Support For Save Roberts Stadium Is At An All-Time High

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With the results in from March, I am pleased to announce that last month surpassed June of 2011 as the busiest month for this blog. Not only is March the new record holder, it is over 350 visits higher than June of last year.

First of all, I want to thank each and every visitor who has come to this blog, read the posts, and gotten the word out about what we can do for a venue that has done everything for us these past 55 1/2 years. When I started this blog, I expected people to visit by the tens or hundreds. I am pleasantly surprised to see visitors rolling in by the thousands each month.

The fact that this blog and its goal of saving Roberts Stadium are only getting stronger as each month goes along is very strong evidence that the people of Evansville are sending a message loud and clear to our city leaders that they want Roberts Stadium to be repurposed as a mid-sized arena.

They aren't buying the claims by Dave Rector that Roberts Stadium is in bad shape, they aren't buying the claims the Democratic Central Committee and their supporters have made that Roberts Stadium is obsolete, and they certainly aren't buying the idea that a green space, a park, or a ball field project belongs on the ground that Roberts Stadium sits on.

Although we have made what I believe to be a bulletproof case for using Roberts Stadium as a mid-sized arena, there is still much work to do. It has become apparent over these past few years that our city leaders aren't going to give Roberts Stadium a break. If we are going to win the battle to save Roberts Stadium, we are going to have to fight them the whole way through the process.

For those who have supported me, this blog, Roberts Stadium, and the city of Evansville, I want you to know that I am fully prepared and committed to fighting for Roberts Stadium no matter what challenge she shall encounter. I fully intend to keep the pressure cooker turned up as high as I can on those who support demolishing this building until this short-sighted idea is fully cooked.

Our plan and our strategy from here on out is pretty simple. We must keep doing the following...

1. Keep the pressure turned up on those who oppose Roberts Stadium. Demolition supporters know they are losing this battle. They have no realistic plan, they are unorganized, and they have yet to produce any solid evidence against Roberts Stadium. They are now clearly on defense, a side we must keep them on if we are going to win this battle.

2. Keep making adjustments in strategy. The side that makes the most adjustments is the side that will win this battle. We have already made several adjustments in response to the attacks from the other side on Roberts Stadium's condition, Roberts Stadium's financial viability, and Roberts Stadium's coordination with the Ford Center. So far, demolition supporters have failed to make any adjustments and it is hurting their cause badly.

3. Remain committed to aggressively marketing Roberts Stadium as a mid-sized arena. I don't think there's any question that the vast majority of Evansville's residents have no idea what the difference is between a mid-sized arena and a large premier arena. This goes for our elected leaders as well. But once they are confronted with the differences, and once they get the opportunity understand firsthand how Roberts Stadium fits into our economy, almost all of our residents respond favorably to a mid-sized Roberts Stadium. If we are going to keep the advantage of having roughly 90% of our city in favor of Roberts Stadium, we MUST commit to getting the word out about the benefits of a mid-sized arena.

4. Continue to out-work, out-hustle, and out-play demolition supporters. There's no question that we won the task force public sessions. While we where able to get Roberts Stadium supporters out in full force, demolition supporters have yet to organize more than a handful of supporters for their cause. This is largely due to the fact that their side has no competitive advantage whatsoever. We must keep the emotional and financial benefits of Roberts Stadium in our favor.

5. Handle all disagreements internally. Supporters of Roberts Stadium make up a large faction of our city. Our causes' tent is as big as it can get. Therefore, we are going to have disagreements on how Roberts Stadium should be repurposed. I addressed this shortly before the first task force meeting and it appears that everyone is doing a great job of working together for the common goal of saving Roberts Stadium. It also helps that we have the potential to design a complex that takes into account all of the goals of our local residents. United we are standing, divided they are falling. Let's keep it this way.

Overall, I am thoroughly satisfied with the position we are in. To me, the greatest thing about this cause is that we have been able to do this while not having to comprise any of our ethics, morals, values, or beliefs. That is usually next to impossible for any political movement. There is no doubt that we have the best of the best in Evansville on our side.

Going forward, I believe that our hard work will begin to pay huge dividends as Mayor Winnecke lets us in on his plan for Roberts Stadium. I am confident that we will finally be able to reap what we have sowed with our hard work these past 20 months.

Once again, thank you for all of the support and let's SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!