If you’re a St. Louis sports fan, or just watch the local news, you have no doubt heard about the renovation plans for the Scottrade Center.
This is what anyone should consider a “slam dunk” for Blues fans and St. Louisans in general. The tax revenue that the building already draws in will more than compensate for help from the city to make the home of the Blues a top flight venue that will provide an even more attractive event center. Not to mention, all but secure the continuation of the events that already take place there. March madness in St. Louis will cease to take place without this upgrade, as well as the future events that the city could lure in.
Imagine, the NHL All-Star Game. After the success of the Winter Classic this past week, an upgraded Scottrade would be the perfect place to hold another top NHL exhibition, and the NHL already knows that St. Louis is more than capable of accommodating the extra flow of people. Mayor Slay has said that the Scottrade Center has generated $100 million in tax revenue for the city, so the city accommodating this rejuvenation of a St. Louis “cash cow” is, not just warranted, but should be expected at this point.
Stillman has been a pioneer to St. Louis since taking over the team. He not only has kept the team in St. Louis, but he has brought the team back from the brink to give the people something to be proud of. Why get in the way of prosperity? Why deny the very thing that could be the next step towards putting the Rams debacle behind this city? I know this will not erase the last year sour taste left by the crooks formerly known as the St. Louis Rams, but it could put the city back on track to being a major market in more than just hockey.
The St. Louis Blues, according to Forbes is worth $310 million, that is in the bottom third of the league. This is in my opinion, the way St. Louis is perceived around the nation. A place to pass through, rather than a place to stop and enjoy. Think about the exposure something like this could bring. Collegiate, professional, and amateur sporting events, the top rated musical acts, the possibilities are endless. What happened when the new Busch Stadium was built? The MLB All-Star Game came to town and the NHL saw a place that the Winter Classic could be held, new businesses opened, Ball Park Village, old businesses started to thrive once again, and exposure to the outskirts of the city began to amplify. Why wouldn’t the expectation of this renovation double this exposure?
If the city is willing to put up multiple hundreds of millions of dollars for a new NFL stadium for people that couldn’t get out of here fast enough and multiple hundreds of millions of dollars to bring an MLS team (which I am all for under the right circumstances) for an investment group that has zero roots in the Gateway City, then why would there be any question that this is the right thing for St. Louis?
Like Stillman said, “we are at a crossroads” and it’s time to make the right turn for the city, the Blues, and especially the people of St. Louis!
The arena “is really at a crossroads,” Stillman said. “If we renovate it, modernize it, make it competitive again, it will continue to have a major effect on our local economy for years to come, also on our quality of life as St. Louis citizens.”
