Amarillo Is About to Beat Lubbock Soundly
Amarillo and Lubbock have always had a bit of competition between them, and it looks like we in the Hub City are about to get our rears handed to us.
Let's keep this simple. While Lubbock is struggling to build a rodeo building/barn for 6,000 people, Amarillo is getting behind a project that will serve as a multipurpose facility which will hold over 10,000 people.
Let's do a little math here, kids, because some people don't understand the realistic implications of something like this.
Let's say that the fictional "Big Deal of Professional Yak Roping Tour" wants to come to town. This group generally gets $25 a ticket, and since yak roping is a big deal, they generally sell out.
In a 6,000-person arena, they stand to make $150,000, while in a 10,000-seat arena, they'd make $250,000 (and the place probably has better amenities). So, which city do you think the event is going to?
Think a little deeper on this, too. By scoring these events, Amarillo will be the one to pick up the tourist money, which is the very thing we were counting on to fund our meager efforts.
Lubbock completely fudged itself by not voting to build its own multipurpose arena, and now we're about to get yak-slapped by Amarillo. Everyone better hope the Amarillo thing fails, or we're about to be second place in West Texas.