(01-10-2023 02:28 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:25 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:12 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:10 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:05 PM)msu35 Wrote:  We all have our opinions. You cling to the OCS concept as being the only way. It is my belief that market (and being a winning brand facilitating said market) trumps all. There is evidence to support that. Even the Tennessee Speaker of the House recently commented on efforts to elevate Memphis to a P5 conference facilitated by state funding, and never once did he state that an OCS is integral to that effort. You are in a position to better know what is necessary than him?

I can guarantee you everyone on this thread has thought more and knows more about an OCS vs Liberty Bowl expansion than the esteemed Speaker.

You're entitled to your opinion, but I have my doubts. People don't get to that level of government without serious networking and being plugged directly into the ol' boy network.

I agree with you. The ole boy network is firmly behind continuing to line their pockets off the Liberty Bowl. An OCS has never been discussed in Nashville BECAUSE of the ole boy network.

Proof?

Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:28 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:25 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:12 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:10 PM)Claw Wrote:  I can guarantee you everyone on this thread has thought more and knows more about an OCS vs Liberty Bowl expansion than the esteemed Speaker.

You're entitled to your opinion, but I have my doubts. People don't get to that level of government without serious networking and being plugged directly into the ol' boy network.

I agree with you. The ole boy network is firmly behind continuing to line their pockets off the Liberty Bowl. An OCS has never been discussed in Nashville BECAUSE of the ole boy network.

Proof?

Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

Let us not forget this gem, from the message board messiah, msu35:

https://csnbbs.com/thread-962123-post-18...id18689597

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Unbreakable04 Wrote:  Let us not forget this gem, from the message board messiah, msu35:

https://csnbbs.com/thread-962123-post-18...id18689597

Sure, I didn't follow Tigers football in 2008, and I only joined the board a year ago. That's called ignorance.

Quote:ignorance
ĭg′nər-əns
noun

The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.

You on the other hand are what is known as stupid, demonstrated often, especially when you go off on these tangents that aren't even on topic or relevant to what is being discussed. Then again, you do have significant challenges with both reading and the comprehension thereof.

Quote:stupid
stoo͞′pĭd, styoo͞′-
adjective

Slow to learn or understand; obtuse.

Let me know if you have further questions.

P.S.

Messiah? That's quite the honor. I forgive you that lapse as I am certainly not the Messiah, but I can still forgive you.

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:28 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:25 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:12 PM)msu35 Wrote:  You're entitled to your opinion, but I have my doubts. People don't get to that level of government without serious networking and being plugged directly into the ol' boy network.

I agree with you. The ole boy network is firmly behind continuing to line their pockets off the Liberty Bowl. An OCS has never been discussed in Nashville BECAUSE of the ole boy network.

Proof?

Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

Exactly. It has been this way for 100 years. Hotel and restaurant owners have their own stadium. It was used to host neutral site SEC games. Now it has the SHC and the bowl game - both neutral site games. That matters because fans from both sides have to have lodging and food. (NOTE: In the past, Memphis retailers were on this train as well. Neutral site SEC games brought big crowds to town in the months preceding Christmas. The collapse of the department store and in-person retail in general makes them much less of a factor today.)

Then the Big XII carrot gets dangled out there. Those aren't neutral site games, but there are six home games a year. Out of those at least four would be Big XII teams with decently traveling fan bases. All of sudden there is money to upgrade Liberty Bowl stadium. All of sudden the stadium sells it naming rights. It seems obvious this is all related. Without the Big XII carrot, I don't think the Liberty Bowl gets these upgrades.

With the Big XII more doubtful now, I wouldn't be surprised to see the plans scaled back some. The opening of one end of the stadium to accommodate large touring productions does need to happen for the venue to survive. I don't think it will be as nice as it might have been if the Big XII had happened.

(01-10-2023 03:17 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:28 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:25 PM)Claw Wrote:  I agree with you. The ole boy network is firmly behind continuing to line their pockets off the Liberty Bowl. An OCS has never been discussed in Nashville BECAUSE of the ole boy network.

Proof?

Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

Exactly. It has been this way for 100 years. Hotel and restaurant owners have their own stadium. It was used to host neutral site SEC games. Now it has the SHC and the bowl game - both neutral site games. That matters because fans from both sides have to have lodging and food. (NOTE: In the past, Memphis retailers were on this train as well. Neutral site SEC games brought big crowds to town in the months preceding Christmas. The collapse of the department store and in-person retail in general makes them much less of a factor today.)

Then the Big XII carrot gets dangled out there. Those aren't neutral site games, but there are six home games a year. Out of those at least four would be Big XII teams with decently traveling fan bases. All of sudden there is money to upgrade Liberty Bowl stadium. All of sudden the stadium sells it naming rights. It seems obvious this is all related. Without the Big XII carrot, I don't think the Liberty Bowl gets these upgrades.

With the Big XII more doubtful now, I wouldn't be surprised to see the plans scaled back some. The opening of one end of the stadium to accommodate large touring productions does need to happen for the venue to survive. I don't think it will be as nice as it might have been if the Big XII had happened.

You repeat this over and over and over, and yet every single indication is that it will and will be fully funded with a combination of the school, city and state pitching in.

There isn't a single thing to support anything that you keep repeating. You said a few times that you think that one side will be done and the other will stay untouched. Is that still in play?

(01-10-2023 03:23 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:17 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:28 PM)msu35 Wrote:  Proof?

Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

Exactly. It has been this way for 100 years. Hotel and restaurant owners have their own stadium. It was used to host neutral site SEC games. Now it has the SHC and the bowl game - both neutral site games. That matters because fans from both sides have to have lodging and food. (NOTE: In the past, Memphis retailers were on this train as well. Neutral site SEC games brought big crowds to town in the months preceding Christmas. The collapse of the department store and in-person retail in general makes them much less of a factor today.)

Then the Big XII carrot gets dangled out there. Those aren't neutral site games, but there are six home games a year. Out of those at least four would be Big XII teams with decently traveling fan bases. All of sudden there is money to upgrade Liberty Bowl stadium. All of sudden the stadium sells it naming rights. It seems obvious this is all related. Without the Big XII carrot, I don't think the Liberty Bowl gets these upgrades.

With the Big XII more doubtful now, I wouldn't be surprised to see the plans scaled back some. The opening of one end of the stadium to accommodate large touring productions does need to happen for the venue to survive. I don't think it will be as nice as it might have been if the Big XII had happened.

You repeat this over and over and over, and yet every single indication is that it will and will be fully funded with a combination of the school, city and state pitching in.

There isn't a single thing to support anything that you keep repeating. You said a few times that you think that one side will be done and the other will stay untouched. Is that still in play?

We'll have to wait and see. In my defense, look at the quote from the Speaker. To me that says money is available for a P5 Memphis. We don't have one. So there is going to be some money we might have gotten that we aren't going to get. Maybe that wouldn't be stadium money? Maybe not. We'll see what we get. Hell, there aren't even plans yet.

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

That's not proof. That's speculation and conjecture. I'm not the one making the accusations, hence the request for proof. I would also suggest that not everyone agrees that an OCS is preferable.

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Stammers Wrote:  Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

Okay, so let's say the Liberty Bowl will attract 20,000 out of town visitors to the sum of $10,000,000 annually. For the sake of discussion, I won't dispute that figure, but how is that any different than 20,000 out of town visitors coming to the city to watch games in an OCS? They won't be staying on campus and will still require the services of the same private hotels and restaurants. Are you suggesting that $500 is to be collected by the city through city-owned concessions?

(01-10-2023 03:28 PM)Claw Wrote:  We'll have to wait and see. In my defense, look at the quote from the Speaker. To me that says money is available for a P5 Memphis. We don't have one. So there is going to be some money we might have gotten that we aren't going to get. Maybe that wouldn't be stadium money? Maybe not. We'll see what we get. Hell, there aren't even plans yet.

There is absolutely nothing in his statement that supports what you're asserting here.

(01-10-2023 02:21 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:16 PM)Stammers Wrote:  There is no doubt that an OCS is infinitely better than LB renovations. Anyone who says otherwise is crazy. It would immediately lead to a huge increase in donations, the endowment will increase incrementally over the long haul, and would connect the student body to the campus. A 42,000 seat stadium with luxury boxes and modern amenities would increase attendance and would make the game day atmosphere amazing, even when it is only 2/3 full. It follows naturally, that it would lead to younger generations wanting to come to the school, which will lead to an increase in enrollment, which is a crucial shortcoming right now.

BUT...no need to make hundreds of posts over and over about how the admin sucks, the AD sucks, the stadium sucks, the renovations will suck. We get it. What YOU guys don't get is that the money isn't there for an OCS, and this is also an infinitely better solution than doing nothing.

An OCS is a "nice to have" for the (distant) future, but I stand by my belief that it is not an absolute necessity to upgrade to a P5 conference, which should be the ultimate goal. Once we're in, the financial disparities diminish accordingly, and then the topic of an OCS can be revisited based on our new circumstances. Upgrading our existing facility to bring it to a more modern standard will certainly not hurt our efforts in any way, and I agree that it's infinitely better than doing nothing (or complaining about an OCS ad nauseum.)

I won't say it's an absolute necessity, but compared to all the other P5s Memphis is the only one in this situation. I can't remember who asked it (I want to say it was Marc Mensa, but I could be wrong), about how the other P5s looked in comparison to Memphis in having both football and men's basketball playing in municipality owned facilities (and maybe off campus as well). From what I found at the time, NC State was the only one that came close to looking like Memphis. However despite their football stadium being considered off campus (3 miles from the main campus) they built it on land they owned and they own the stadium.

(01-10-2023 03:08 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Unbreakable04 Wrote:  Let us not forget this gem, from the message board messiah, msu35:

https://csnbbs.com/thread-962123-post-18...id18689597

Sure, I didn't follow Tigers football in 2008, and I only joined the board a year ago. That's called ignorance.

Quote:ignorance
ĭg′nər-əns
noun

The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.

You on the other hand are what is known as stupid, demonstrated often, especially when you go off on these tangents that aren't even on topic or relevant to what is being discussed. Then again, you do have significant challenges with both reading and the comprehension thereof.

Quote:stupid
stoo͞′pĭd, styoo͞′-
adjective

Slow to learn or understand; obtuse.

Let me know if you have further questions.

P.S.

Messiah? That's quite the honor. I forgive you that lapse as I am certainly not the Messiah, but I can still forgive you.

Ouch, that cut deeply, I am so triggered.

The topic you are discussing is one you willingly said you never knew anything about. I know it's difficult for you to keep up with the 25 different threads you comment on with your constant, uninformed drivel. Plus, the time spent researching big words on the internet to then try and understand them before using in a sentence. That hamster on the wheel up there must be very tired.

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:28 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:25 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:12 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:10 PM)Claw Wrote:  I can guarantee you everyone on this thread has thought more and knows more about an OCS vs Liberty Bowl expansion than the esteemed Speaker.

You're entitled to your opinion, but I have my doubts. People don't get to that level of government without serious networking and being plugged directly into the ol' boy network.

I agree with you. The ole boy network is firmly behind continuing to line their pockets off the Liberty Bowl. An OCS has never been discussed in Nashville BECAUSE of the ole boy network.

Proof?

Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

Marc - why does it rain?

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:28 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:25 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:12 PM)msu35 Wrote:  You're entitled to your opinion, but I have my doubts. People don't get to that level of government without serious networking and being plugged directly into the ol' boy network.

I agree with you. The ole boy network is firmly behind continuing to line their pockets off the Liberty Bowl. An OCS has never been discussed in Nashville BECAUSE of the ole boy network.

Proof?

Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

So that again leads back to the problem that has always plagued the university, this project is not for us, its for the city. Its suits the needs of the bowl game. It suits the needs of the SHC’; yet its still too big for us & it does nothing to help build much needed student/alumni connection to campus.
Currently, the city & the contractors need us for justification of the expenditure, but they will stop needing us once its done & we’re locked in for the next 50 years. The university could have made this case without the city. They could have even offered it up to the pro soccer team & also been given the opportunity to host the Blue Cross Bowl on campus on a rotational basis. Instead, they’re locking themselves into another misguided boondoggle with the city. Make no mistake, the state will not earmark any more money for the university to build on campus for another 50 years. That dream dies with this project.

(01-10-2023 03:37 PM)Alanda Wrote:  I won't say it's an absolute necessity, but compared to all the other P5s Memphis is the only one in this situation. I can't remember who asked it (I want to say it was Marc Mensa, but I could be wrong), about how the other P5s looked in comparison to Memphis in having both football and men's basketball playing in municipality owned facilities (and maybe off campus as well). From what I found at the time, NC State was the only one that came close to looking like Memphis. However despite their football stadium being considered off campus (3 miles from the main campus) they built it on land they owned and they own the stadium.

Aesthetically, having an OCS could be a nice thing to have. If it will improve donations to the program, even better. Still, I don't believe it will be a requirement to get into a P5. That is the goal here, am I wrong? To elevate to a P5 conference so that we can share in the revenue and compete on a level playing field?

The Liberty Bowl is certainly not on campus, but at only two miles away, it is closer than many OCSs at P5 schools. Since we're not going to get an OCS, it is pointless to argue about it. What we should all be doing is donating to the NIL funds as that's going to make a big difference to our recruiting and retention efforts.

(01-10-2023 03:38 PM)Unbreakable04 Wrote:  Ouch, that cut deeply, I am so triggered.

The topic you are discussing is one you willingly said you never knew anything about. I know it's difficult for you to keep up with the 25 different threads you comment on with your constant, uninformed drivel. Plus, the time spent researching big words on the internet to then try and understand them before using in a sentence. That hamster on the wheel up there must be very tired.

Being stupid and all, I realize it is difficult for you to understand, since you don't have the same capacity. But check this out, I have since read the report and I'm up to speed. Thank you for your concern, and yes, I agree. You are certainly triggered and it is distracting the adults, so go back to your corner and let the men talk.

(01-10-2023 03:33 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Stammers Wrote:  Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

Okay, so let's say the Liberty Bowl will attract 20,000 out of town visitors to the sum of $10,000,000 annually. For the sake of discussion, I won't dispute that figure, but how is that any different than 20,000 out of town visitors coming to the city to watch games in an OCS? They won't be staying on campus and will still require the services of the same private hotels and restaurants. Are you suggesting that $500 is to be collected by the city through city-owned concessions?

This is a good discussion. There were 52,000 at the bowl game this year. I can't prove it, but I would estimate 10,000 were locals and roughly 40,000 were out of towners. That's double your 20,000 estimate. Average of two nights in a hotel with average of say $150/person. That's 6 million in hotel revenue.

Quote: HOTEL taxes inMemphis
Tennessee state tax is 7%.
Memphis local tax is 2.25%
Memphis lodging tax is 6%.
Total tax for a hotel room in Memphis is 15.25%.

There is 915,000 dollars in tax revenue. 495,000 in Memphis taxes.

In addition you get sales taxes on all food. Gas taxes. Rental car taxes.

Plus the city gets parking and concession revenue from game day sales.

It's a lot of money for the city. It's a lot of money for the hotels. It's a lot of money for the restaurants.

I suspect my numbers are too low. A lot of people spent more than two nights here, and some of them paid more than that for their rooms per person.

It's a lot of money.

(01-10-2023 03:48 PM)Claw Wrote:  This is a good discussion. There were 52,000 at the bowl game this year. I can't prove it, but I would estimate 10,000 were locals and roughly 40,000 were out of towners. That's double your 20,000 estimate. Average of two nights in a hotel with average of say $150/person. That's 6 million in hotel revenue.

Quote: HOTEL taxes inMemphis
Tennessee state tax is 7%.
Memphis local tax is 2.25%
Memphis lodging tax is 6%.
Total tax for a hotel room in Memphis is 15.25%.

There is 915,000 dollars in tax revenue. 495,000 in Memphis taxes.

In addition you get sales taxes on all food. Gas taxes. Rental car taxes.

Plus the city gets parking and concession revenue from game day sales.

It's a lot of money for the city. It's a lot of money for the hotels. It's a lot of money for the restaurants.

I suspect my numbers are too low. A lot of people spent more than two nights here, and some of them paid more than that for their rooms per person.

It's a lot of money.

So the number quoted isn't the figure for visitors to Memphis home games, but specifically for the bowl game and perhaps the SHC? If that was the implication, it makes sense, but perhaps a bit low a you suggest.

(01-10-2023 03:52 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:48 PM)Claw Wrote:  This is a good discussion. There were 52,000 at the bowl game this year. I can't prove it, but I would estimate 10,000 were locals and roughly 40,000 were out of towners. That's double your 20,000 estimate. Average of two nights in a hotel with average of say $150/person. That's 6 million in hotel revenue.

Quote: HOTEL taxes inMemphis
Tennessee state tax is 7%.
Memphis local tax is 2.25%
Memphis lodging tax is 6%.
Total tax for a hotel room in Memphis is 15.25%.

There is 915,000 dollars in tax revenue. 495,000 in Memphis taxes.

In addition you get sales taxes on all food. Gas taxes. Rental car taxes.

Plus the city gets parking and concession revenue from game day sales.

It's a lot of money for the city. It's a lot of money for the hotels. It's a lot of money for the restaurants.

I suspect my numbers are too low. A lot of people spent more than two nights here, and some of them paid more than that for their rooms per person.

It's a lot of money.

So the number quoted isn't the figure for visitors to Memphis home games, but specifically for the bowl game and perhaps the SHC? If that was the implication, it makes sense, but perhaps a bit low a you suggest.

Right. A Tiger's home game doesn't draw many out-of-towners IN OUR CURRENT CONFERENCE. It's does generate some restaurant business from in-towners. And it does bring in some hotel business, but not in those kind of numbers.

If you were in a P5 conference, you could expect 5 to 10K opposing fans to come in for a Tiger's game. The other assumption is we would draw more from the surrounding area. Those people will stay overnight as well. If you get 40,000 over the year, that's like adding another Liberty Bowl game's worth of revenue. If we could draw 100K visitors over the year, we would become the controlling event in town instead of the bowl and SHC.

(01-10-2023 03:28 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:23 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:17 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 03:02 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(01-10-2023 02:59 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  Why is the legislature willing to shell out 400+ million for this public/private behemoth of a project at the Liberty Bowl… in the name of helping the UofM get into a P5 conference; but its not willing to shell out 200+ million to help the university build an OCS?
If all agree an OCS is preferable then why is the legislature only willing to earmark the money to Liberty Park?

Obviously, it is in the state and the city's best interests to fund a municipally owned stadium, that the city will continue to own, especially when you factor in that it will guarantee the viability of both the LB and SHC. If 20,000 fans come in from out of town and spend a paltry $500 each, that is $20 million per year in revenue to the city.

Exactly. It has been this way for 100 years. Hotel and restaurant owners have their own stadium. It was used to host neutral site SEC games. Now it has the SHC and the bowl game - both neutral site games. That matters because fans from both sides have to have lodging and food. (NOTE: In the past, Memphis retailers were on this train as well. Neutral site SEC games brought big crowds to town in the months preceding Christmas. The collapse of the department store and in-person retail in general makes them much less of a factor today.)

Then the Big XII carrot gets dangled out there. Those aren't neutral site games, but there are six home games a year. Out of those at least four would be Big XII teams with decently traveling fan bases. All of sudden there is money to upgrade Liberty Bowl stadium. All of sudden the stadium sells it naming rights. It seems obvious this is all related. Without the Big XII carrot, I don't think the Liberty Bowl gets these upgrades.

With the Big XII more doubtful now, I wouldn't be surprised to see the plans scaled back some. The opening of one end of the stadium to accommodate large touring productions does need to happen for the venue to survive. I don't think it will be as nice as it might have been if the Big XII had happened.

You repeat this over and over and over, and yet every single indication is that it will and will be fully funded with a combination of the school, city and state pitching in.

There isn't a single thing to support anything that you keep repeating. You said a few times that you think that one side will be done and the other will stay untouched. Is that still in play?

We'll have to wait and see. In my defense, look at the quote from the Speaker. To me that says money is available for a P5 Memphis. We don't have one. So there is going to be some money we might have gotten that we aren't going to get. Maybe that wouldn't be stadium money? Maybe not. We'll see what we get. Hell, there aren't even plans yet.

Seriously, wth are you talking about?