Sports Editor Justin Kline takes on an Athlete of the Week question.
I've seen a lot of athletes struggle with the billion-dollar question during Athlete of the Week interviews.
Not that it's hard to answer — it's that the possibilities are endless. Going off of my rough estimates, I'd say about half I interview say they want to buy property for their parents. Most of the other half has a car in mind.
I often think about how I'd answer some of the interview questions if the roles were reversed and I were the young athlete being interviewed by a young sportswriter in a "Sandlot" movie t-shirt. I can confidently say that I'd have a completely different answer than just about anything I've heard thus far.
If you were to ask me what I'd buy, I'd go with an NBA team. Not only is owning a major pro sports team a phenomenal business asset these days, I'd also get to bring ball back to life in Buffalo (sorry, Seattle). I don't know if I'd wait for an expansion year or try and relocate a team, but I'd get it done.
For fun, though, let's say that I could get $1 billion on the condition that I have to put at least half of the money into the community.
I think it goes without saying that sports are pretty important to me, so I'd be pumping that money into that area of the community. I can think of a few things that intrigue me.
There's a lot of potential at Plant City Stadium, which used to host the Cincinnati Reds for Major League Baseball spring training. Bringing the MLB back to Plant City would certainly be a goal of mine.
But, even if that proves impossible, there are other things that can be done with it. I could see it being a great playing area for local baseball and softball teams, if not regularly then in championship scenarios or rivalry games. It would also be great for the NCBA Spring Training Showcase, as I'm sure teams wouldn't mind playing on a field where big-league greats once played ball (and where baseball legend Pete Rose's locker is still placed, which would be cool to see).
It also has legs as an outdoor concert venue, as we've all seen during the city's Fourth of July celebrations. I'm sure we could get people in those seats for outdoor country music concerts.
Not that the stadium is run-down or anywhere near it, but I'd modernize it. Seating improvements, a new scoreboard, revamped press boxes and food options and a few other touches could go a long way toward making Plant City Stadium a modern, attractive option for Major League Baseball teams and beyond.
What would you do with $1 billion, Plant City?
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com
