The Seattle
Mariners and the Seattle
Seahawks have been clamoring about
the inadequacy of the Kingdome almost since their first games in
1977 and 1976, respectively. This multi-purpose structure was
built to hold approximately 59,000 for baseball and 66,000 for
football. Since its construction fans of both sports have noted
the Kingdome's poor sight lines, poor acoustics, and poor
amenities, including few skyboxes.
The USA Today Complete Four Sport Stadium
Guide (1994) concludes that the only thing the Kingdome has going
for it today is its location. Located just south of
Seattle's downtown with picturesque views of Elliot Bay and Mount
Rainier (on clear days), the stadium is within easy walking or
trolley distance to Seattle' waterfront, downtown shopping and
hotels, and local bars and restaurants that have sprung up to
take advantage of this excellent location. Further, the stadium
is situated immediately adjacent to the intersection of
Interstate's 5 and 90 making for an easily accessible location
via automobile from the suburbs.
In July 1994, as the Mariners and Seahawks
pressed forward in their push for new or refurbished stadia, a
new problem arose, or, rather, I should say, fell to earth. On
July 19 ceiling tiles in the Kingdome came crashing down into
several empty seating sections hours before a Mariner's game. The
damage was judged to be severe enough that the remainder of the
Mariner's home games were canceled and the team had to play on
the road for the balance of the season. Roof repairs that were
initially estimated at $4 million eventually cost over $50
million. (Rosenbaum, 1995) Experts concluded that a lack of
annual maintenance on the stadium roof was the primary cause of
the problems. (Rosenbaum, 1995)
Because of this fiasco and their general
displeasure in playing in a stadium better suited to football,
the Mariners upped the ante in their dealings with government
officials concerning the Kingdome. They publicly stated that the
team requires substantial movement towards a new stadium before
the end of 1995 or the team ownership will start to consider
their options, those options being the relocation or sale of the
team. The initial response of state officials was that they had
heard this rhetoric before and that the Kingdome was more than
adequate as a facility.
In 1994, the governor appointed a Stadium
Task Force to study the issue of the new stadium. They asked
to see the Mariners financial records in an effort to understand
their economic situation. The task force eventually concluded
that a new stadium was required for the Mariners to be
economically viable in Seattle. They also studied a total of
eleven sites for a proposed new stadium, narrowing the list to
four. The most likely sites discussed would place the new stadium
on predominately vacant land either just north or just south of
the Kingdome.
The Mariners did, indeed, open their books
to government officials to illustrate that the team cannot
operate at a profit unless a new stadium is built. After
receiving the Task Force's conclusion that a new stadium was
necessary, the team then began discussing their requirements for
a new stadium: a retractable roof, a grass playing surface, and
many more lucrative skyboxes to lease to corporate sponsors. The
initial estimated price tag was placed at between $200-$250
million. In return the Mariners promised to sign a twenty year
lease and contribute some funds towards the cost of construction.
With the recommendation of the Stadium
Task Force and the open discussion of Mariner finances, the state
legislature finally began to understand that the Mariner threats
were not the easily ignored bluffs of the past. Upon seeing the
Mariners financial situation, Steve van Luven, a state
representative from Bellevue and an initial opponent of the new
stadium, took up the cause of the Mariners and began pushing for
state legislative action. At a number of points it was reported
in the local papers that, despite van Luven's support, the
legislation would likely fail. Each time, however, the
legislation escaped from the budget committee, and then the
House, to move on to the next legislative step.
Despite strong support from King County
representatives and senators, the state legislature was unable to
agree and pass any state funding measures for a new stadium. They
opted, instead, to pass the issue along to the King County
Council by authorizing them to raise the county sales tax from
8.2% to 8.3% to cover debt service on the new stadium. (Seattle
PI, 5/25/95) The county reaction was less than favorable.
County council-members accused the state of passing the buck. The
state reminded the council that their poor judgment had led to
the Kingdome roof problems. The county council decided to hold a
referendum in September to ask voters to authorize the sales tax
increase to cover the construction costs on the new stadium.
In the meantime, the Mariners have hired a
principal architect for the currently named New Century Ballpark.
{As an aside, note the name of the facility. New Century
Ballpark evokes images of moving forward into the new century, as
well as bucolic images of baseball played in an intimate, special
setting.} The costs for this open air, retractable roof,
grass field stadium have now been estimated at $278 million in
addition to the County donating a parcel of land for the new
stadium. On May 12, the Mariners unveiled the schematic plans for
the new stadium. (Withers, Seattle PI, 5/13/95)
The public reaction to these developments
was decidedly mixed. Reports in the paper concluded that the
referendum would have a difficult time passing in the election.
Further, recalling the discussion of the development of the
Kingdome, editorials in the major newspapers have been strikingly
similar to those of over twenty years ago, with both major papers
staunchly advocating a new stadium as an economic boom as well as
a monument to the city's greatness. (i.e. Seattle PI,
5/25/95)
In contrast to the Kingdome experience,
the governor of the state and the mayor of Seattle were
surprisingly quiet concerning almost all of these developments.
Only late into the campaign prior to the Fall election did the
mayor, Norm Rice, and the governor, Mike Lowry, publicly proclaim
their support for the new stadium. In contrast, when the Kingdome
was built both of these offices were staunch supporters of a new
stadium.
Early polls suggested that the vote in
September would not be close. These polls suggested that as few
as 36% of voters were in favor of the proposal. As the election
neared pro-stadium and anti-stadium forces marshaled their forces
in an effort to sway a clearly mixed electorate on this very
important issue. The pro-stadium group, Home Town Fans, garnered
over a million dollars in donations for their campaign. Much of
this money was raised through donations by local business groups,
downtown advocates, large corporations (i.e. Boeing), and
personal donations from baseball fans. The pro-stadium groups
argued that:
The Mariners would almost
certainly leave if no new stadium is built. Further, the
Mariners have an economic impact of approximately $143
million a year (Conway and Beyers, 1991) that would be
lost.
The economic impact of a new
stadium would be sizable and this economic boom would
help revitalize the area around the Kingdome and the new
stadium.
Seattle is a Big League
city and to remain so it must retain its professional
sports franchises. This line of argument further suggests
that corporations that are looking into Seattle as a
possible site for a new or relocating plant may look less
kindly upon the city with the loss of this important
cultural outlet.
In contrast, the opposition, led by
Citizens for More Important Things, had a budget approximately
one-twentieth of their opponents. Most of this money was provided
by a single individual who also headed the group. Because of
their limited funding, the CMIT presented a decidedly less
overwhelming presentation of their arguments, but they did offer
very reasonable arguments against the proposed new stadium. These
arguments included:
There are more pressing needs in
the city that providing a new playground for
millionaires. A crumbling school system, an under funded
police department, and a lack of downtown open space all
were suggested as alternative concerns that needed to be
addressed.
The anti-stadium group quickly
noted the adequacy of the Kingdome. This facility,
although not a sparkling new stadium, is fully functional
as both a baseball and football stadium. Repairs and new
features would bring the Kingdome up to date in the
sports world.
As the election day neared, polls revealed
a slow but steady shift in voter support for the stadium. Two
weeks before the vote, polls suggested that 42% were for the
stadium. As late as a day or two before the vote, polls suggested
that stadium advocates had captured 48% of the voters. It seems
that the money invested in radio, television, and print
advertising by the pro-stadium forces was effective in swaying
voters.
When the votes were finally cast on
election day, it was clear that there would be no clear victor
early on. In fact, the vote was not decided on election day. At
the end of the day, the stadium appeared to have won, having
garnered approximately 3,000 more votes. However, there were
still tens of thousands of absentee ballots that had to be
counted. An initial count of most of these ballots narrowed the
lead for the pro-stadium side to several hundred. A second count
of the remaining votes revealed that the stadium measure lost by
several hundred votes. Despite intense lobbying by government
officials and immense sums of money spent on advertising, the
pro-stadium forces fell short of victory.
So here ends the story of the New Century
Ballpark? Not exactly. The closeness of the vote surprised many
politicians, especially those in the State Legislature. In an
amazing repeat of twenty five years ago, the Legislature
formulated another plan with the King County Council that would
fund the stadium, without having to go through the voters. This
new plan would combine several separate taxes, such as a rental
car tax, and a hotel/motel tax increase, to pay for the new
stadium.
The reaction from all sides was
predictable. The Citizens for More Important Things immediately
cried foul, as they quite correctly claimed that they had,
indeed, won the election. In contrast, pro-stadium groups, as
well as the local papers, hailed these developments as reflecting
the best interests of the city. The Mariners, of course,
only made it known that some course of action had to be
determined by the end of October or the team would be put up for
sale.
With some political negotiating and a
renewed promise of the Mariners to sign a 20 year lease and
provide some funding for the stadium, the King County Council
approved this new plan. Currently, government agencies are trying
to identify the optimum site for a new stadium, as well as
working out the details of the financing plan. Construction on
the New Century Ballpark will likely start in the middle of 1996,
with the opening of the facility set for spring 1999.
Again, it seems readily apparent that the
elite’s of the city, and particularly those of downtown
Seattle, were persuasive in their arguments and in their tactics
to garner substantial public support as well as substantial
political support for a new stadium, Again, despite voter wishes,
a new stadium will be constructed in Seattle. Again,
Baylon’s conclusion that a stratification decision-making
model is the norm in Seattle is confirmed.
In 1999, the city of Seattle will likely
be quite proud and quite pleased with the new ballpark that will
house their Mariners. New stadia invariably generate excitement,
as well as some sense of renewal for the central city. Further,
it is likely that attendance’s as well as the economic
benefits accruing from the stadium will be quite high for the
first several years.
The question of course, is not these first
few years. Rather what of 2009? Will fans still be flocking to
this new ballpark? Will fans still be spending their money at
local restaurants, hotels, and gift shops? Looking further ahead,
what of 2029? Will the Mariners want a new stadium then? Or will
this stadium truly return Seattle to the first half of the
twentieth century when stadia were built to last for decades,
rather than for the length of a new lease?
Certainly these questions cannot be
answered now. My only suggestion is that you return to this home
page then and find out.
SEATTLE'S PROPOSED NEW CENTURY BALLPARK:
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