March 07, 2006
NJ gov takes second look at Jets, Giants deal
The on-again, off-again deal for a new stadium in New Jersey for the New York Giants and Jets may have hit another speed bump: New Jersey's new governor, Jon Corzine, says he's "scrubbing the numbers" to see if they're a good deal for his state. Among the items Corzine reportedly is examining: Should the teams be required to add a $100 million roof so that the stadium can be used for indoor events? Can the state get increased rent payments in exchange for donating 65 acres of free land to the project? And should the teams be required to pay property tax on the half-million square feet of development they plan to build alongside the stadium, as East Rutherford's mayor insists they should (and is now threatening a lawsuit to enforce)?
The Jets and Giants, as you might expect, say a deal's a deal, but Corzine insists it isn't until he says so. "I don't like breaking deals," he told the Associated Press. "On the other hand, a memorandum of understanding is not a contract. We need to make sure the interests of the public are served as well as what I think is a worthy objective of having the Giants and the Jets here."
If NJ wants a roof so badly, let them pay for it. However, the teams should also pay higher fees to the state.
More importantly, will Corzine interfere with the Harrison Stadium for the Metrostars MLS team who are currently being bought by Red Bull and will be renamed the New York Red Bulls.
Posted by Bertell Ollman on March 7, 2006 02:18 PM
Personally I think it's ridicules that The Teams
declined the retractable roof in the plans. We
are talking about a stadium that costs over
$1-billion. If this stadium is completly open air, that means it will host no more than 16 home
games and maybe a couple of college football games, and that's it. Let's be realistic about one thing. $1-billion is a ridicules price to pay
for a world-Class state of the art/luxery stadium that is going to be used on such a
limited basis. At least if it had the roof it would bring in more concerts plus conventions as well as the big events - Giving this stadium a chance to be used for over 50 percent of the year
rather than under 25 percent. Isn't That what
building a stadium is all about, getting the most
out of it and making the biggest profit ?
I would not worry about the stadium roof issue.
According to previous articles the team owners have agreed that if there is no retractable roof, the stadium would still be designed to be roof ready so that one can added at any time. This ensures that there will be no regrets in the long run.
Personally I think it's ridicules that The Teams
declined the retractable roof in the plans. We
are talking about a stadium that costs over
$1-billion. If this stadium is completly open air, that means it will host no more than 16 home
games and maybe a couple of college football games, and that's it. Let's be realistic about one thing. $1-billion is a ridicules price to pay
for a world-Class state of the art/luxery stadium that is going to be used on such a
limited basis. At least if it had the roof it would bring in more concerts plus conventions as well as the big events - Giving this stadium a chance to be used for over 50 percent of the year
rather than under 25 percent. Isn't That what
building a stadium is all about, getting the most
out of it and making the biggest profit ?
Its crazy that both teams are sharing a stadium. The jets should be in ny. The nfl should award new york with another team. Jets could have gotten a better deal with queens.
Posted by dan on June 7, 2006 02:54 AM
can we get an nfl team to play in ny
Posted by jd on August 22, 2006 04:18 PM
I'll tell you something Dan. In a perfect world,
every team in sports would have their own stadium
right at the heart of the city they represent, But that's just not the case in the real world. Not every team can afford to build a home in the heart of the city they are named after, therefore you take what you can get. Trust me, It's better this way. They may be in New Jersey, But the Meadowlands is one part of the garden state that has a solid NY atmosphere to it-where you can get a good view of the empire state building & more.
Lena's Right! New York City is by far the most expensive city in the world. Kane also made a good point about the limits of the stadium use without the R-roof. If the NY Jets did build a stadium in NY they would have had to pay over $1Billion for only 8 home games a year, therefore they would not profit as much - Plus the fact that it would be tough on the NY Tax payers who already have to put up with paying for the new Yankees & Mets stadiums. How many cities do you know can really afford to pay for 3 new stadiums at the same time ?
Posted by Emmanuel on September 9, 2006 06:51 PM
Personally, I think this is the best move The NY Jets have ever made. Think about it. They team up with the Giants on a partnership deal where they can build what could be the best football stadium ever built, And the Jets building a World Class training facility in Floram Park less than 6 miles away from the stadium site instead of the Heavy traffic prone Long Island
Commute. This puts the Jets in a position where they can be more comfotable preparing for the future NFL seasons. A more comfortable team is usually a more competitive team. This could easily result in the Jets having more Play-Off
years. When You really think about it you realiize New Jersey can do alot more for the Jets than New York was really prepared to.
That's true enough Carlito. With the old Jet Banners at the Giants Stadium walls being replaced by with Revoulutionary lights in the new stadium, It puts the new Stadium in a position where it could feel like home to both teams. The Stadium walls will be lighting up green with Jet Logos during The Jets home games And it will be Lighted blue with Giant Logos for The Giants home games. It will make the stadium truly unique.
I agree with you too Carlito. It's a good thing that the west side stadium didn't take. Imagine a 75,000 seat stadium in Manhattan. That would mean over 20,000 people would go there by subway & over 50,000 people would drive there by car. Where in Manhattan can you find a place to park that many cars in the heart of the city ? The Queens district would not be that much better. There's room to build the stadium and barely enough room to build a decent parking facility, But there would be no place to build a training facility close to the stadium without diminishing
Corona Park completly. The Jets would have to continue to struggle getting in and out of the training camp through the horrible Long Island traffic. At least The Jersey Meadowlands has proven to be a world of comfort for The Jets & Giants. Both teams draw a sell out crowd every game. The parking has never been a problem. Now with both teams building a new training camp near the stadium & the parking along with the highway improving, It's going to be alot better for New York & New Jersey NFL Fans everywhere.
It seems to me that there are no losers in this situation. The Giants & Jets will more than prosper together working together rather than competing against each other. What's the old saying ? "IN UNITY THERE IS STRENGTH" Especially in this case since both teams look like they are going to raise the highest revenue in the history of the business. Through advertising, stadium naming rights, Meadowlands naming rights, and other areas of the new stadium business - The teams will profit over $600 Million in total revenue each & every year - which puts them in a strong position where they can more than afford to add a retractable roof to the stadium whenever or if-ever they choose, Not bad for a couple of teams sharing a stadium together.
Posted by Lena on September 10, 2006 02:29 AM