The lack of vision by people in positions of authority in this City is often depressing.
If you build a new Arena, the question is not whether the Baltimore area would be ready to house an NBA or NHL team in 2014 (whatever in the immediate term)... it's about 15-20 years out.
There are a million reasons to build a new Arena, with or without the NBA or NHL... but you don't build a new Arena that eliminates any possibility of those sports.
As far as housing one of those teams... it goes back to the luxury suites. Is there enough corporate dollars to go around to fill those suites? That point can be debated either way. Still fairly regardless in any current discussion of the merits of building a new Arena.
I get what you're saying and mostly agree but arenas nowadays don't have long shelf lives. Just off the top of my head, 30 years seems to be the number. 15-20 years out the arena would be halfway through its life cycle and there are sure to be a new generation of arenas in cities that already have arena sports teams and Baltimore would again have an outdated arena while trying to get a team.
I don't know if the deets have changed but Hackerman was going to finance a good-sized portion of the arena in turn for getting a new Sheraton out of it, which would be connected to the arena and convention center. It's deal that IMO, the city should be all over, but aren't for whatever reason -- chief among them, this is Baltimore City, where it's a miracle that anything ever happens when it comes to the gov't being involved....except for that eyesore of a Hilton.
So if they can't even get the ball rolling on that, then I don't ever see a new arena getting built in the foreseeable future. The city seems to think like the owner of a 1988 Honda Civic when it comes to the arena. It's paid off, still starts, and gets OK gas mileage. No reason to spend money on a new car, or arena.
I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?