Unless I have missed it, I have not heard any news about this for some months. Just curious if this still moving along or has it been canceled.
It has been over one year since Williams Brice Stadium project became an idea.
- Thread starter RUMMENIGGE
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Hearing the board of trustees have a lot of issues with developing property in a flood zone and putting the university at risk. A lot of fans do not want the seating capacity reduced anymore. Florida is going through the same at Ben Hill Griffin stadium and it was mentioned reducing seating capacity and a lot of fans and boosters really expressed their views that they did not want seating capacity reduced. With all that is going on I do not expect this to be approved. Just my opinion. Just grapevine talk nothing to base except for what I have heard. A billion dollars is a lot of money and to be frank that is a lot of risk that in my opinion I would not move forward with this. Too much liability and uncertainty.
I think the downsizing trend in favor of amenities for which people pay extra will continue. We're not going back to $15 tickets, in my estimation.
Yeah, ain't no stopping that. Us commoners that pay $55 for a ticket are irrelevant. They'll make a lot more money on luxury seats, and that will jack up prices for the remaining seats. They'll price us out of games, then tell us we should take that money we were spending and send it to collectives. lol
This is one area where RT fumbled the ball big time. And he admitted that he went public with it too quickly, and didn't understand the nuances of what this would entail. I've read they're progressing on land transfers and such. The flood zone is an issue, but not insurmountable. I think the delay is more about interest rates and funding than anything else. Remember, this was all supposed to be private capital funded. When the rates skyrocketed, I think they hit the pause button....like many other commercial development projects have. But I did read that there has been progression on zoning and land transfers. So SOMETHING is happening. It's just a lot slower than expected.
I know I have loved all the work they have put into the South Lower endzone where I have my 4 tickets. They did get me good several years ago when they redid the restroom under the stands. They reversed the men's and women's restrooms. First game that season I almost walked into the wrong one before the game. Having been in the South Lower for many years prior I was used to going to the right restrooms and just did not pay attention to the sign. Thankfully I realized my mistake before actually entering into the restroom.
It has become an expensive hobby with the 4 tickets including seat fees and club dues plus the cost of the RV lot for the season but it is all well worth it to me. My kids have told me time and time again how much they enjoyed growing up going to all the home games and being part of our Gamecock family we have been part of for as long as they can remember.
My friend you understand. Developing propertyin a flood zone for 1billion dollars to put the University at risk is not good business. Easy when you are spending someone else's money as Ray Tanner wants to do. The sooner Ray Tanner can retire the better. No one in their right mind is going to invest where there is so much liability. Reducing seating capacity for more luxury booths is not the answer. Sooner or later and it might be sooner a lot of fans and supporters will just walk away. Then who is going to pay $10 for a beer and $10 for a hotdog. Best thing to do is to leave the seating capacity at where it is. Several schools in California have already cut out sports on the mens and womens side.
Most of my attendance now is with a friend who sometimes has an extra ticket in the West Lower with access to the club level. Naturally, I pay him. He has four tickets, parking in Gamecock Park, and has been a Full Scholarship donor for many years. He also has two season tickets to both men's and women's basketball. His son and grandchildren have loved attending all these events. I think their companionship and joy are really what he is paying for. I don't blame him one bit, but it is an enormous outlay for a private individual not tied to a business or company.
They could enjoy companionship going fishing or camping for a lot less.
I think the only possible brakes on collectives would be not having them become tax exempt nor contributions to them become tax-deductible. Shoot, states might want to jump in there and tax them.
Don't feel bad, I've actually walked into the Women's room on the West Lower. I didn't stay. I hated sitting in the South Lower every time I've been there. The Club part takes way too long to get food or drinks and is too crowded. It's also difficult to get to your seat if you are in the middle of a row of big people. I did have to notify security when somebody was sitting in my seat and wouldn't move. They had bought a fake ticket. I had the digital one.
You know what, though, my daughter-in-law is office manager for a group of commercial builders in Lancaster County and they are building commercial property hammer and tong. They haven't slowed down a bit. What might be the case in the home sector is not affecting the business sector, so far as I can tell.
Cretans, rabble, a lot like those Tennessee fans who still come down here in rusty Vegas. They probably were feeling pretty self-important until you got them to move.
I love being in the South Lower. I have been in the South Lower for about 18 or so years now. Dead center in section 12, row 28 behind the goal post. I never have any issue getting food are drinks. I do get the cushions with seat backs on them to keep people from sliding into my seats. Being in the center, on a crowded game, we had issues with people expanding their seating areas and crowding into our seats. With the seat back things, it eliminates that. Everyone around my seats are season ticket holders so we rarely have people thinking our seats are theirs. My cousin has the four seats directly behind me.
We try and get into the stadium about an hour and a half before kickoff and sit at a table in the club area and have a few beers before the game.
Unless they're already so busy harassing successful people that they have to hire 30,000 more to scavenge collectives.
My friend I was talking about does the same thing with the same effect. Of course, an entire stadium full of armchair seats (with cupholders
) would be even more effective in combating seat encroachment.Technically the university won't be at risk. It's all private money. Risky, but not nearly as impossible as some think. The majority of the city of Charleston is a flood zone.
I agree. I would love it if they did that to our area. They keep saying that they are going to put an entrance/exit at the top of the stands connecting to the second level of the club area. That was supposed to be part of the last big renovation they did but it got scrapped on that project. I think they would have to get rid of the top two rows of the south lower. But those seats are horrible anyway. I had seats on the top row of section 13 one year and you had to lean sideways to see the field because the upper deck blocked the view. And no way you can see any of the video board at all.My friend I was talking about does the same thing with the same effect. Of course, an entire stadium full of armchair seats (with cupholders
I've been there. We shouldn't have any obstructed views in our football stadium. You can't see the back of that south end zone from the top seats in the upper deck at that end, either, as I recall.
We do a lot of that stuff as well. And we are in the RV lot so we do the camping while also doing Gamecock football at the same time. We love doing all that with our family and friends. 100% worth every penny it cost us IMO.
So is most of the Lowcountry, including Yemassee, Bluffton, HHI, Ridgeland and Hampton. The Combahee River is 2 miles from my house normally. It is now less than 1 mile. The swamps are full and overflowing from rain and drainage from further upstream. We don't need any rain until March when trees
I have sat in the East Club several times with no obstruction. I was in the noon sun there once and had to move up. The Clubs there are good. I do know that the section closest to the North End Zone cannot see the videoboard.
Look at the insurance premiums for homeowners and other business ventures in Charleston. Lots of people and business cannot afford the high insurance premium. Nothing is free even when it comes to private money, they too have liability. Why do you think a lot of insurance companies have pulled out of Florida with the dangers of floods, hurricances and other acts of God. Last year with the fires in Hawaii a lot of the people who owned homes did not have homeowners insurance because the premiums were so high. Anyone that thinks that just because there is some private money involved that USC will not be liable to some extent is fooling themselves. Nothing in this life is free except for the people who steal, burn down homes, on and on. Talk to a lot of citizens in Charleston and ask them how much their homeowners and business insurance is.
Yep, they all complain about it but they ain't leaving. I get all of that, but there damn sure isn't any shortage of new development going on in CHS or FL. That's my only point. I think the flood plain deal is a bit overblown. The risk avoidance is more about interest rates and financing than a manageable flood plain.