ARTHUR BLANK is a successful businessman and generous corporate citizen who has contributed mightily to this state.
But that doesn’t automatically mean that his Atlanta Falcons football team is entitled to a new stadium, built partially at public expense.
On Monday, the state agency that owns the 20-year-old Georgia Dome approved the framework for a deal with the Falcons, calling for the construction of a $1 billion stadium with a retractable roof in downtown Atlanta.
Under this plan, Mr. Blank’s team would pay 70 percent of the total construction cost. In return, the Falcons would agree not to relocate. The team also would retain the revenue from tickets, premium seating like skyboxes, food and beverage sales, sponsorships, naming rights and certain parking revenue, and not just for pro football games. It’s for all stadium events. That’s big money.
The Georgia World Congress Center, a state agency, would own the facility. The Falcons would pay the agency $2.5 million in rent annually — chump change, actually, as the average pro football player makes about $2 million each year.
Visitors to Atlanta would pay the remaining 30 percent of the stadium’s construction cost through a hotel-motel tax, which would generate an estimated $300 million. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed likes this idea. But the rest of city council and the Fulton County Commission must sign on.
And the existing dome? The authority would demolish it to make a space for this new sports palace.
There’s no question that the entire World Congress Center, which includes the dome, has been an integral part of Atlanta’s downtown scene and its success as a convention destination. When Atlanta prospers, there’s a ripple effect that helps the rest of the state.
At the same time, Mr. Blank runs a classy operation. He helped bring success and stability to one the NFL’s most under-achieving franchises, for which Falcons fans are eternally grateful — at least until playoff season.
But at this point, it’s unclear whether the plan that the World Congress Center approved Monday should get a touchdown signal or an out-of-bounds call.
First, there’s the facility itself.
The dome may be two decades old, but it’s hardly ancient and ready for the wrecking ball. It’s only the 10th oldest in the NFL. That means 22 teams — a clear majority — play in stadiums with more wear and tear than the Georgia Dome.
It’s not as if other event-planners who regularly use the facility are complaining either. Not long ago, Mike Slive, commissioner of the SEC, which plays its conference championship game in the dome, gave it glowing praise. “The Georgia Dome has been terrific for us,” he said.
Then there’s the idea of investing limited public funds in a project that will benefit a private organization that’s already profitable.
In last year’s Forbes’ magazine’s list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises on earth, the Falcons were ranked 35th. Its value was listed at $831 million. While that’s way behind Jerry Jones and his Dallas Cowboys, the top-ranked NFL franchise at $1.81 billion, the Falcons are hardly destitute and forced to sell pencils on the corners of Peachtree Street to make ends meet.
At the same time, the Atlanta area’s needs are many. Many of its public schools are woeful. The traffic is a nightmare. Will investing $300 million in a new stadium help solve these problems? Could the Falcons kick in more up-front dough and free up precious tax dollars for other purposes?
Coastal Georgians don’t have a big dog in this hunt. Atlantans must decide whether they want their taxes benefitting the Falcons. But since the World Congress Center is a state entity, and the center’s success is in Georgia’s interest, all Georgians have a little dog involved.
That’s why it’s appropriate to toss the challenge flag on what the World Congress Center did Monday.
When that happens in the NFL, the refs go to the replay booth. In political life, it means going to the public and doing more explaining and analyzing, then making a decision that benefits Georgia.