Already tried 5-6 years back when Phoenix was trying to get them back, former Suns owner (and notorious jerk) Sarver refused to share with anyone else, Footprint was (and is) an absolute shithole as far as modern arenas go, so it was scrapped entirely.
Ishbia won’t be any more willing to share than Sarver was, and the cost and work required to renovate Footprint would have to be massive because it’s not only just amenities, but the structural aspects of the building (“Obscured View” tickets ring a bell?) would need to be addressed. Part of the reason Phoenix is so defensive about neighbors getting new arenas or complexes is that they’re actively battling the DBacks and Suns on their demands for venue renovations and modernization because…they don’t want to pay for it. Tempe landing the TED right down the road would’ve absolutely shattered their credibility. Phoenix couldn’t allow that to move forward.
And while I still believe that Phoenix torpedoed Tempe – at least in part – because they didn’t want them to get the deal they wanted for Phoenix, that bridge has clearly been burned. I don’t factor ethics or integrity into Phoenix’s decision-making much at all, but the chances of them being openly hypocritical and accepting a similar proposal for a new arena after suing Tempe for wanting the same thing? Astronomically unlikely, even if not impossible.
I think the Tempe vote showed one crucial thing: the 55+ NIMBY community votes, everyone else doesn’t. I’ve seen that in local elections for years, not exactly a shock, but the minority of older “pass nothing” voters tend to dictate the outcome because…they vote, they have all the time in the world to vote, they’re more susceptible to NIMBY propaganda (“my friend Carl heard that it’ll raise taxes by 3000% and I can’t be bothered to fact check or question it, so I believe it because it’s scary to me!”), etc. Meanwhile, the rest of the population just doesn’t vote consistently.
That said, I think their best shot is reservation land. Plenty of it, it can be Scottsdale-adjacent near other draws, and it wouldn’t require a public vote. As much as I’d selfishly love it to go in Mesa, Chandler, etc. on the East side, I just see the exact same thing happening as what happened in Tempe. Especially now that Phoenix and company know it works and they can effectively cockblock any competing municipality.
throwawayyourfun
Everyone is so used to the Coyotes ownership instability that running to new ownership is the best answer, but it is not the answer.
2 Comments
This won’t be the answer.
Already tried 5-6 years back when Phoenix was trying to get them back, former Suns owner (and notorious jerk) Sarver refused to share with anyone else, Footprint was (and is) an absolute shithole as far as modern arenas go, so it was scrapped entirely.
Ishbia won’t be any more willing to share than Sarver was, and the cost and work required to renovate Footprint would have to be massive because it’s not only just amenities, but the structural aspects of the building (“Obscured View” tickets ring a bell?) would need to be addressed. Part of the reason Phoenix is so defensive about neighbors getting new arenas or complexes is that they’re actively battling the DBacks and Suns on their demands for venue renovations and modernization because…they don’t want to pay for it. Tempe landing the TED right down the road would’ve absolutely shattered their credibility. Phoenix couldn’t allow that to move forward.
And while I still believe that Phoenix torpedoed Tempe – at least in part – because they didn’t want them to get the deal they wanted for Phoenix, that bridge has clearly been burned. I don’t factor ethics or integrity into Phoenix’s decision-making much at all, but the chances of them being openly hypocritical and accepting a similar proposal for a new arena after suing Tempe for wanting the same thing? Astronomically unlikely, even if not impossible.
I think the Tempe vote showed one crucial thing: the 55+ NIMBY community votes, everyone else doesn’t. I’ve seen that in local elections for years, not exactly a shock, but the minority of older “pass nothing” voters tend to dictate the outcome because…they vote, they have all the time in the world to vote, they’re more susceptible to NIMBY propaganda (“my friend Carl heard that it’ll raise taxes by 3000% and I can’t be bothered to fact check or question it, so I believe it because it’s scary to me!”), etc. Meanwhile, the rest of the population just doesn’t vote consistently.
That said, I think their best shot is reservation land. Plenty of it, it can be Scottsdale-adjacent near other draws, and it wouldn’t require a public vote. As much as I’d selfishly love it to go in Mesa, Chandler, etc. on the East side, I just see the exact same thing happening as what happened in Tempe. Especially now that Phoenix and company know it works and they can effectively cockblock any competing municipality.
Everyone is so used to the Coyotes ownership instability that running to new ownership is the best answer, but it is not the answer.