Evanston approves Northwestern's new $800M stadium

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Shoot, Gophers @ NW in 2025 in old Ryan Field, but nothing from '26 through '28. Have to wait a few years to see the M&G play there.
 

FredCoxRocks said:
Shoot, Gophers @ NW in 2025 in old Ryan Field, but nothing from '26 through '28. Have to wait a few years to see the M&G play there.
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There won't be an "old" Ryan Field left in 2025. They'll probably play at Solider Field. I can't see the Cubs giving the Cats permission to play 6 games at Wrigley during baseball season.
 



A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
It will be interesting to see if a $800 million football field for a team that doesn’t draw fans and outside football gets used handful of the year makes much sense….
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With that stadium and price tag the Bears should play in Evanston. Seriously.

It's going to be a major white elephant unless they have a lot of concerts. And it's not a great event location because it both lacks the convenience of a big suburban venue with huge parking lots and also the transportation connections and nearby activities of a downtown venue.

There's also competition for the relatively small number of big outdoor stadium concerts coming from Soldier Field, Toyota Park (soccer) and Wrigley Field.
 

fmlizard said:
With that stadium and price tag the Bears should play in Evanston. Seriously.

It's going to be a major white elephant unless they have a lot of concerts. And it's not a great event location because it both lacks the convenience of a big suburban venue with huge parking lots and also the transportation connections and nearby activities of a downtown venue.
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To get the plan passed they're promising to hold at most 6 concerts a year.

So it's either:
  1. They're not being honest and will turn around and say "Can't just leave this facility empty, that's wasteful, let's hold more." and everyone gets to deal with this BS / fight about that year after year (would not be the first time a development plan was less than honest to get passed).
  2. They're really going to spend a shit ton and not use the facility ...

I 100% agree about completion for facilities, there pretty much is none. There is an over supply of facilities.

I was told by someone who ran live events (concerts, various stuff that would happen at places like say Target Center or the Metrodome for bigger events) that at one point decades ago a place like Target Center could make serious money charging for events to rent space. There just weren't many such event places in a given region.

Somewhere (IIRC late 80s and 90s) the whole math flipped. Tons of spaces were built, and keep getting built ... and some event spaces were charging nothing for them to host an event, just a small cut of X revenue and such.
 
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WindyCityGopher said:
There won't be an "old" Ryan Field left in 2025. They'll probably play at Solider Field. I can't see the Cubs giving the Cats permission to play 6 games at Wrigley during baseball season.
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Could be a combo of Comiskey, Wrigley and Soldier.
 




Unregistered User said:
Capacity around 35,000
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Yes, it does look like an epic design but on a small scale. Built to keep outside fan bases from being the majority. May be the smallest P5 stadium when it’s said and done, but similar to Wake, Vandy, Cincy. They may be able to make money from smaller outside sporting events like tournaments, renting out the club space for private and university events, etc.
 

SPEGOPHER said:
I wonder how much the Ryan family has given to NIL. I think I’d settle for $600m renovations w $200m to NIL. Just insane numbers either way.
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There is no renovating the hulk that is Ryan Field. Have you seen the concourses? I don’t think there is any way that structure could be modernized in a way that improves accessibility and amenities to today’s standards. I think $800MM is an insane amount of money but you’re taking Chicago and post pandemic construction prices. Lucky for TCF stadium to be built when it was.

I think this is also an example of what is being discussed on the NIL thread. I don’t think the Ryans outwardly support NIL. I think a lot of large donors/corporations want to see their name or their family name on a building or a program. With NIL there is no legacy to your donation. Perhaps if they are allowed to “endow” a position like they do for coaches or professorships? The 3M “Velcro hands” endowed WR position?
 

SPEGOPHER said:
I wonder how much the Ryan family has given to NIL. I think I’d settle for $600m renovations w $200m to NIL. Just insane numbers either way.
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From the Chicago Tribune: The $480 million Ryan donation in 2021 also included gifts to fund biomedical, economics and business research, among other fields at Northwestern. The school did not specify how much of the initial $480 million was earmarked for the stadium redevelopment. But that gift has gotten the lion’s share of attention.
 



Have I massively underestimated the popularity of NW football?!
 

WindyCityGopher said:
From the Chicago Tribune: The $480 million Ryan donation in 2021 also included gifts to fund biomedical, economics and business research, among other fields at Northwestern. The school did not specify how much of the initial $480 million was earmarked for the stadium redevelopment. But that gift has gotten the lion’s share of attention.
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Might be a little disappointing if the meta is "We're getting a new stadium paid for!"

And the school is all quiet during planning and suddenly.

School: "Ok so uh ... who going to pay for it!?!!?"

Fans: "Uh... wait wut?"

It wouldn't be the first time NW administration was quiet and weak...
 


Odd they’re not taking the opportunity to move it on campus. All their facilities are right on the water and with all that money you’d think they could pull it off.
 

fmlizard said:
With that stadium and price tag the Bears should play in Evanston. Seriously.

It's going to be a major white elephant unless they have a lot of concerts. And it's not a great event location because it both lacks the convenience of a big suburban venue with huge parking lots and also the transportation connections and nearby activities of a downtown venue.

There's also competition for the relatively small number of big outdoor stadium concerts coming from Soldier Field, Toyota Park (soccer) and Wrigley Field.
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Aren't the Bears trying to move to some other suburb?
 


The Bears are currently in negotiations to build their own stadium out on the former Arlington Park Racetrack. That's why they hired Kevin Warren as team president, to hammer out the deals.
 

GopherRock said:
The Bears are currently in negotiations to build their own stadium out on the former Arlington Park Racetrack. That's why they hired Kevin Warren as team president, to hammer out the deals.
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He's an incompetent boob. Hired for Chicago political approval?
 


A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
To get the plan passed they're promising to hold at most 6 concerts a year.

So it's either:
  1. They're not being honest and will turn around and say "Can't just leave this facility empty, that's wasteful, let's hold more." and everyone gets to deal with this BS / fight about that year after year (would not be the first time a development plan was less than honest to get passed).
  2. They're really going to spend a shit ton and not use the facility ...

I 100% agree about completion for facilities, there pretty much is none. There is an over supply of facilite ies.

I was told by someone who ran live events (concerts, various stuff that would happen at places like say Target Center or the Metrodome for bigger events) that at one point decades ago a place like Target Center could make serious money charging for events to rent space. There just weren't many such event places in a given region.

Somewhere (IIRC late 80s and 90s) the whole math flipped. Tons of spaces were built, and keep getting built ... and some event spaces were charging nothing for them to host an event, just a small cut of X revenue and such.
Click to expand...
I'm sure in the first couple years, they will draw quite a few outside events because it's the latest and greatest, otherwise, yes, it would be a white elephant.
 


Catechol said:
I think this is also an example of what is being discussed on the NIL thread. I don’t think the Ryans outwardly support NIL. I think a lot of large donors/corporations want to see their name or their family name on a building or a program. With NIL there is no legacy to your donation. Perhaps if they are allowed to “endow” a position like they do for coaches or professorships? The 3M “Velcro hands” endowed WR position?
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Agreed. Same with the family that is paying for most of St. Thomas' new arena.
Plus, donating a building or stadium is tax-deductible (I would think). People who buy players are mostly just ultra rich mega fans. Some, like Phil Knight and Boone Pickens are/were both.
 


Note that part of the campus is “lakefill” expanded a few decades ago. There is not enough room on campus, and filling in more of the lake would probably cause an environmental impact quagmire that makes the neighborhood NIMBY protests pale in comparison.
 

It would
disco said:
Agreed. Same with the family that is paying for most of St. Thomas' new arena.
Plus, donating a building or stadium is tax-deductible (I would think). People who buy players are mostly just ultra rich mega fans. Some, like Phil Knight and Boone Pickens are/were both.
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It would depend on the source of donation. Deductions of cash are deductible 50 cents on the dollar and capped but the wealthy aren't concerned with ordinary income. Instead, the donation is probably appreciated assets where there ends up being a deduction combined with not realizing the gain on the sale of the asset.
 

Throw out 22 and 23 attendance and this is sized just right.
 

Catechol said:
Note that part of the campus is “lakefill” expanded a few decades ago. There is not enough room on campus, and filling in more of the lake would probably cause an environmental impact quagmire that makes the neighborhood NIMBY protests pale in comparison.
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For good reason.

Start filling in waterways and adjacent areas can get some unpleasant surprises... like their land eroding away. It's no small undertaking.

Hell IIRC Pat sued a neighbor who owned some land next door to him, but part of their land was a public walkway, they owned it, but it it had an easement that made it open to all to walk along this walkway to get to the lake (it existed since the land was divided so it was no surprise). Neighbor fenced it off... lost in court.
 

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