UM’s football stadium isn’t up to Big Ten standards

Jeff Barker’s piece on the University of Maryland’s football program only accentuates what I have railed about for years (“University of Maryland football spending is up, but still far behind Big Ten elite, documents show,” March 6). The Terps draw maybe 40,000 people tops at SECU Stadium in College Park due to the poor shape of their football venue, which is absolutely devoid of amenities. The stadium opened in 1950 and, though it’s been renovated and expanded over the years, it is a place that has been out of step with football fans for generations. It is basically adequate as a “mid-major” venue. Also, please be reminded that the Terrapins’ attendance figures and revenues have been further propped up by the 5,000 traveling fans who routinely come to root for their teams from many other Big Ten schools.

Barker mentions the spending levels of Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State, which are basically double what UM spends. Those schools (along with several others) all feature football venues that seat 100,000-plus, twice the capacity of UM. These schools can spend more money because they draw at least twice the fans and don’t have to compete with the National Football League for the football dollar. The Terps are wedged between two NFL franchises and the U.S. Naval Academy. The University of Maryland does get between $40 million and $50 million in television revenue from the Big

Ten annually. They spend most of that on football, according to The Baltimore Sun’s report. However, nothing will change at College Park football-wise until a new football stadium is constructed and that 74-year-old eyesore of a stadium is demolished.

The Maryland Stadium Authority was recently reported to have allocated “interest money” into a survey for a proposed minor league soccer stadium using Baltimore public parks. Before that, the MSA was poised to raise $70 million for a minor-league baseball stadium in Hagerstown. They just raised about $500 million to give M&T Bank Stadium more amenities for the rich Ravens fans to use for about 40 hours per year. Their only interest seems to be enabling pro sports.

I say that it’s time for the Maryland Stadium Authority to run a bond drive for the $1 billion required to build an 80,000-plus capacity stadium with all of the bells and whistles at the University of Maryland. It’s time for the MSA to stop catering to billionaire NFL owners and other rich special interest groups and do something to step up its game.