THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 12, 1997 TAG: 9702120821
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 76 lines
Let's be clear about the suburban arena proposed by the Hampton Roads Admirals owners. Let's understand what it won't do.
It won't attract a major college basketball tournament. Not the women's Final Four, or an NCAA men's sub-regional, or the CIAA.
It won't attract anything bigger or better in the way of entertainment than Hampton Roads already has.
An arena football team might move into a bare-bones building near I-64. But a major sport? Forget it.
What's more, erecting at the end of an exit ramp an arena holding 13,500 for hockey and 15,000 for basketball will not generate more revenue for the area.
It will not capture new business for Hampton Roads. It will do nothing to raise the national or regional profile of the area.
This is what the new arena advanced by Mark Garcea and Page Johnson would do: Kill off reasonable hope for a 20,000-seat, $140 million palace in downtown Norfolk. Lay low the prospect of the NHL or NBA in Hampton Roads.
Just when you think a fragile situation can't possibly become more tenuous, along come Garcea and Johnson with an idea almost guaranteed to break up an already fragmented relationship among the cities.
It's reported that Garcea and Johnson are willing to pay nearly half the cost of a $47.25 million arena. Never mind that, if ever built, the final bill for an arena of the kind they propose could run closer to $65 million.
What's important right now is not the price of the building, but the impact a plan like this could have on Virginia Beach and Chesapeake officials.
Whether the story was leaked or not, the timing couldn't be worse for Hampton Roads' NHL bid.
At the very least, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake will grow distracted by the intoxicating notion of their very own arena. Negotiations between Norfolk and the other cities - always on the verge of teetering, it seems - cannot be improved.
Major league sports may be beside the point for the time being. But if the Rhinos never materialize and Garcea and Johnson go forth with their plans, it's hard to visualize a new arena in downtown Norfolk. You can't say Norfolk would never build a showplace. Some day, private money could get the job done. But for now, let's agree that it is unlikely.
This will not be met with long faces by everyone on the southside. Minor sports and an obsolete arena are just fine for many.
As for Garcea and Johnson, they are no different from George Shinn, another owner looking out for his own investment.
All's fair in love and corporate war. Garcea and Johnson paid $2.2 million for the Admirals, and now they wish to improve their product. They're entitled. You could even say they owe it to their fans.
The franchise has clearly outgrown its home. A larger building would accommodate Friday night crowds limited by Scope's size. Many hockey boosters must be thrilled by the possibility of a new Admirals playpen.
Obviously, though, Garcea and Johnson would have a lot to lose by the Rhinos coming to town. Under the circumstances, it's an embarrassment that they hold places on the 15-member Hampton Roads Sports Facility Authority named by Gov. George F. Allen.
The authority was created to study an arena proposal and issue bonds. The presence of Garcea and Johnson on the board is a blatant conflict of interest.
Allen, apparently, didn't do his homework. But, then, one must wonder how seriously the governor takes all this. In what seemed at the time a fit of whimsy, Allen also appointed to the authority a local sportscaster who has since reportedly applied for the job of Rhinos radio announcer.
To say the least, these sort of things shake your confidence in the powers that be.
A proposed sports facility at an alternative site complicates a fathomless situation. For now, all we can say with any measure of certainty is that arena speculation has doubled. MEMO: Admirals owners want to help build arena in suburbs/A1 ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
Mark Garcea
Page Johnson