As PJCS expansion fundraising hits halfway mark, timetable may speed up
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2nd half of goal is always the toughest. Still, very impressive how U of L has been able to raise $$$ so fast. Maybe the fan base is growing?
The fan base is growing for sure. UL has an awesome product to sell right now, and Jurich has turned the football and basketball games into pretty big social events.
Sorry this gets a little OT...
This effort is just another example of why you want to keep pro sports of all forms away from Louisville, the most obvious threat being the NBA. Much of this money is corporate money that will go to the best available form of local sports entertainment.
And we don't wanna learn that lesson the hard way once an NBA team with a huge naming rights deal and 50 corporate suites moves in and siphons off these same funds from U of L...
This effort is just another example of why you want to keep pro sports of all forms away from Louisville, the most obvious threat being the NBA. Much of this money is corporate money that will go to the best available form of local sports entertainment.
And we don't wanna learn that lesson the hard way once an NBA team with a huge naming rights deal and 50 corporate suites moves in and siphons off these same funds from U of L...
Zipp, You don't have to worry. Put the shields down, Scotty, and save your energy. No major-pro teams will now ever come to Louisville. UofL cagily won the strategic fight. The price of admission for Major-Pro Teams has now gone to $500M-$1B, at the bottom end.
No individual in Louisville is worth even close to $1B. Most major corporate entities have left or are leaving the city. You don't have to worry any more.
Those were foolish investments made by Nashville and Indianapolis. We've proven we know better.
The Airport thanks everyone around here that they don't need to arrange any more direct or non-stop service. It's nice now that Corporation HQ's are leaving and that there's no threat of new transport needs materializing.
Life is easy and good.
Guardman, I don't think we'd support a pro football team or a pro bball team very well, because we have the cards. but pro soccer or hockey could be legit. that said, pro sports are not sure fire catalysts for economic growth, and our lack of one certainly is not a reason why corporations would leave the city??
I think the only "major" pro sports team (sorry folks, soccer ain't major) that might get the support needed to survive would be MLB and, of course, that would be very, very iffy. And it would be totally dependent upon being a winner or loser. And, I do disagree about having no billionaires in the Metro Area. There are several. Just because the "so called listings" don't mention them they are here. What the hell, UofL's major supporter that passed a year or so ago was a billionaire. So there you go.
GO CARDS - BEAT EVERYBODY!!! God Bless America!!!
GO CARDS - BEAT EVERYBODY!!! God Bless America!!!
Owsley was not a billionaire. Not even close. He was a very fine hard working man from a great family and he gave virtually everything he had to UofL or Bellarmine and to other causes, including his Museum. At one point he was the richest person in Kentucky, but never came close to a billion.
There are a number of people in the Metro who are worth $100m or more, including a very few who are worth $300-400m.
The richest people in Louisville Metro favor arts, education and helping the poor, and the broader concept of "giving back". Two or three of them, if they got together and pooled resources, and WANTED a Pro Team, could afford a cheap small market-type MLB team. But Cincy and MLB would never allow a team in Louisville.They TOGETHER could also afford a small-market type NBA team. To go after an MLB or NBA team, they would risk much of their net worth. It's too big of a dice roll.
NHL cannot be supported. NFL cannot be afforded ($1B-$1.5B) and would not be permitted to locate in the Cincy/Nash/Indy triangle by the NFL. MLS is not major now, but will become so over time, but even there, MLS does not mention Louisville in its 20-year expansion plans. MLS can be afforded, but needs someone in Louisville that can risk half of their sizeable family fortune.
There are no oil billionaires in Louisville. There are few Tobacco millionaires left.
There is still coal wealth, but it is not much in this state.
There is healthcare wealth, but even there, most of it is now out-of-state. Jones is the last remaining healthcare local with great wealth (but NOT $1B).
Novak was very successful with Yum, and he is also aggressive. He does not have close to $1b, but he has a lot. He is the one person, but he was burned once and I doubt would ever try again.
I could get into this discussion with you ad nauseum, but suffice it to say I have spent and do spend most of my life thinking about these things. Doesn't mean I am right.
Pro Sports are either leading or lagging indicators of a community's interest in growth of size and importance and relative power. Most Pro teams succeed. The NBA and NFL are built for automatic financial success.
Airport commercial scheduled service passenger takeoffs and landings (not UPS) are a strong indicator of the quantity and quality of commerce in an area.
Pro Hockey is a REAL STRETCH in Louisville KY.
Pro Soccer might work, but would require zealots and MONEY and risking of Family Fortunes.
Corporations leave cities because the weak/weaker/weakest get "taken out". Loss/Gain of Corporate HQ's is a measure of how much reserve capacity for discretionary investment (the ability for instance to buy and finance teams) may remain.
G'man I must respectfully disagree with your comment about Owsley. And there are several others that could be mentioned but I'm not going to get into a pissing contest over that issue. You are right about pro sports here and the only one that might stand a realistic chance is the "non" major sport of soccer. I say non-major because all you have to do is look at the TV ratings for soccer and you'll see what I'm talking about. Now somewhere in the future that may not be the case, i.e. the new UofL soccer facility, but reality is the truth.
GO CARDS - BEAT EVERYBODY!!! God Bless America!!!
Owsley was my friend. He was not worth $1B, but was as close to it as any in Kentucky have ever achieved/attained. I met and talked with him privately and also in his home many many times. He was one smart/committed person. UofL has received so much from Owsley Brown Frazier. Owsley was not like the Binghams. He gave back in very long-lived meaningful/quantifiable ways. He was invested in the community as so many others now or since are not.
The only pro teams Louisville can realistically get are Pro Soccer, Arena League Football and maybe a WNBA franchise that is willing to relocate here. What would be good with these three leagues is that all are played in summer so they would not be in direct competition with UofL. Legit Arena League Football can be fun to watch and we as a community have shown that we support women's basketball and men's soccer at UofL. I think it would be win-win-win.
WNBA is very affordable (but makes little to negative profits) but they won't locate into a city that does not have an NBA team. Policy. Connecticut is the Exception.
For Pro Soccer, someone in Louisville needs to have $180m that they can lose ($100m for the stadium and $80m to buy a franchise and support and stock it).
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FWIW, this link shows the 11 largest US metros without a major pro sports team. Major Pro Sports teams are defined as those in NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS.
The WNBA is not defined as "major", nor is Arena Football.
1. Riverside-San Bernardino-Riverside, CA (disregard because LA Metro has many major teams)
2. Las Vegas, NV (disregard because of gambling, though several major pro leagues have recently indicated interest despite this conflict-of-interest blemish. Whoever gets the Vegas franchises will be able to print money non-stop)
3. Austin, TX (Austin will likely receive an MLS expansion team, according to MLS announcements just last week, thus they will be removed from this list in 2-3 years)
4. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA
5. Providence, RI
6. Louisville, KY
7. Richmond, VA
8. Hartford, CT (at least the casino has the WNBA Sun)
9. Birmingham AL
10. Rochester NY
11. Grand Rapids MI
http://moving.selfstorage.com/largest-metro-areas-without-major-league-sports-teams/
Note that the article itself downplays the "value" of Major League Sports, much like most in Louisville do.
From the Article:
"If you’re looking to move to one of these places, how much of a difference does it make that it lacks a major-league sports team? Actually, not a lot, according to quality-of-life researcher Bert Sperling.
“A major-league team in your favorite sport is a plus, but it’s often far down the list of must-haves in a new place to live,” Sperling said.
Still, some people believe a city isn’t “world class” unless it hosts a major-league sports team, Sperling said. For die-hard sports fans, it boils down to a matter of pride, he said.
“It’s nice to have a winning team, but it can also a little embarrassing when the team is in a slump,” Sperling said.
Richard Fabri, assistant professor of sports management at Husson University in Bangor, ME, said that when he was growing up in Boston, major-league sports was a common bond for area residents.
“Sports have a very powerful effect on the development of one’s identity,” Fabri said. “People tend to incorporate a sports team into who they are and how they can relate to a specific region. The presence of a sports team creates civic pride and local prestige, and can unify the community as one.”
The WNBA is not defined as "major", nor is Arena Football.
1. Riverside-San Bernardino-Riverside, CA (disregard because LA Metro has many major teams)
2. Las Vegas, NV (disregard because of gambling, though several major pro leagues have recently indicated interest despite this conflict-of-interest blemish. Whoever gets the Vegas franchises will be able to print money non-stop)
3. Austin, TX (Austin will likely receive an MLS expansion team, according to MLS announcements just last week, thus they will be removed from this list in 2-3 years)
4. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA
5. Providence, RI
6. Louisville, KY
7. Richmond, VA
8. Hartford, CT (at least the casino has the WNBA Sun)
9. Birmingham AL
10. Rochester NY
11. Grand Rapids MI
http://moving.selfstorage.com/largest-metro-areas-without-major-league-sports-teams/
Note that the article itself downplays the "value" of Major League Sports, much like most in Louisville do.
From the Article:
"If you’re looking to move to one of these places, how much of a difference does it make that it lacks a major-league sports team? Actually, not a lot, according to quality-of-life researcher Bert Sperling.
“A major-league team in your favorite sport is a plus, but it’s often far down the list of must-haves in a new place to live,” Sperling said.
Still, some people believe a city isn’t “world class” unless it hosts a major-league sports team, Sperling said. For die-hard sports fans, it boils down to a matter of pride, he said.
“It’s nice to have a winning team, but it can also a little embarrassing when the team is in a slump,” Sperling said.
Richard Fabri, assistant professor of sports management at Husson University in Bangor, ME, said that when he was growing up in Boston, major-league sports was a common bond for area residents.
“Sports have a very powerful effect on the development of one’s identity,” Fabri said. “People tend to incorporate a sports team into who they are and how they can relate to a specific region. The presence of a sports team creates civic pride and local prestige, and can unify the community as one.”
Take Vegas off that list...they are on the verge of acquiring the Oakland Raiders...they could get a commitment to move from Oakland to Las Vegas from Raiders owner Mark Davis as soon as tomorrow...28 April 2016
Yep, that will legitimately leave remaining only Virginia Beach et al, in front of testosterone-deprived/estrogen-heavy (excuse me, "alternatively focused") Louisville. We are what we are. And that is certainly not major-league. We are so-in-front of everyone else!
We are certainly not major league in professional sports. The wisdom and cost/benefit of that is another debate.
IMO, we are absolutely major league in amateur sports. And I think the two go hand-in-hand to a large extent. Esp. for a community our size with finite resources, professionalizing our sports culture would impact our amateur sports.
U of L playing a huge role in this area's amateur sports scene leaves most of us in this space recognizing that trade-off and glad for the way things are today...
IMO, we are absolutely major league in amateur sports. And I think the two go hand-in-hand to a large extent. Esp. for a community our size with finite resources, professionalizing our sports culture would impact our amateur sports.
U of L playing a huge role in this area's amateur sports scene leaves most of us in this space recognizing that trade-off and glad for the way things are today...
All communities have finite resources. Ours is certainly not unique in that.The slippery-slope continues. We now think we are "major-league" in "amateur sports"! Next it will be High-school sports and then Middle-school. I am sure most of us are enjoying that whirling decline to lower and lower levels of less-consequential mediocrity. We like what we are! We ARE what we ARE. And that is not very much in the order of things.
Yeah, but a bigger community has proportionately more resources. Louisville would, in fact, be small for a major league professional franchise.
The way you describe a spiral inward/downward for our sports culture is misleading IMO. There's no indication that Louisville is becoming less significant in that regard. The centerpiece, U of L, has never been more significant and successful and with every indication ("trajectory") of bigger and better things to come.
I'm really only receptive to the argument you make from newbies who move to Louisville from larger communities. That doesn't describe either of us. I moved back to this area fifteen years ago in part because of this very dynamic. And I certainly hope we remain true to ourselves ("who/what we are") and our heritage...
This is absolutely true. I've lived here all of my life and the growth of UofL sports is the driving athletic component to our lives. The only way a "major league" franchise would succeed here is through winning. Small market franchises have problems everywhere (exception for Green Bay) i.e. Cincy, St. Louis, and eventually Nashville (hockey).
GO CARDS - BEAT EVERYBODY!!! God Bless America!!!
Zipp, you and I are from reasonably congruous backgrounds. Apparently both Speed engineers, and also loving Sports, and also, in my case, spending 26 years away from Louisville post-graduation (Cleveland-area, Los Angeles-area, Minneapolis-area), and then returning.
There is nothing 'wrong' with Louisville Metro, other than the Metro seems to tend quite heavily to aspire to being the 'same' ol, same 'ol'. In aspiring to be the "same", it has achieved less than that.
Louisville Metro was 28th size in the US, when I departed Louisville in 1970. It is now 43rd in the US in 2016. Size actually does matter.
Yes, The UofL Athletics and Programs have become the most significant in terms of the opinions of many of the local citizenry (except for those who are fans of UK et al). To make a point, just as in the cases of residents of Lexington and Tuscaloosa, citizens of Louisville have become somewhat 'magnetized' to UofL.
In a way, it is like being 'magnetized' to GE or Humana, or Hillerich et al, or Yum, or Kindred.
Being true to oneself does not necessarily mean to aspire to be the same.
If one wants to be 'the same', then they will almost certainly get 'less than the same'. Aspirations and beliefs/values/convictions do make a difference.
I aspire, still, to be 'more than the same'.
And I dearly love UofL, which is the best example of economic growth in the Metro.
Guardman
Can't speak for every other Louisville native or fan but I love my cards and everything they bring to the city. The university and it athletic department has been the driving force of the developments in many parts of Louisville.
What would an pro franchise do here besides be doormats for decades before winning anything? Image a pro team that is equivalent to Denny Crum's teams before he retired (no disrespect to coach Crum). Our cards have earned their spot as the team that represents the town and that's the way it's should and will stay. For the people who think a pro team will improve the quality of living in the city, why don't you just move to Indianapolis or Cincinnati. You certainly won't be missed here by the fans who choose to support the university of Louisville before anything else.
What would an pro franchise do here besides be doormats for decades before winning anything? Image a pro team that is equivalent to Denny Crum's teams before he retired (no disrespect to coach Crum). Our cards have earned their spot as the team that represents the town and that's the way it's should and will stay. For the people who think a pro team will improve the quality of living in the city, why don't you just move to Indianapolis or Cincinnati. You certainly won't be missed here by the fans who choose to support the university of Louisville before anything else.
Lockdown, I appreciate your point of view. However, even a 'BELOW AVERAGE', even 'bottom-feeding' Major League Pro Team would bring a great deal financially and economically to Louisville Metro. This is exactly why I think Louisville should embrace a Major League team. It would help YOUR city. Not mine, because I will be dead and gone soon. And UofL would net net benefit. I have given or will have given most of what I have or will have to UofL. I love UofL, and I want Louisville Metro to blossom, to be its own unique self, but with a reasonably full set of living options.. Those two sets of objectives are not mutually exclusive.
Guardman
Where would a pro team especially an NBA team play here? Sure wouldn't be at the yum center.
That is correct, Lockdown, they would not be playing at Yum. UofL and esp JR and TJ did a great job in mitigating/even possibly eliminating that option.
Yes those guys are smart guys and they knew what they where doing. Crazy how when you look back you in your wildest dreams couldn't imagine having an arena like that. When they go out and make moves like that, that is when it's clear that when it comes to teams in the city,it's Louisville athletics and then everything else.
JR and TJ are my great friends. They have both done extremely well for the University. I have contributed quite significantly to both/all of their objectives and causes. I will ALWAYS continue to do so. But, also, Louisville Metro needs to continue to try to grow and prosper. Their interconnected relationship (UofL and Metro Louisville) is symbiotic. A Major League Pro Franchise ADDS to UofL.
Some of you may be able to appreciate this in the future. I hope.
Guardman
I appreciate everything that is happening now. It wasn't always this way. If you showed me a picture of the campus or anywhere near 15 years ago i probably wouldn't recognize it.
it was interesting when the UofL endowment jumped from 750mil to over a bil relatively overnight around the same time of Owsley's death. The next statue needed on campus should be of Owsley Frazier.
It is very true that a statue of Owsley Brown Frazier should be placed on the campus!
