Bucs Don’t See Need For A New Stadium
April 1st, 2021
Upgrades? Yes. New stadium? Hold your horses.
Once upon a time, when a stadium was built (you pick, football, baseball, hockey arena) it was meant to last 50 years or more. Those days are long gone.
Now, stadiums 25 years old have teams looking to move or to build a new nest.
When asked yesterday in a Zoom press conference about The Licht House (officially known as “Raymond James Stadium”), the home of the Bucs, being an “adequate” facility “for the long-term,” Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer sure didn’t sound as if the Bucs need a new stadium any time in the near future.
That doesn’t mean upgrades won’t be in order.
“The work we did a few years ago, really was well-received,” Glazer said. “The facility is in very, very good shape. Our stadium is fan-friendly. Our fans love it. We get a lot of people from out of town — always rave reviews.
“So, you always want to keep updating the stadium. There is always more to be done. Things change. Things evolve. The fan experience is more important than ever. So we will keep doing things to update that stadium, to update Raymond James Stadium.
“We feel we have a very good facility. But you always have to look at improving it and upgrading it and we will.”
Just to spitball here, but Joe would think a bar/restaurant year-round connected to the stadium would be both wise and smart. Jacksonville used to have a “Bud Zone,” which was excellent for getting out of the heat but still be able to watch the game (or any other game on its many TVs). Green Bay has a microbrewery inside Lambeau Field that is open year-round.
A Bucs fan could dream of a partial roof like Joe Robbie Stadium currently has in South Florida after a recent upgrade?
Down the road, Joe would not be surprised whatsoever if there was a sportsbook at Raymond James Stadium. With half of the nation’s states having legal sports betting and several others with pending legislation, it seems only a matter of time before legal sports wagering comes to Florida. In some states, stadiums are allowed to host sportsbooks (imagine the river of revenue from that).
It’s refreshing to hear the owner of an NFL team whose stadium is starting to get gray hairs pass on the chance to bang a drum about needing a new crib.
April 1st, 2021 at 12:19 am
The Colosseum in Rome can stay up for 2,000 years but we gotta always build and tear down in America.
A stadium built in 1998, to me, is still relatively new. Now, something like the Astrodome or MSG, that’s different. It’s like when I’m talking to someone about “old” and “new” music: The Beatles and the Kinks to me are old bands, while bands like Pearl Jam or the Red Hot Chili Peppers are still pretty recent to me (not exactly new), but you know what I mean.
April 1st, 2021 at 1:49 am
I still consider our stadium as new. ..silly talk
April 1st, 2021 at 3:59 am
“We get a lot of people from out of town…” Yeah, too many from out of town who support the other team.
“A Bucs fan could dream of a partial roof like Joe Robbie Stadium…” As someone who used to have season tickets up top on the east side, man, that a partial roof would have been so good to have.
To be honest, I never was a huge fan of RJS, not even a big fan of the ship or the cannons. It seems kind of Disney-like or something along those lines.
Plus, the shape of the stadium and the angled ends seemed pretty basic. Seattle’s stadium looks great, in my opinion.
I actually preferred the old Tampa Stadium. That had a good look to it– although or course it was outdated. Anyway, with two SB championships and one on that very field, you can’t destroy history and build another one so soon.
April 1st, 2021 at 5:43 am
Stadium Lives Matter.
April 1st, 2021 at 6:00 am
Patrick I like where you’re coming from, but it’s not about the longevity of reinforced concrete and steel; as usual it’s about the $.
In Tampa’s case, luxury boxes and club seating plus staying elite to lure more Superbowls, CFP games and mega-concerts. The Glazers are right, just gotta keep it maintained now. I like Joes idea of adding some shade too.
In Charlotte’s case for another example, there is rampant new stadium talk here, because the den of the stinking panthers sits on too valuable of land in uptown (aka downtown literally anywhere else) to be consumed by a multi-acre tax break. Same with their practice facility next door, which is being abandoned in the next year or 2, and soon to be developed.
Follow the money. Especially in real estate. And especially at this magnitude.
April 1st, 2021 at 6:22 am
“We don’t need a new stadium”, said no owner EVER
April 1st, 2021 at 8:18 am
If we had an indoor of probably go to a few games a year.
April 1st, 2021 at 9:04 am
The current stadium has hosted more Bucs games than the Big Sombrero. Funny to think about that.
April 1st, 2021 at 9:33 am
I like Joe’s recommendation for the bar/restaurant added to the stadium, particularly if it were a brew pub. Speaking of which, I visited the new Big Storm brewery at Amway Arena and it was great. Excellent location with plenty of outdoor seating and free on-street parking (non game days), and near Exploria Stadium (MLS Orlando City). A similar addition to RHS would be welcomed. One last thing, I have had my season tickets since 1997 and I love our stadium. How cool is it to have palm trees and a pirate ship in your stadium. Keep improving it, but there is no need to replace it.
April 1st, 2021 at 10:03 am
Few Thoughts:
-I remember the shade roof in Miami going way, way over budget. There is a reason teams aren’t following in their footsteps.
-I didn’t appreciate RJS until I visited other ones. In particular, our concourses are wider than the ones I’ve been to.
-The ship is dope.
-A post on here may be the first time I’ve ever heard of someone preferring Tampa Stadium to RJS
-We need escalators that don’t jam up (or whatever) so easily
-Stop putting so many players in the Ring of Honor and diluting it
-Go Bucs
April 1st, 2021 at 10:24 am
I’ve been to a lot of football stadiums. Lucas Oil in Indy is fantastic.
Dallas doesn’t even count. It’s basically ridiculous in obscene kind of like the new Yankee Stadium 😂
And I’ve been to a lot of baseball stadiums. (I still like Coors Field the best)
Raymond James is a great stadium but it absolutely needs some shade.
April 1st, 2021 at 10:35 am
The stadium is fine and I 100% agree with you that there needs to be year round, Bucs related activities there. I know other stadiums do this. Whether that a restaurant, shopping, and other family activities. It doesn’t matter. Have something to stay connected to the fans during the off season.
April 1st, 2021 at 10:36 am
Denver has “Monument Park” outside the stadium w/ plaques dedicated to their ROH members along with a few memorializing huge moments in Broncos history. People go and sit and eat lunch in the park. It’s gorgeous. The Bucs need something like that.
April 1st, 2021 at 11:00 am
Joe Robbie stadium sucks arse ! I don’t know whether the lame roof gave me that impression or something about the geometry of the stadium versus others I’ve been in. I didn’t like that lame partial roof but perhaps if it blocks out shade it’s servings it’s purpose. Although my seats are in the 100s , it seems that roof is saving mainly the high 300s, why bother ? Lol !
April 1st, 2021 at 11:50 am
I thought Joe Robbie was a fine stadium. Been to much much worse. The football team stadium in DC is terrible for example. And the Superdump has always been a joke (slapping the name Mercedes Benz on it does nothing) The main problem with Joe Robbie is its location. It is nowhere near Miami.
April 1st, 2021 at 11:53 am
It’s Hard Rock not Joe Robbie and was built in 1987. Ray Jay opened in 1998. They’ve done a great job restoring with the huge TVs. I have been begging for a cool, working half roof for a while. Nows the time if you wanna sale some tickets.
April 1st, 2021 at 5:42 pm
Just give us some damn shade, like they did in Miami.
April 1st, 2021 at 5:47 pm
Shade Shade Shade
April 1st, 2021 at 6:08 pm
The upper deck sucks. They should at least shade the concourse area. The problem with these new stadiums is they were built outward away from the field. So you’re not only going higher but outward. The old sombrero just went up so you were still close to the field.
April 1st, 2021 at 11:44 pm
If anything they should make it an indoor stadium. New Oeans, Atlanta, Miami, Houston & Dallas have it & that’s why the Bucs should do it along with Jacksonville & Carolina. Especially when it starts get hot during football season & especially when there are times it might rain during the games.