It’s the cost of doing business
Brian T. Smith notes that like it or not, NRG Stadium is aging.
It is absurd on the surface. Heck, let’s just be honest: It’s insulting. Especially if you’re one of those everyday human beings who works for a living, always knows exactly how much cash is — or isn’t — in your checking account and views taking your family to one Texans game a year as an extracurricular expense.
NRG Stadium — the same stadium that hosted a historic Super Bowl and fantastic men’s Final Four within a thrilling 10-month span — needs a state-of-the-art upgrade, some insist.
“The stadium has to be … for (Harris) County, the Texans and the Rodeo to do well,” said Ric Campo, Houston Super Bowl Host Committee chairman.
But then you start looking into things and talking to people. You remember NRG Stadium is entering Year 16 and the Super Bowl-blowing Falcons just fled their once state-of-the-art Georgia Dome after only 25 years. And when you start asking what it’s going to take for Houston to host another national title game — Super Bowl, Final Four, College Football Playoff championship … whatever you dream of — what first appears absurd on the surface starts making practical sense.
NRG Stadium isn’t the dormant, decaying Astrodome. Last Sunday, the Texans’ home appeared brilliant and high-tech from afar, thanks to the glossy shine of HD TVs and being professionally dressed up for 111.3 million average worldwide viewers. But the daily workspace for Houston’s biggest sports team and the annual host of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is clearly showing its age on the inside. Which is why we’re having a conversation we don’t want to have 15 seasons after Bob McNair brought the NFL back to this city.
“There’s a difference between being architecturally obsolete and being obsolete from a sports-business and revenueproducing perspective,” said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute. “The fans, the taxpayers, look at (a) stadium and say, ‘Well, it’s only 10 years old or it’s only 20 years old.’ But it in fact is really generations behind.”
Floor is open for debate
Think the NRG upgrade issue is overblown? It’s not. The Texans, Rodeo and Houston Super Bowl Host Committee chairman spoke up last week. Meanwhile, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner honored Bill O’Brien’s 2016 offense by conservatively running up the middle on third-and-10.
“I’m going to leave that decision up to the county, to the Texans, the Rodeo, Houston Sports Authority — all of them are direct stakeholders in NRG Stadium,” said Turner, when asked if NRG needs upgrades and, if so, who will pay for them. “So I dare not speak for the county judge or the county commissioners on how they intend to address NRG.” When Turner was pressed, he punted. “I’m going to defer to those who have a direct say on what sort of money, if any, they choose to invest in NRG,” the mayor said.
No one has publicly issued a specific list of necessary upgrades for the stadium and surrounding NRG Park. But two recent issues highlight the stadium’s wear. During the Texans’ wild-card playoff contest against Oakland on Jan. 7, a seating section in the 100 level could have collapsed, requiring about 60 fans to be relocated and a tunnel to be closed. During the Super Bowl, elevators were problematic pregame and reportedly left Atlanta coaches stuck at the top press-box level after New England’s historic 34-28 comeback win in overtime.
“Best-in-class facilities are an essential component of a bid for the Super Bowl or any other high-profile sporting event,” Texans president Jamey Rootes said. “These are ultra-competitive processes, and it is critical that NRG Stadium remains state of the art if we want to be considered a viable candidate for these major sporting events that create such enormous tangible and intangible value for our community.”
It’s all about meeting future needs
Joel Cowley, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, said events held within NRG Stadium are the primary driver of his organization’s charitable success.
“In order for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to sustain its community impact through scholarships, grants and other educational opportunities for Texas youth, it is important that this facility remain on the forefront with regard to presentation capability and fan comfort,” Cowley said.
Kevin Hoffman, executive director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, said there has never been an “absolute fallout” between the Texans, Rodeo and his organization. He also expressed surprise at the upgrade discussions that immediately followed what was widely viewed as the most successful Super Bowl in Houston’s history.
“If we were so outdated and so behind, we would have never been awarded a Super Bowl and a Final Four,” Hoffman said. “I’ve seen these other venues across the country. And I can tell you without any hesitation that NRG Stadium remains among the premier stadiums in the NFL.”
According to Hoffman, the Falcons’ elevator issues weren’t a facility problem but were a result of “operations on the way they were trying to get out of the building.” He also pointed to technological, concession and club/suite level upgrades that preceded the Super Bowl, more than $70 million in improvements the last five years without using taxpayer money, and $30 million projected for future improvements at NRG.
“When the bid for whatever next Super Bowl comes up, it will dictate what needs are required. We’ll deal with that at that time,” Hoffman said. “We’ve always (risen) to the occasion. I don’t see why we wouldn’t continue going down that road. That’s what we do. That’s our job here.”
But will NRG Stadium be able to keep up with the Joneses during the next decade? Does Harris County have the cash to maintain the home of the Texans and Rodeo as a modern first-class facility? And what’s the worst-case scenario if the sides continue to clash: The eventual threat of a move to the suburbs?
Stadium construction costs soaring
When Houston won the rights to Super Bowl LI, the nation’s fourth-largest city beat out Miami for the honor. After years of inaction, South Florida turned its failed LI bid into $500 million in stadium upgrades and SB LIV in 2020. Baltimore, Carolina (Charlotte) and Jacksonville also have recently undergone or agreed to major stadium improvements.
Then there’s the truly state-of-the-art, contemporary billionaire crowd. NRG Stadium was built in 2002 for about $440 million and now looks opportunistically cheap. Dallas’ Jerry World suddenly established a new-world order when it arrived in 2009 for $1.3 billion. The average cost of five new NFL stadiums that currently or will belong to the 49ers, Vikings, Falcons, Giants, Jets, Rams and Chargers: $1.6 billion. Or almost four times the cost of NRG.
“Any new building, stadium or arena, their useful life is shrinking,” Carter said.
And there is the Dome to consider
Speaking of outliving an expected life span …
It’s probably not a coincidence that longtime state Sen. John Whitmire told the Chronicle on Friday he plans to introduce legislation next week that could require Harris County to hold a referendum on allocating at least $94.5 million to turn the legendary Astrodome into a 1,400-space parking garage. Big, to-be-determined dreams have been abstractly attached to what the top levels of the Dome could become. But the decaying, unused stadium also is next door to the Texans and Rodeo, and there’s not enough available money to make everyone happy.
“Here’s the concern. I’m hearing from the (Houston) Sports Authority chairman; I’m hearing from the different team owners — no one will speak out,” said Whitmire, who will propose the Harris County Taxpayer Protection Act. “But they’re all concerned about what the financials are to the existing venues if you spend ($105) million on the Dome. … For those who would suggest putting that money in the Dome, they’re jeopardizing the viability of all the other venues and the finances.”
Two Final Fours in six years, Copa America and a historic Super Bowl capped a highly successful athletic cycle for Houston, which has branded itself as a new global city.
But continuing the ascension and securing the city’s next championship game requires constant devotion.
“We’ll never be Miami. We’ll never be L.A.,” Hoffman said. “Those types of attractive venues, they’re destination locations where a lot of people go to bask in the great weather. … But we’ll always be competitive because of our ability to provide great facilities and we organize very well.”
After the Oilers left Houston in 1997, the city responded to the shock with four new pro stadiums. NRG Stadium isn’t even the oldest — that honor belongs to the Astros’ Minute Maid Park, which began the construction boom in 2000.
NRG needs attention and dedication, not a drastic overhaul. There’s a rational, practical middle ground between the Astrodome’s slow death and the necessary upgrades the home of the Texans and Rodeo requires.
I’m sure all those groups Houston’s mayor lumped together last week will soon figure out the smart, easy answer.