Good morning West Texans and all you good, fine, friendly folks out there who wish you were . . .
Good, frank and maybe even fresh discussion this morning on KFYO with Chad Hasty and Rex Andrew taking calls about the upcoming bond vote for Lubbock. Most of the talk late turned to prop. 4 that would spend millions of dollars on soccer fields at a time many people think is a bad time to spend money on a want and not a need. The soccer folks were passionate, as they always are at the time, but have brought little to the table in terms of matching funds or other creative ideas to improve, maintain and develop what they already have.
You can hear the discussion by going to:
http://www.chadhasty.com/
As for my money, I won’t be supporting either props. three or four this go around and wish they weren’t on the ballot. I fear that the negatives around those projects may hurt the ability of those working to improve needed things, like say ROADS, will be drowned out. If you do want to spend money on soccer, just make sure once you get it, you stay involved and take care of what you get.
That’s the real dirty little secret about soccer most places. It is a sport that people don’t stay involved in. The parents all all about it when their kids are little and it is all they can do because they aren’t ready to play other sports. The minute the kid is able to move on to baseball, football or basketball the parents and their money go right along with them. If soccer parents wonder why baseball and softball has better facilities, one reason is that the people involved stay involved much longer, dedicate more of their own time and money to the sport and quite frankly, they care more.
Harsh. True.
Soccer, while popular with the younger set and cute to watch from a parent perspective when they see their little darlin’ run around at age 5 and kick stuff, just isn’t that popular or important to the locale populace. It just isn’t and it never will be as long as football and baseball exist in West Texas.
The idea that soccer will drive a ton of revenue into the Hubbaplex is dubious as well. I think they are merely chasing regional dollars that most likely will end up here anyways. Teams from Dallas aren’t going to magically start coming out here because Lubbock has new field. They’ve got their own. They’re very nice. They don’t require a six hour drive and a hotel stay to play there either. So from there you’re going after Midland-Odessa and Amarillo.
If the idea of a grand soccer complex is so beneficial to Lubbock, why hasn’t anyone in the private sector put something together and developed it? ? ?
Vote your conscious, vote early and vote often and be glad you get to vote and that it isn’t determined either way by anyone else.
MORE LATER
HYATT
Soccer it to me…
By Ryan Hyatt on October 29, 2009
Good morning West Texans and all you good, fine, friendly folks out there who wish you were . . .
Good, frank and maybe even fresh discussion this morning on KFYO with Chad Hasty and Rex Andrew taking calls about the upcoming bond vote for Lubbock. Most of the talk late turned to prop. 4 that would spend millions of dollars on soccer fields at a time many people think is a bad time to spend money on a want and not a need. The soccer folks were passionate, as they always are at the time, but have brought little to the table in terms of matching funds or other creative ideas to improve, maintain and develop what they already have.
You can hear the discussion by going to:
http://www.chadhasty.com/
As for my money, I won’t be supporting either props. three or four this go around and wish they weren’t on the ballot. I fear that the negatives around those projects may hurt the ability of those working to improve needed things, like say ROADS, will be drowned out. If you do want to spend money on soccer, just make sure once you get it, you stay involved and take care of what you get.
That’s the real dirty little secret about soccer most places. It is a sport that people don’t stay involved in. The parents all all about it when their kids are little and it is all they can do because they aren’t ready to play other sports. The minute the kid is able to move on to baseball, football or basketball the parents and their money go right along with them. If soccer parents wonder why baseball and softball has better facilities, one reason is that the people involved stay involved much longer, dedicate more of their own time and money to the sport and quite frankly, they care more.
Harsh. True.
Soccer, while popular with the younger set and cute to watch from a parent perspective when they see their little darlin’ run around at age 5 and kick stuff, just isn’t that popular or important to the locale populace. It just isn’t and it never will be as long as football and baseball exist in West Texas.
The idea that soccer will drive a ton of revenue into the Hubbaplex is dubious as well. I think they are merely chasing regional dollars that most likely will end up here anyways. Teams from Dallas aren’t going to magically start coming out here because Lubbock has new field. They’ve got their own. They’re very nice. They don’t require a six hour drive and a hotel stay to play there either. So from there you’re going after Midland-Odessa and Amarillo.
If the idea of a grand soccer complex is so beneficial to Lubbock, why hasn’t anyone in the private sector put something together and developed it? ? ?
Vote your conscious, vote early and vote often and be glad you get to vote and that it isn’t determined either way by anyone else.
MORE LATER
HYATT
Posted in Lubbock News & Commentary | Tagged Chad Hasty, KFYO, Rex Andrew, Soccer