I recall hearing , that with new stadiums being built , the personal seat licenses that most teams charge, in addition to season ticket costs, were to provide a fund to build the stadium.
Do they not use the personal seat license money to build the stadium? I have not kept up with the mechanics of how stadiums get paid for. But I agree with everyone here who says that Stadiums should not be publicly funded.
I also question how is it, that various teams with a stadium that’s only about 20 years old , are suddenly saying that the stadium is too old and obsolete, and now they need a new one.
The Panthers stadium appears to be well maintained. And it's in a good location (downtown Charlotte). But there are two things that work against the stadium.
#1 - no dome therefore it cannot host a Super Bowl (and other events like March Madness)
#2 - no parking spaces controlled by the team - revenues
Lived in Atlanta in the late 70s and there was Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and The Omni. The Braves are on their third stadium since then, The Omni is long long gone, the Georgia Dome came and went and now there is the Mercedes-Benz Dome. In less than fifty years...
Because newer stadiums are more awesome. So now these other teams want their stadiums to be that awesome. Better seats, better jumbotrons, better hallways. Gift shops, museums. Etc etc.