It would be brilliant, as the Brits say, for Baltimore to get a new indoor arena. At 45, 1st Mariner Arena is turning shabby and is the equivalent of short shorts and high white socks on NBA players: way out of date.
Building a new arena, which some reports show could cost up to $150 million, is not a new idea. A forthcoming study is said to outline the reasons a new one is necessary.
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But before economic developers start chattering about where to build it, they must first decide how to pay for it. Private dollars must be the answer. In terms of revenue, a new arena would only shift dollars from one location to another. The current building already hosts concerts and other events in addition to Baltimore Blast soccer games so it?s not as if it would be a different type of venue. The soccer team is a major tenant of the existing arena.
And its not as if the average citizen in Baltimore City would be able to afford tickets to games. Preliminary findings from a study by Dennis Coates, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County sports economist, show that ticket prices rise slightly when new stadiums open. At $14-$20 per ticket, Blast games are inexpensive compared with NFL games, but with the average per capita income in the city $17,000, according to the U.S. Census, that leaves no money left over for any entertainment.
Unfortunately, Mayor Sheila Dixon said she would be willing to commit taxpayer dollars to such a project, according to her spokesman Anthony McCarthy. He said she would prefer to use private dollars. But if that is the case, shouldn?t she wait to show all her cards to often subsidy-hungry developers? We think it may have something to do with the fact that much of the discussion surrounding a new arena involves how it would help to attract an NBA or NHL franchise to the city. Whenever major league sports teams become a part of the argument, taxpayer dollars follow.
With Washington home to the Wizards and Capitals, it does not seem to make much sense ? economically and geographically ? to try to lure new teams to the region. Unless it?s payback for the Nationals moving so close to our beloved Orioles.
We agree with Ed Hale, chairman and chief executive officer of 1st Mariner Bank and an investor and operator of the Blast, who recently told The Examiner, “I don?t believe the NHL and NBA work here in Baltimore.”
Hale wants to build a new arena on a 28-acre site in Canton. If he can build it without taxpayer help, the mayor should support him. In fact, she and other city economic development officials must only consider proposals for a new arena that do not involve public subsidies. Besides narrowing the field, it will prevent those who cannot afford to enjoy the arena from paying for it.
