Michael Bidwill Calls Stadium Cornerstone Of Cardinals' Rebirth
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Cardinals Have Sold Out Every Game
At Univ. Of Phoenix Stadium Since '06 Opening |
With the Cardinals set to appear in their first Super Bowl Sunday, Cardinals President Michael Bidwill said Univ. of Phoenix Stadium was the "cornerstone of the resurgence" of the franchise, according to a Q&A with the WALL STREET JOURNAL's Matthew Futterman, as part of the paper's "Long Toss" feature. Bidwill said of Sun Devil Stadium, in which the team played until '06, "We were in a college stadium, the only team in the league playing in a college stadium. It was outdoors in the scorching desert. We averaged around 35,000 fans a game. We had no naming rights, not too much signage, we got limited concessions and we had no parking revenues. The suites were so high no one wanted to pay to sit in them." Bidwill said of building Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, "A lot of cynics said we would never sell out or that we would sell out our first year and that's it. Well, we're three seasons into it and we've sold out all 32 games. It's an air conditioned stadium. We've got naming rights and concessions and parking, and guess what? It works." When asked how he changed the "culture of the Cardinals to make people believe they could win," Bidwill said, "I made sure we had people committed to building a championship team here. That was the goal. We needed the new stadium to give us the revenues. We made some changes in the front office because if you didn't buy in to what we wanted you had to leave. Then with [Ken] Whisenhunt we got a coach to lead in the locker room." Bidwill said the "tepid fan interest and the difficulty selling out" the Cardinals' Wild Card playoff game against the Falcons was a "combination of the economy and the holiday season" (WSJ.com, 1/27).
REDEMPTION: In Chicago, David Haugh writes Super Bowl Media Day yesterday gave Cardinals Owner Bill Bidwill a chance to "show a human side not often seen." Perhaps never before has the "often reclusive Bidwill been so happy to see so many reporters." Bidwill yesterday "dismissed any idea that he ever considered selling the Cardinals when futility had become as much of the franchise's trademark as the red bird on the helmets." Bidwill: "It never crossed my mind. I love the business, I'm accustomed to it. I don't let it get to me if we have a bad game or a bad year. I just go back into it and try to get better" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/28).
LEAVING HIS MARK: ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski writes one of Steelers Chair Dan Rooney's "lasting football legacies might have more to do with" the Rooney Rule "than with another Super Bowl ring." Former Colts coach Tony Dungy: "Dan Rooney is one of those guys who can get everybody to listen. Sometimes good ideas don't get listened to. But if Dan Rooney thinks this is a good idea, maybe we should try that" (ESPN.com, 1/27). In N.Y., Tim Smith writes perhaps the "strongest evidence of how successful the Rooney Rule has been is the presence" of Rooney and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin "holding court at Raymond James Stadium Tuesday for Super Bowl media day" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/28).
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