Countless Major league baseball teams all over the nation have considered, are considering, or are in the process of building new stadiums in order to keep players, the community, fans, and team executives happy. Most cities and teams turn to the idea of the new facility when they are facing a buyout, relocation considerations, player and fan dissatisfaction, and so on. Baseball club officials understand that the decision to construct a new facility can often reverse these negatives.
County Stadium, the former home of the Milwaukee Brewers, opened on April 6, 1953, and increased its seating capacity over the years to hold 53,192 fans. Miller Park, on the other hand, holds only 43,000 spectators but features a convertible, fan-shaped roof. Miller Park is a more elaborate establishment than the old County Stadium; it is the extra details found in new stadiums that executives of major league teams believe will help keep their organizations competitive from all angles.
Identify and explain the potential problems and opportunities that both the team and the city might have faced that could have led to the decision to construct a new facility.
Use the steps provided in Exhibit 6.1 to decide whether you would have tried to build a new stadium if you were in Selig-Prieb’s shoes.
Do you believe that facility construction is a rational decision for (1) team executives, (2) city officials, and (3) local citizens? Explain.
Should team executives, city officials, and local citizens all be able to participate in the decision-making process of building a new stadium? Explain the advantages and disadvantages of including all of these individuals.
When making decisions about building a new facility, what type of decision style(s) and problem attributes are most relevant and important? Explain.
Identify how Miller Park has helped or hindered the Brewers organization by finding statistics from attendance records at County Stadium in 1999 and comparing them to current records at Miller Park. With what you have learned, and with any additional information you have found, justify whether or not the decision to build the stadium was a positive move for the team.
Go online to locate another organization that has recently built or is currently considering building a new facility. Use that organization’s website to try to identify what led to that decision. Include any information regarding the funding options associated with facility construction. Suggest some possible alternatives to facility construction, if appropriate.
