Bucs need to win before doing the stadium math
The Bucs want the right to play two regular-season home games away from Raymond James Stadium beginning in 2018. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS By Martin Fennelly | Tribune Staff Published: October 2, 2015 Three words: Sir Jameis Winston.OK, so maybe London Calling seems far fetched.Then again, it’s just about how things are going around here.Why not the Bucs going, going, gone?We’re already thinking of asking Trump, if he makes it, to consider a wall to keep the Rays out of Canada.Now this: One of the sticking points in a potential Raymond James Stadium renovation plan is that the Bucs — your Bucs, Tampa Bay — want the right to play two regular-season home games outside of Tampa beginning in 2018.The Bucs are 40-75 since the start of the 2008 season. They’ve lost 19 of their last 22 games. They’re trying to avoid becoming the first NFC team since the merger to finish in its division basement for five consecutive seasons.And they have ants in their pants.Just another reason why it’s hard for fans to open their wallets or hearts to this franchise.Word is the Bucs see this as insurance in the event their potential future on-field success, with Jameis leading the way, isn’t reflected in attendance. Maybe we’re talking Orlando. Maybe we’re talking London. We haven’t even mentioned Glazer I, the unmanned orbiter launched six years ago to see if club seating is sustainable on other planets.Now for a wilder idea:Why not go and actually have some future success and then see what happens?Go win first.It’s easier to connect dots, even ones that aren’t there, than to connect Bucs losses. Glazers own Bucs. Glazers own Manchester United. NFL eventually wants a franchise in London. And there’s this: Why is Ed the only Glazer brother not wearing shoes while crossing the street on the “Abbey Road” album cover? I might have mixed that up a little, but you get the idea.Bucs to London. Yes, there are logical reasons why this will never happen.I get where the Bucs are coming from. I mean, why would a franchise be prepared to pour up to $75 million into stadium improvements if it intended to leave? The Bucs have had the right to play one home game outside Tampa Bay since 1998, but have done that only twice, two treks to London. Also, the Bucs are in a lease until 2028.So, what are we talking about?Well, we’re talking about 13 years not being very long in stadium years. We’re talking about a football team spending money on its stadium because, well, it’s where they live. As strange as it sounds, $75 million is a drop in the bucket in the NFL cash machine. You spend money to make money. For all their down seasons, the Bucs remain the local kingpins. They’re worth a lot more than the Rays and Lightning — combined.Weighing options is good business. Businesses have every right to be businesses.That doesn’t mean we should applaud them.I’m sure the Bucs have studied the Rays, a wild success story — four playoff appearances since the Bucs’ last one in 2007. The Rays, a working baseball model, have turned pennies into wins, improving the stadium experience in their St. Pete cave — and have nothing to show for it at ticket windows.Then there’s the elephant in the room: Can this area support three professional sports teams? We’ve all asked ourselves about this market’s flaws. It’s eventually going to come to a head.But the Bucs should have the decency to be decent on the field before wondering who’s going to show up.They’ve put out a cruddy product for years. At least the Rays have won some titles and playoff games. The Bucs haven’t produced. And now they’re exploring options. Well, where is the fans’ insurance if this franchise keeps churning out yearly messes?The Bucs need to handle their half of the equation before doing the math.Want to go places?Get back to us when you win a few on this side of the pond.