Facility Notes

Raiders Owner Al Davis yesterday “addressed reports that the league is pushing the Raiders and the 49ers to explore building a stadium together.” Davis confirmed that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “has asked the Raiders to look into building a shared stadium with the 49ers.” Davis: "The commissioner has said from time to time that he would like us to go in with them." Davis “would not confirm how he felt about sharing a stadium with his cross bay rivals but he said the Raiders would explore all options” (NBCBAYAREA.com, 1/18).

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: Greg Nelson, Chief of Staff to former L.A. City Council member Joel Wachs, in an L.A. TIMES op-ed writes of AEG's proposed events center, “Los Angeles taxpayers should be concerned that AEG has not explained where the money would come from to rebuild the Convention Center's lost West Hall space.” AEG has estimated the replacement cost at $350M. But Nelson writes if the plan “eventually calls for the cash-strapped city to sell 30-year bonds to pay for it, the total cost would ultimately push north” of $1B. Nelson: “Despite AEG's assurances to the contrary, it's hard to believe that Convention Center bookings wouldn't be affected during construction of the replacement for the West Hall space, thereby reducing the revenue needed to make payments on the existing bonds. Those who believe that taxpayers should subsidize more economic growth in this part of downtown should ask whether a new football stadium and its handful of events is the best option. Maybe just expanding the Convention Center would be a better asset for downtown and the rest of the city” (L.A. TIMES, 1/19).

FROZEN IN TIME: In Nashville, Josh Cooper reported the Nashville Sports Council, Bridgestone Arena and the Predators “hope to bring college hockey’s signature event, the Frozen Four," to the city. Predators President & COO Sean Henry said that Nashville “plans to bid for the 2015 or 2016 event if the city meets all the NCAA criteria to host.” The NCAA will accept bids for the ’15 and ’16 Frozen Fours beginning in November, and a “decision on the host cities for those years will be made in spring 2012” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 1/18).

LIFE IN THE DOME: In Indianapolis, Tom Spalding noted a new dome on the Univ. of Indianapolis campus will be part of the school's Athletics & Recreation Center, a "multipurpose facility to be used mainly for intramural sports and track and field." An artificial turf football field will “eventually be installed for use by the NFC Championship team before” next year’s Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Construction will cost about $6M, with “some funding provided by the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/19).