Quote:
Originally Posted by Regorium
Amusing thought considering the Saddledome is half a generation old and already considered "obsolete".
A new arena would not provide us with a great facility for "generations to come."
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The Saddledome was built almost 1.5 generations ago, and before modern amenities such as luxury boxes, LED scoreboards, and multi-choice concessions (there are, for example, more than 30 kinds of beer on tap at MSG) were generally found in arenas, and before concerts started to travel with elaborate sets/lighting/electronics. With its closed-in design, limited concourse area and limited ability to hang additional loads from the saddle-shaped roof, the Saddledome can never become what every other NHL arena is, and it will always be a third-rate concert venue (even Elton John is skipping Calgary in favour of Edmonton on his farewell tour). The Flames will definitely not invest any more money in the Saddledome, because there isn't anything else they can do to it structurally to improve the fan experience or increase revenue. With new revenue streams and augmented reality customer experiences becoming available at other venues, the Flames' revenue will fall behind other franchises as ticket sales become a relatively smaller portion of total revenues and player salaries escalate in response to the new revenue streams. As the income structure of the NHL changes over time, even a full Saddledome can't keep the Flames in Calgary. In spite of the claims from many that the Flames are one of the NHL's most profitable franchises, the NHL has confirmed that the Flames are already receiving equalization payments from the league. A new arena could be built to maximize new revenue streams, and could be built with the flexibility to further add or update in the future, which is not an option with the current structure.
Now, the Flames may eventually decide that the opportunities for increased revenue warrant fronting the full price of a new arena in Calgary. But being a privately owned corporation, their primary responsibility is to their owners, not to the city of Calgary, so they will make decisions based primarily on maximizing profit. As a result, the Flames would likely pay the cost of a new arena only if there was a long-term guarantee that expenses such as taxes would not significantly reduce the profitability of the franchise in Calgary compared to another location. It would not surprise me if the team quietly moved to greener pastures in five years if a new arena wasn't built by then. The Saddledome would subsequently fall into disrepair with no anchor tenant and no major events, and eventually the city would have to pay the full price of building an entertainment complex if it wanted to have any significant cultural life. So choosing not to partner with the Flames may actually cost the city more money in the long term if it wants to maintain the quality of life that its citizens currently enjoy.