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Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011 | 4:29 p.m.
Neal Smatresk
UNLV is in early discussions to build a football stadium on campus and renovate the Thomas & Mack Center, school officials confirmed Wednesday.
President Neal Smatresk said in a statement that the school and entrepreneurs Ed Roski and Craig Cavileer are exploring a "public-private partnership" to build a multipurpose sports and entertainment complex on campus and to renovate UNLV's basketball arena. Caliveer is the president of the Silverton Casino Hotel and Lodge, which Roski owns.
"This is an attractive proposition. UNLV long has been interested in bringing UNLV football to the main campus," Smatresk said. "This will allow us to build on our success, bring more visitors to Las Vegas and retain the events that place the Thomas & Mack among the top grossing college arenas in the world."
Sun columnist Jon Ralston first reported Tuesday that Roski was interested in partnering with UNLV to build a domed stadium near campus.
Roski, a billionaire who ranked 524th on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires in 2008, has recently garnered headlines for his efforts to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles.
Terry Murphy, a representative for Roski, also confirmed Wednesday that discussions were under way, but declined to comment further.
See all the "NO" comments over on the "Downtown Arena" threads and save ourselves the time. (Dammit though, with all the other things we in the state of Nevada have to deal with, now we have to fend off multiple rich folk trying to glom on to our precious tax dollars so that they can line their own pockets. Sheesh... here we go again.)
Great idea; here's hoping some progress is made toward this end.
Can anyone explain what a football stadium/multiporpose sports and entertainment complex has to do with a college/university EDUCATION?
When incoming freshmen to UNLV have to take remedial courses (meaning that they should never have received a high school diploma in the first place), any and all monies directed towards UNLV should be directed towards EDUCATION only.
Is it any wonder that Nevada is at the bottom of all the 'good' lists and near the top of all the 'bad' lists?
No need for public funds when students are being asked to take a hit on the tuition and fees.
This is about the dumbest thing I have heard recently. It is one thing to fantasize about this stuff in private, but it is another thing when 15% of the workforce in unemployed and higher education is in line to take a 20% cut. What are these boys thinking at UNLV? Oh, they aren't.
This is as bright as the Chancellor who submits a budget increase, when asked to make a 10% cut.
Looks like we need a president at UNLV to go with the new Chancellor that we also need. These chuckle heads have to go.
correction, not domed stadium, but doomed stadium.
MY DREAM HAS FINALLY COME TRUE!
I own UNLVStadium.com if anyone is interested in buying the domain name. If not I will open up the site to take pictures and post them of our stadium UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Finally they are going to build my dream stadium on-campus!
Where do I send my money? I want to at least have a brick named after me. $5,000 I will donate to the project. THANK YOU SMATRESK!
There are a lot of well-meaning people that post here each day on the need to maintain funding for higher education at the current levels. Some argue for increases. While I do not always agree with them, I do respect their positions and I respect their desire to improve education in Nevada.
This nonsense about a public-private partnership stadium, does more to undermine these advocates than any of the tax or budget arguments. The clowns running higher education in this state have zero credibility. It makes the argument that money sent to UNLV is money wasted.
Let's Hear the plan - then you can throw the rotton tomatoes!
Many of you may think building a football stadium on-campus and trying to build a football program (which has historically been bad) may sound ridiculous but look at the University of Utah and Boise State. Utah is a new member of the PAC-12 athletic conference. What school wouldn't want to be associated with top academic schools such as UCLA, USC, Cal, and Stanford? I know UNLV would kill to be a part of the PAC-12. Before Utah built their football program into one of the top mid-majors, it historically was a bad football program. Now that Utah built a monster they've been invited to the PAC-12 and with it millions of dollars (which includes research funding and athletic revenue) and free advertising to the school. Look at Boise State...everyone knows who they are. Although they aren't a part of the PAC-12 they have helped the university become a major player in the west. Every time ESPN mentions Boise State on Sports Center it's free advertising for the school. My point is if you want to be a major university, having a big time football program is one component (football is a major revenue maker, even bigger then basketball) Building a football stadium that is decent is a step forward in the right directions. Most of the time their is a strong correlation between having strong athletics and enrollment numbers growing. Look at UNLV in the 80's when the basketball team was a monster.
I should also add that a new football stadium would help tremendously into making the Las Vegas Bowl a first tier bowl game maybe even someday a BCS bowl and not a second or even in some years a third tier bowl game. That would help with tourist and advertising dollars. You have to start somewhere why not shoot for the stars? As long as it isn't 100% publicly funded, I'm all for it.
Football stadiums are a losing proposition. The costs to build them nowadays has skyrocketed. In the old days, they poured concrete and built steel no frills for 40-50 million. Now you can't build a world class facility for under 500 million. For what..8 homes games and a bowl game?
Forget it. With unemployment at 15%, school aid being obliterated and tuition hikes...there are better ways to spend 500 mil. Throw in the fact that I always get nervous when public institutions hook up with private individuals. Somewhere, somehow these guys are lining their pockets during these endeavors.
Throw in the fact that every inch of that campus is occupied by buildings, parking, housing...I'd love to know exactly where on that campus you could fit a domed stadium.
to TomD1228
I'm sure that Bill Walters will be able to find some land to sell (lease) really cheap to UNLV for a new domed stadium. I'm also sure that UNLV will be happy to buy some ocean front property in Death Valley from Mr. Walters.
We have to remember that UNLV is part of the Nevada school system, and will act accordingly.
Wow, just wow. You have to love the half wits in Las Vegas. They have someone willing to foot the bill for a domed stadium on the UNLV campus for an athletic department that is the ONLY department that has operated in the black for the last 30 years at UNLV. A private donor willing to finance the enhancement of the only profitable endeavor at UNLV, the opportunity to make the Las Vegas Bowl a more desirable/profitable atraction that uses the facility. What are the first words out of you geniuses? Waaaaaa we cant afford it. Waaaaa the unemployment is sooooo awful. Waaaaaa what about just giving all that donated money to the UNLV administration and to the state to cover the budget deficit. WAIT one second you nit wits you're telling someone who wants to donate the money to build a money making facility NO? You're telling them there isn't anywhere to build it? You're telling them to take their donation and stick it? Nobody has to look far to figure out why Nevada is in such bad shape, it's all of the mildly retarded socially functional idiots that just blather about nonsense and fiddle while Rome burns around them. I have an idea you guys just pipe down and enjoy the ride, let the only profitable department at UNLV do their jobs and you guys sit back and shut your pieholes. Keep quiet while the adults talk about big people things and you children figure out how bellybutton lint gets there.
Great job UNLV Athletics department. Way to think of the big picture and think proactively about your future budgets. Honestly 90% of the departments at UNLV could learn a thing from you guys, firstly, how to ween themselves from the State Budgetary Teat. Secondly how to act like grown business people and figure out how to get profitable then execute that plan. Mr.Roski let me be the first to extend a hand of gratitude and offer you thanks for your THOUGHT, of MAYBE, offering to build a state of the art domed stadium on the campus of UNLV and in doing so allowing UNLV more opportunities in addition to the Thomas & Mack Arena to generate more revenues in spite of the numbnuts that call Las Vegas home. Please don't judge us by the very few boisterous simpletons that seem to crop up with the most asinine comments, arguements, and remarks. THANK YOU. The mire thought is more generous then any of the squeaky wheels bellowing here.
Mere not mire is what that last sentence should read. Just wanted to preempt all the spell correctors in the crowd.
Be sure to charge the students a semester fee each semester from the time the construction starts until it is opened. Be sure to also do it in summer sessions. Fifty bucks a semester seems fair. They will be the major benefactors of that cement albatross.
You make it sound like Roski is footing the bill to build the complex. I'll bet my left arm he's putting up a small percentage of financing. The rest will be on the back of taxpayers. Money making? Says who? Football stadiums for NFL teams are a losing proposition.
All you need to do is look at the long list of failed developers who promised the world and delivered nothing to Las Vegas except tract housing, empty storefronts and bankrupted developments. Take the 500 million, invest it. It will generate a helluva lot more than 8 football games and a bowl game will.
Roskis cut in this development is what? There's no mention of it. You think he's doing this out of the goodness of his heart? Lol.
I have to say... the 10% increase in spending was a symbolic move by the Chancellor; he was sticking it to gibbons and making the point that Higher Ed cannot be cut. Yes, we all know higher ed will be cut, but whats wrong with making a statement? Some people just don't get it.
As far as the Stadium is concerned, I say bring it on. Everyone would flock to a new arena (wherever its built) to see an NFL/NBA/NHL team and so on, but no one is willing to pay a small tax increase for it. It would benefit our economy, creating thousands of jobs, but hey, we don't need those now do we?
Eljeffe:
Amen! Las Vegans need to think more long term. The short sighted thinking is why Las Vegas is in the mess it is in now.
"...short sighted thinking is why Las Vegas is in the mess it is in now..."
PRECISELY. Empty carcasses of concrete and steel sit on the strip, vacant, UNSOLD hi-rises (despite the nonsense P-Reza blathers) stick out like sore thumbs downtown, entire subdivisions turned to ghost towns before people even moved in... HEY! I know! Let's have our public officials sign off on an even huger boondoggle yet! Oh boy! It'll trash what's left of the state budget for the next 30 years, as we taxpayers pay off the interest on the bonds, and Roski & Co. pocket any cash flow. A few ushers will have seasonal $8 per hour jobs, of course. But other than that, we'll have us a complete disaster -- yippee!
WHY DIDN'T THE REST OF US THINK OF THIS SOONER???
If it's a great deal, money maker, let Mr. Roski finance the whole thing. He can keep the profits. With 8 home games and a bowl game...there will not be any profits. It will all go to service the 500 million debt payment...and even then it will not cover debt payments.
Here's an idea. Spend 500 million to build it, borrow it all and then declare bankruptcy to clear the debt out. THEN it becomes cash flow positive. Oh, yeah, Station casinos, Terribles already did that. Nice try.
If Roski wants a stadium in Vegas and thinks it's a moneymaker...by all means let him finance it and reap the benefits. UNLV gets the prestige, parking money and city businesses flourish with the increased business traffic.
TomD,
Roski's probably already wringing his hands in anticipation of counting the receipts for that parking revenue, as well as a large chunk of the gate, and any advertising dollars. He's a billionaire, but I GUARANTEE that if it comes down to him having to finance the thing 100% privately, he won't do it. He and any prospective investors know better. That's why they always come fishing for tax dollars.
"This is an attractive proposition. UNLV long has been interested in bringing UNLV football to the main campus," Smatresk said. "This will allow us to build on our success, bring more visitors to Las Vegas and retain the events that place the Thomas & Mack among the top grossing college arenas in the world."
Is this a University President or the Visitors and Convention Bureau talking? The people in charge of higher education in this state are way out of touch with what is going on in this state and country.
I believe the athletic department runs a deficit to the the tune of $7 million per year (according to an article in this rag). Get rid of intercollegiate sports and pass the savings on to students--about $200 per year.
"It's the education, stupid!"
I would be curious to know where they would build the stadium. It's been 3 years since my last trip to Vegas, so I don't know what has been built up around the campus. Just looking at aerial shots of the campus, I'm not sure where they could build, or what seating size stadium (whether it be a dome or an open air stadium) they can build.
ElJeffe
The UNLV athletic department has a budget of between $26-$27. The department relies on $7 million of state support per year. That is not running in the black by any measure except yours.
Get you facts straight dude.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jan...
Let's assume UNLV has about 28,000 students. The
The Sun reported on January 10, 2011, that the athletic department had a budget of between $26 and $27 million. This is about $1,000 per student. $7,000,000 of the budget is funded by the state for athletics. This works out to be a subsidy of about $250 per student per year.
Let assume UNLV has 17 intercollegiate teams. Let's say 1,000 students participate in these sports or 60 athletes per team. Intercollegiate athletics involve about 3.5 percent of the student body. UNLV offers intramurals as well. I have no estimate about the number of students that participate in these programs and the costs associated with them. I wasn't able to find the athletic department budget on the web.
There is a question of fairness--lab fees and other extra are charged for chemistry and biology students. These course constitute a part of the core mission of the university, which the last time I checked was education.
The discussion here is about choices and priorities. I assume the "public" in the term "public-private partnership" discussed in the article is me. Is a stadium on campus the right choice for the state, the university and its students? History will judge us on this.
This is gut check time for everyone.
There is not enough info to really make an opinion. If Ed Roski wants to build and finance it then I am for it.
But why are they floating the idea at such an early stage to the media and politicians? I suspect that Roski will want UNLV or government to cover 'cost over-runs' or 'financing'.
Who built Sam Boyd Stadium?? I always wondered why they built Sam Boyd and why it was so far from UNLV. I can only assume the land across the street from the university was not available. I think this all has to do with plans of building a arena downtown. I just don't know why there are so many gaming companies against the arena, I believe its for NBA an NHL, I don't recall any professional sports being played at any other venue other than the Orleans Arena.
Do it. Forget the naysayers and just do it. It will employ them in the long run, and help turn the corner for recruiting as well as bring revenue back into the school and the city.
Too much talk, leads to not much done. If you build it, they will come.
Talk about making assumptions...
Who knows what it would cost?! Throwing $500 million out seems insane.
Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium cost $50 million and it held the 2002 Winter Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. It was built 12 years ago but that's still 1/10th what you guys are throwing out there.
Matthew Snyder,
Rice-Eccles Stadium is a great example of a good project. But it is a stadium that works in Utah with its open structure-it has no roof. That structure wouldn't work in Vegas because it wouldn't be multi-purpose enough.
I should also point out that Rice Eccles stadium would cost nearer $100m today due to the rapid rise in construction costs.
My estimate for the project discussed here would be over $250m and probably nearer $400m.
Sam Boyd cost $3.5m in 1971. It is in fact located in Whitney, NV. I forget how and why the stadium was built there. Leave that to someone else to explain.
What the heck are you people talking about?!??! Who threw out the idea that the UNLV on campus football facility equated to ANY of the NFL/NHL/MLB or any of the other privately funded "Stadium Projects" that have been discussed recently. These are CLEARLY two different concepts. Obviously none of you naysayers were here in Las Vegas when the idea of the Thomas & Mack Center was being floated. The Silver Bowl (now known as Sam Boyd Stadium) never turned a profit and was therefore donated to UNLV at which point it immediately began turning a profit under the expert guidence of people invested in the continued profitability of UNLV Athletics. The whiners then cried about how expensive the building was going to be (9.3 million) since that time The Thomas & Mack Center has more then paid for itself and is the cornerstone of revenue generation for the Athletic department at UNLV. Again the whiny wheels squeak and rage about something that is clearly out of their area of expertize. Let the adults handle the details so that the one profitable department at UNLV can do what no other has done in 75 years, achieve financial independence from the State Teat. Sorry the idealists can't have what they so desperately desire and that is a world where education is cost effective and profitable. Sports right now in this reality is what has allowed the explosive growth if Higher Education in this country for the last 75 years. Oh that and the government teat. Let people who know about these things figure out how to make UNLV Athletics MORE profitable and everyone else work on your homework assignment, I'm super interested in your opinion on your bellybutton lint.
Mr Roski and Mr Livengood please build it, and they will come. They will cry about the cost of parking like they did at the Thomas & Mack for years, they will whine about the parking like they have at the Silver Bowl for 35+ years but the reality is if they are bitching about the parking it means they are showing up which means they are dropping their dimes for UNLV Athletics instead of a shot at Megabucks. All that means is we are one step closer to financial independence. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone in higher education looked at their own departments like UNLV Athletics does. No more crying about budget cuts just adult conversations about how best to invest in revenue positive endeavors..... I can dream big too.
Even though i am a huge UNLV fan, do you guys really think that this stadium is for UNLV football?
Vegas can have a profitable stadium. 8 football games a year, 1 bowl game, 10 days of NFR, pre season NFL, monster trucks, super cross, concerts. The list goes on and on. The other stadiums in the country can not pull all of these events. We have the best hotels, and best entertainment to support these visitors for an entire week or weekend.
How about the super bowl one day. You can go to Texas, have to find a hotel room 45 min from the stadium, and have no other entertainment for your trip. Or you can come to Vegas for a week, Stay in an awesome hotel close to the stadium, see a couple of shows on the strip, eat at some great restaurants, hang out at some pools.
Build the stadium. We will all enjoy it.
Turrialba you're terrible. Get rid of intercollegiate athletics? You have no concept of the college experience.
Turrialba you're terrible. Get rid of intercollegiate athletics? You have no concept of the college experience.
Jerry, I didn't say institute prohibition or close the Frats.
As for some of you stadium proponents, how many of you get on this site each day and whine about paying more taxes. This will not get done without public money--hence the term "public-private" partnership.
I'd support this wholeheartedly. People tend to underestimate the value of collegiate athletics in terms of enhancing a university's national reputation and - through increased revenues - ability to recruit and retain talented faculty and students.
Think for a minute about TCU, Boise State, Gonzaga, and other schools that are obscure except for the recognition (and revenue) their sports programs bring to them. If UNLV continued to develop its sports program, alumni would be more loyal to the university (i.e., more donations), the teams would likely secure better TV contracts, and the community would have a more competitive set of teams to support and enjoy watching.
I'd love to see an NFL-style stadium built close to campus that could accommodate UNLV sports teams, an MLS soccer team, BCS bowl games, the NFL Pro Bowl, the Super Bowl, etc. Imagine the positive impact on our economy if Las Vegas (a place where sports fans already congregate) could host actual big-ticket events with the hundreds of thousands of fans who attend those events?!
I'm in!
Srsly you guys are missing it. Mr Roski isn't looking to build a facility so that everyone else can get rich from his generosity he simply wants to build a facility that is close to/on campus to allow the athletic department to generate more revenue to become more self-sufficient. Everyone crowing about the NFL and all the potential windfalls from hosting professional events are missing the point. UNLV struggles to get 20,000 fans to home games against nationally ranked team to build them an 80,000 seat 500 million dollor arena is crazy but to build them a 50,000 state of the art inflated domed stadium on campus for 250 million would be a much more viable vision to have. Nobody is talking about Dalas Cowboy Stadium Las Begas edition... The NFL doesn't even allow Las Vegas to advertise during Super Bowl you're all smoking crack if you think ever in a million years we would be allow to host a Super Bowl.... Now a College Football playoff might be feasible. Maybe.
Close the athletic department--save plenty on the coaches salaries, the athletic director (and his two university vehicles) and put the emphasis on education and academic achievement and affordability This type of commitment would make UNLV a model for the nation.
Intramural sports can be set up for students for an additional fee to be charged to participants.
Student lab fees would included in student tuition.
Turrialba,
A little severe there, but perhaps you're only ahead of the curve. Berkeley, California's flagship campus for it's prestigious public university system (and one of the very top institutions of higher learning on the face of the earth) is cutting out several varsity sports, this year. They just jacked up tuition by 33% there, and even their successful football head coach is taking a 10% salary cut. Berkeley knows what its real money-maker is -- academics.
Nevada should follow the lead and seek to make academics its unquestioned priority. Education in an uber-competitive global 21st century means that our local institution of higher learning is a precious asset we cannot waste. Ergo, screw the dome/arena!
Newcomer you seemed to have confused athletics and academics. If you want to enhance the reputation of an institution start with its academics.
The idea that quality sports leads to quality academics is simply nonsense. The only thing you wind up with is an athletic department that thinks it is the reason whey the university exists.
Here we go, for years all the gripes and bitches were that UNLV does'nt have an on campus stadium. Now that were even talking about it brings the gost UNLV alum out of the closet. It's no secrete that many of our non-loyal locals want an arts, & farts college without any athetics at all. This has been known by all the regents in the past years, Jim Livingood is giving a honest effort of fufilling his goal to make UNLV athetics self seffecent. These efforts are honest and more mature than the comments on this page to abolish athetics at the university, Moreover this project may prove to be a valueble resource in revenue to the future. To all you that have never posted untill now, hold all your crap in one hand, and put your spitefull wishes in the other. In the end that the legitamate students, aluimni, and fans will prevail.
I like it. Apparently Turrialba does not know how much money intercollegiate athletics brings to the university. In order for UNLV to make money with football it needs to "keep up" with other schools for recruiting purposes. Also a nicer, climate controlled facility towards the middle of town should entice more fans to actually show up for the games.
Keep in mind that also UNLV football would only use the facility 6-7 times a year. If UNLV is part owner of the building, then they would get profits from other events taking place here as well. The NFR for example would move there, double the seating capacity of the T&M, it would also free up the T&M for UNLV basketball games, that would give them 2-3 more home games in the middle of December. Although it would never get a NFL team at a facility that size, it would probably entice a preseason game, maybe the NBA allstar game again.
Sometimes it takes money to make money. And if a large portion is privately funded, than I say win-win
You shortsighted naysayers forget that the Corruption Express from Victorville will be bringing in dozens of people daily, and some of them will want to go to see the 125th best College football team in the country play.