Washington State University claimed victory in a painful Apple Cup this year, giving it bragging rights to having only the second-worst college football team in the state.
But that wasn’t enough. Now some Cougars want to add insult to injury by trying to quash University of Washington efforts to get public funding for renovating decrepit, unsafe, 88-year-old Husky Stadium.
The Cougars’ opposition would be understandable if the public money UW is seeking were coming out of some pot that might also fund facilities at WSU. But that’s not the case. The money would come from an extension of a King County tax on hotels, restaurants and car rentals – revenue that wouldn’t be available to WSU anyway.
The Legislature would have to give permission for the tax to be extended. But an unofficial group of WSU alumni is pressuring legislators to reject the extension, arguing that since WSU is paying for a $40 million renovation of Martin Stadium through private donations and not seeking public money, that’s the route the UW should go, too.
The problem with that argument is that Husky Stadium needs much more extensive repairs and updates, to the tune of $300 million. And the tax revenue would pay for only half. Private donations would pay for the rest.
The opponents’ lamest reason for opposing UW’s request is that a renovated stadium would give the Huskies an unfair leg up on recruiting over WSU. A Husky fan might suggest that just being in Seattle and not Pullman is recruiting advantage enough.
A better argument would be: Why bother? Why spend $300 million upgrading a stadium when a $450 million taxpayer-subsidized football facility sits vacant most of the year just a few miles away from campus with an owner who likely would be happy to collect rent from UW.
That would be Qwest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks.
Playing at Qwest Field would solve parking and traffic problems that drive UW neighbors crazy on game days. The area around Qwest Field offers plenty of pre- and post-game attractions. And as News Tribune sportswriter John McGrath pointed out in a column last year, Qwest Field’s state-of-the-art amenities would help with recruiting.
There’s no getting around the down side of leaving the present site. Husky Stadium has the prettiest setting of just about any football facility in the country (for those sitting in the right seats). Alumni enjoy being able to boat to the games, and there’s something to be said for having an on-campus stadium easily accessible by students.
But $300 million is a lot to pay for tradition and scenery. Even if the county tax could be tapped for half of that, donors would need to come up with $150 million. And that’s a lot to expect even in good times.
On our blog
To read News Tribune sportswriter John McGrath’s September 2007 column on why the Huskies should play at Qwest Field, go to the Inside the Editorial Page blog: blogs.thenewstribune.com/oped.
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