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Originally Posted by valo403
Unless the stadium has deteriorated dramatically in the last few years I think you're severely overstating things. It's by no means a nice stadium, and lacks pretty much anything that would be considered fancy, but it serves its purpose quite effectively.
You need to remember what that purpose is, 9-10 CFL games a year and a handful of U of C games. You can't honestly tell me that an NFL style stadium is needed to serve that purpose, that would be one of the most absurd financial wastes I can imagine. In order to justify something like that you'd need to dramatically expand the use, and honestly what additional use are you expecting?
An MLS franchise would fit the bill, but that puts us in a chicken and egg scenario and I'm not convinced that Calgary is an MLS city regardless of the stadium and I sure as hell wouldn't be funding a stadium on that basis.
Concerts shouldn't be a consideration, the one or two stadium tours that may roll through each year should be seen as a bonus, not a basis.
If you look at the stadiums used by the vast majority of NCAA programs you'd find that they aren't all that different from McMahon. Some have recent press/luxury box additions, but the base structure is still the cement slab look and the concourses are shuttered holes in said cement slabs. And these are facilities catering to 2-3x more people per event.
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You're right, I did take a little dramatic license. Its likely not going to collapse any time soon.
However, is a 50 year old, spartan, outdated facility with inadequate washroom facilities, narrow passages, bench seating and lousy concession facilities actually acceptable for the richest and 4th largest metro in Canada? Its at the end of its lifecycle and Calgary needs a facility that recognizes that our climate is not compatible for sitting outside unprotected from March to May and October to December. (even that varies)
It suits the CFL... today. But what in 5 years when McMahon becomes, bar none, the worst facility in the CFL West, and second worst in the league (unless Montreal moves to a different facility). Hamilton, Winnipeg and Regina are all getting new government funded facilities. Vancouver's just got a facelift. Rogers and Commonwealth are decades newer and better built. If Winnipeg can build a new NHL arena without a tenant, surely Calgary can build a 30-40k facility in the same caliber of BC Place?
Adding more attractions would be the basis of a new facility, be it MLS, NASL, Canadian National Mens and Womens Teams, concerts, outdoor lacrosse, or any other sport. Right now, McMahon CAN NOT do more than it does, not that they wouldn't like to... save for the random event like the Heritage Classic where the NHL/Flames will drop a pile of money (wasnt it something like $1m) to temporarily raise it to minimum acceptable standard.