Cubanbull Wrote:It is NOT a good lease but unfortunately it is what it is. The Bucs hold all the cards there. As we draw sell out crowds it will put more pressure on them to give us a better deal or lose us as tenants and the money we bring.
Leavitt has been very vocal at the fact that RJS is a great recruiting tool and that he would like USF to stay there until we are able to build something comparable. Drawing 67,000 for games would not be possible if we built a simple 45,000 stadium on campus

True...(not sure why you tried to compare it to a 45,000 seat stadium...but here ya go) but you might earn more REVENUE "owning" your own 45,000 seat stadium by keeping 100% of sky box sales, 100% of all club seat sales, 100% of all the advertising, 100% of all the concessions, and 100% of all the naming rights/other stadium partnerships/sponsorships, plus an increase in Booster Membership (i.e. almost like PSL to get a seat in a new stadium).

Right now...USF only receives tix sales from games at RJS...and USF rent goes UP when RJS has to open up the upper decks (USF has to pay 100% of those added costs...for added concession staff, security, ushers, bathrooms, clean-up, etc...).

USF does earn some $$$ from video board advertising...but I think even the Glazers get a part of that as well.

But if a team HAS to rent a stadium anywhere...RJS is one of the best around...so why not if you have to rent...rent the best.

This is why there is going to be a need for an on campus stadium years down the road. USF is going to want to have a very nice stadium on campus kind of like what the University of Minnesota is building right now. There is no need to rush and build a stadium that wont be what our fans want because we are spoiled with RJS. USF has other projects right now for their other sports before they start serious talks about a stadium, but that easy out clause with the new RJS king of makes people speculate about an on campus stadium.

Raymond James is a great stadium, but it's the Buc's stadium. USF should take a cue from UCF and build an on-campus stadium. That's the only way you get that truly great college football game-day atmosphere. It makes it like homecoming every game day.

The last time i was on Fowler avenue, they still had plenty of green fields on which to put it. Or heck just expand that soccer 'stadium'.

LOL. Hope you make it to Tampa tomorrow so you can see what 67,000 fans at RJS for a college football game sound like.
Ill take a top 10 team playing in an NFL stadium any time.

When the stadium deal was done USF was a new Division 1 AA team, the Glazers paid a lot for the Bucs and needed a strong revenue stream. Also at the time the USF program was not producing much revenue from concessions or parking, so there was not much to arguing the point. Also the idea of using on campus facilities would have prevented the program from getting to this point now that usf is a top tier 1A team they are bringing in much more revenue and the pie is bigger.

The School could and should look into putting up a stadium based upon the UCF model. The only way that the Glazers will give the Bulls a better deal is if the school has an alternative plan, the Glazers will give backs only if the alternative is that they will lose all of the revenue stream acquired by the Bulls. Better to have a part of a share than none at all. If the bulls do build have to build a new stadium they will be able to use it for other sports and events and then USF will get all of the concessions.