when you sign a great passing QB you want the proper conditions for him to succeed. That brings the idea of a dome into the picture for him.

But regardless of his personal motive, he's still correct that it would be good for Cleveland. At least the tax payers would get more of a return on the investment of such a stadium.

The only retractable stadium I have been in is the Diamondbacks stadium. It is horrible. You feel closed in and oppressed. it is not at all like being in an open stadium when the roof is open. Maybe that's not typical - maybe others are gorgeous, and a retractable roof can be incorporated and it feels 100% "open" when the roof is not closed???

Makes sense.

Being along the Lake doesn't help with maintenance costs.

They just don't build stuff like they used to...

Now we have disposable stadiums.

I agree it could be good for the city. Much more opportunity to host many other events.

Bad for the city, as the tax payers would be footing most of it, as well as people going to the city in hotel taxes, etc.

I've been to the Cardinals stadium. I thought it was nice.

Oh I certainly agree in terms of local taxpayers footing most of the bill. In regards to people coming from out of town I'm not sure we're on the same page. The difference as I see it is that local taxpayers have no choice. If the stadium is approved they are forced to help pay for it no matter if they approve of it or not. They may never go to that stadium and still be required to help pay the bill.

When a fan makes a decision to come in from out of town they have a choice. They can decide on their own whether they wish to help pay the bill on that stadium through paying a higher tax rate in order to do so. So while I agree with you that taxpayers having to foot the bill for these stadiums is not something I approve of, I don't object nearly as much when people have a choice in deciding if they are willing to or not. And in the grand scheme of things that increased tax is a tiny percentage of what the trip itself will cost so I doubt many will change their mind based on it.

Sadly if people wish to keep an NFL team, they have to provide state of the art stadiums. It's what happens when business has the option of holding cities hostage by threatening to relocate. Cities that do not have a team will pay a kings ransom to get one. We experienced that first hand. A city that cried about their team being stolen, the Colts, turned around and did the exact same thing to another city and NFL fan base. It's a reality I'm sure neither of us like, but a reality none the less.

I'm not questioning that you felt that way, but I highly doubt most would. I don't feel that way at a concert venue when they're enclosed. I think it might be a change that would possibly take some getting used to because most of us are used to attending sporting events outdoors. But for some reason I feel that if I am not feeling enclosed at the 2500 seat concert venue, I wouldn't feel enclosed in a 60k seat stadium with a vastly high roof. And from the retractable dome stadiums I've seen, no the roof doesn't retract to the point that it's "exactly" like a fully open air stadium, but pretty close.

Do people go for the stadium for football? Or for the stadium?

The current stadium was done in 1999 if memory serves me. Should the taxpayers be expected to, let's say this would go through by 2026 - would/should the local tax payers be expected to foot a 2-4 billion stadium? And then in another 26 or 27 years do it again?

I get it, a dome would make a new stadium much more accommodating to host many more events, year round. I'm must not certain there is/would be a payback period for the citizens.

And the neat thing is, I don't get a vote, and yes, I have a choice as to whether I attend games or not, and spend the night or not. But I don't go to Cleveland for JUST a football game/s. Wife and I have some favorite spots, and going there for a short weekend is something we used to like to do.

I get up to Glendale on the rare occasions when the Browns visit.

While the screens, retractable roof and roll-out field are impressive, I still find the experience claustrophobic and artificial.

jmho

I guess you must have missed the part where I totally agreed with you about local taxpayers footing the bill? Oh well. I understand that football and the use of this stadium isn't the only reason you go to Cleveland. I must not have made myself clear about any of what I posted. I don't like that any tax payers have to foot the bill for a billionaire's stadium. In the end you still have the choice whether to go to Cleveland or not. I have a feeling that if they build a dome you might also be going to attend concerts or other events at that stadium too. I don't expect you to like it. I don't like the idea here in Nashville either.

But the choice is pretty simple. If you want to keep an NFL team, that's what has to be done. Once again, I don't like that. It's just the reality. No need to start a fight. We actually agree.

I think the idea is absurd. And using 10M per year to justify 1B+ on a new stadium is even dumber. The plans submitted last year for the lakefront development project were well thought out, made the entire area beautiful, made the current stadium much more accessible, and was a win-win for everyone involved. What happened?

And that's fine. I enjoyed the game there, Browns Cardinals in.......heck, I don't remember2004 or so? When Winslow caught the pass in the endzone....ruled out of bounds.

I've been to Detroit, and Indy for games, and yea, totally different in a dome - like, you almost speak quieter.

But, for the single game I was at in Arizona, it was great - roof was open. Great atmosphere, and truthfully, great fans.

2007. Winslow definitely caught the pass in bounds according to the rules then. DA had a decent game.

And you're right. The Cardinals fans are pretty cool.

We were in AZ a couple years ago for Christmas and ended up at the Tucson BB. An awesome group of people, and the place was packed at the end of a bad season.

For the longest time and even now, I was/am against a dome in Cleveland. But the reality of the economics is such that the stadium needs a year round income stream to remain viable.. A compromise would be a retractable dome that could remain open so you could have natural turf while being closed for bad weather. I hate it but I recognize that it's really needed.

It's goofy to think in 2022 a stadium without a roof would be built.

We needed a dome when the last stadium was erected. My preference would be a retractable, and that might be the only kind to build these days. Open it up for the nice weather games, then close it up.

If you can't use a facility like that 12 months a year, there isn't going to be a ROI.

The 21st century is 21% over. Maybe it's time to join it.

I'm with you.

One of my favorite games PLAYING, was the mud bowl. In high school. Get in a 3 point stance on O OR d, you hand sunk almost to your wrist - not quite, but close.

Both teams dealt with the same thing.

I get the cleanness of a dome. I get some teams need a dome - Green Bay doesn't.

I also get a dome would make the stadium available for events throughout the year, winter included.

Yes, but we have fans that say things like this:"This is too much. GFU Jimmy Haslam"

High level thinking.

I get it completely, I love outdoor games in bad weather, and it’s a shame that the stadium was only built 23 years ago and now might be replaced. I say keep the roof open for football, always.

But.

Times change. An all-weather facility will bring in more revenue opportunities, and investment in a city’s infrastructure is usually a good thing. Even if a taxpayer NEVER sets foot in a new stadium, he still benefits because, in theory, it’s good for the city as a whole.

However, I’d be curious to see how much Haslam is willing to kick in to help pay for it.

As little as possible.

I really don't disagree as it pertains to the way "I like football" to be played. But let me ask you about your statement in bold. "Football is a game that was made for outside."

Wasn't it created at a time when there was no choice but to play it outside? There were no "indoor stadiums" at that time. No venues that were large enough to entertain such a crowd size which were under roof. No domed stadiums, before retractable domes. I'm not sure if football was made for outside or if outside was the only option for football at the time.

j/c:

Personally, I think there are certain weather conditions that hurt the integrity and quality of the game. I don't feel that way about snow or rain games. Not even cold weather games. But, those games where the wind is blowing so fiercely that it incapacitates both teams. Remember the Buffalo/New England game last year. Didn't NE only attempt 3 passes or something like that? That wasn't a good game to watch or play in.

To add to that, what they could control was when it was played....it was pretty much over at Thanksgiving for the college regular season NFL championship was over by mid Dec.

Bowl games weren't played in places like Cleveland or Buffalo. People with some common sense decided to control bad, cold weather and play them in places like New Orleans, Miami or Pasadena.

Cool. We all have opinions.

Do you move your TV out in to the open yard on cold, rainy days to watch games? Nothing like watching games in the elements.