OT - Syracuse Athletics has announced $205 million of Carrier Dome renovations...

[CaribouJim]

http://www.scout.com/college/syracuse/story/1670314-carrier-dome-renovations-announced

I went to all the @ SU games while MU and SU coexisted in the BE. Although the place is kind of a dump it was cool to be there with that crowd and plentiful beer. Definitely needs a makeover though. $100 million for the roof alone - yikes!

[MayorBeluga]

Good thing there's not a bubble in college athletics finances and that the TV money will continue to multiply annually forever. Otherwise, spending $205M might be kind of questionable. :rolleyes:

[TheSultan]

I'm sure they are fund-raising a bunch of it. And if the alternative is building a new football stadium and basketball arena, this option might make the most sense.

[Goose85]

I'm sure they are fund-raising a bunch of it. And if the alternative is building a new football stadium and basketball arena, this option might make the most sense.

Good point Sultan, we think basketball but this is also a football stadium. The Badgers in recent years did close to $100 million in renovations to Camp Randall, on top of other renovations in the past decade or so for which I think they may still be paying debt service. The Badgers paid $6 million or so to upgrade wifi service a few years ago too.

College football stadiums cost a lot of money, and I'm sure there are a lot of the big conference athletic departments that are sinking a ton into their stadiums.
I guess another reason why playing in the Bucks facility is not a bad deal.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

Good point Sultan, we think basketball but this is also a football stadium. The Badgers in recent years did close to $100 million in renovations to Camp Randall, on top of other renovations in the past decade or so for which I think they may still be paying debt service. The Badgers paid $6 million or so to upgrade wifi service a few years ago too.

College football stadiums cost a lot of money, and I'm sure there are a lot of the big conference athletic departments that are sinking a ton into their stadiums.
I guess another reason why playing in the Bucks facility is not a bad deal.

Its like renting an apartment vs owning a home, depending on your financial situation either or can have its perks.

[MayorBeluga]

Admittedly I am not privy to the Syracuse decisions, but most of us are in agreement that the free-flowing money from networks to college athletics will dry up at some point. Also, higher education costs are on an unsustainable trajectory. Is spending $200M on the Carrier Dome right now a good idea? From the perspective of an outsider, it seems questionable, at best.

[AlexJesswein]

Admittedly I am not privy to the Syracuse decisions, but most of us are in agreement that the free-flowing money from networks to college athletics will dry up at some point. Also, higher education costs are on an unsustainable trajectory. Is spending $200M on the Carrier Dome right now a good idea? From the perspective of an outsider, it seems questionable, at best.

Could make the same argument for the new MU training center/fieldhouse

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

I guess it all comes down to how it is being paid for...

[Goose85]

Admittedly I am not privy to the Syracuse decisions, but most of us are in agreement that the free-flowing money from networks to college athletics will dry up at some point. Also, higher education costs are on an unsustainable trajectory. Is spending $200M on the Carrier Dome right now a good idea? From the perspective of an outsider, it seems questionable, at best.

I think with most of these projects for college athletic facilities, the funds come from the athletic department revenue, and not the university itself.

[IWB]

Yes, but remember that Syracuse is much like Louisville. It isn't just a school, it isn't just a college basketball team, they are the city's team. In places like Louisville it doesn't matter if you went to Louisville for school, it doesn't matter if you went to school at all, you are a Louisville fan. I am sure the same goes for Syracuse.

Marquette is a school of 11,000. With that becomes many alums as well as fans that did not go to MU (me) that make up the entire fanbase.

Syracuse has 144k people, the metro area has 665k.

Milwaukee is excited about a new arena for the Bucks and Marquette. Milwaukee also has the Brewers in town, the Packers, Badger football & basketball close by.

Syracuse has no NFL, no NBA, no MLB, all they have is minor league baseball & hockey. Syracuse basketball and football is the only big time sports they have, so this is about more than just the University, it is the whole Syracuse metro area.