Bulls Have Good Home At Raymond James Despite Deal

Published: Oct 13, 2007

With the 5th-ranked USF Bulls set to play Central Florida before another sellout crowd at Raymond James Stadium today, fans have every right to continue beaming. But they should rein in unrealistic hopes of the university pursuing its own football stadium.

USF athletics' officials are taking the right approach as talk grows about an on-campus stadium. Yes, such a facility would be nice, they note, but the team is playing in one of the country's best stadiums now, so there's no need to rush.

Indeed, Raymond James, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is an excellent facility and a big selling point to USF recruits.

The stadium also hosts the Outback Bowl every year and could be the site of the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship for three years beginning in December 2008.

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission has applied to host the ACC championship and is considered a contender, along with Jacksonville, which has the game now, and Charlotte. The commission has even reserved Raymond James for potential game dates from 2008 to 2010 in the event that Tampa is selected.

As good a home as Raymond James is for the Bulls, the university's contractual arrangement with the Bucs and the Tampa Sports Authority is far from ideal. USF, which recently signed an extension through 2011 with a five-year option after that, is charged $105,000 in rent per game and must pay more when the second deck is opened, as it will be today, in addition to expenses for security and use of video boards and other stadium features.

The Bucs even get some of the profits from the sale of merchandise and parking during Bulls' games. The hometown school deserves a better deal, and the Bucs, already one of the NFL's most lucrative franchises, shouldn't be such a greedy fellow tenant. USF officials should try to get a revised deal, given the Bulls' rise.

Still, USF has much bigger needs and priorities than a football stadium, starting with the continued enhancement of its academic offerings.

Besides, given the number of days that RayJay goes empty, it's hard to argue that Tampa needs another football stadium.

If USF boosters want to raise private money to build a stadium, as the University of Central Florida did, that's fine. But they should recognize that such a campaign would compete with the more vital fundraising effort to boost academic offerings.

Raymond James is an appropriate home for the Bulls, and its location doesn't diminish enthusiasm for what has been a dream season so far.

The proof is the sellout crowd that will watch the Bulls for the second home game in a row.