Everyone needs to understand that there is a huge "other" consideration in all this...
Getting fans to show up. And stay.
Eugene is the only place that has provably shown on a regular basis that it can get fans to show up, and stay for both sprints and distance events.
Mt. Sac is notorious for the sprinters families and sprint fans leaving in droves after the sprints and the stands being empty for the distance events.
Mt. Sac is as hard to get to as Eugene. You fly into whereever you want and still have a 60 to 90 minute drive, and with a traffic mishap worse.
And Mt. Sac is in the middle of nowhere. Your amenities and restaurants are the mic of national chains you have anywhere. There is little to see or do there other than drive to the meet and leave.
Eugene has proven again and again they can get officials to show up, they can get fans and families to show up, and show strong attendance for most events. The OT's are a long-long meet with morning and afternoon-evening sessions. Challenging to have butts in the seats for some sessions. No one could do it better than Eugene.
Over the decades officials and fans have established little traditions, routines and habits. Favorite places to collect, eat and drink (beer, lol). Fit people can walk to downtown, or hop on a short buss ride. Eugene provides easy offsite parking and shuttles. Often housing is eased by affordable digs in the dorms, and dining cards. It's kind of cool to get a back to college experience with all the modern options of dining whereever you want on campus. The new alumni center offers easy meeting rooms for registering athletes and officials.
The new Hayward will have even more amenities.
Most convenient to me is Sacramento, and I love hot weather with no chance of rain... But it hurts my fan heart to see all the empty seats, or the slow distance times and tactical races.
Without Eugene, the sport would be in a death knell.
Although we do not know exactly what the New Hayward will be like, let's consider a few things.
1. It will be the most modern and classy track and field venue in the USA, no question.
2. Concessions and restrooms will be no problem trips from your seat to and back to your seat.
3. There will be a wide, modern venue 500m+ concourse for getting out, getting refreshed, getting back to your seat.
4. Presumably, if the open area in the nearly closed horseshoe configuration creates a wind problem - that could eventually be closed in.
We won't know if it is "perfect," until it's done and we've all been there.
I've heard from those in the know that it will be pretty fabulous and offering a seamless fan experience.
Articulating seats that don't have your knees jammed into the back of the person in front of you? Yes. No one's knees jammed into your back. Yes. Room to have your coat (or rain gear) someplace other than under your feet? Yes.
There's a ton I don't know.
I do know this... Do not vote against Phil Knight and Slusser to get it right in the end.
Could I dream up some possibly better ideas for PK's endless money? Sure.
How about the curved clear overhang be articulating so it can bend and cover better in the rain. Some high tech fiber optic sensitive glass material that allows a switch to be flipped to make the walls go opaque/non-opaque off and on with a flip, like the walls in the Jacqua? (Possibly impossible.)
Phil Knight isn't stupid. He's not perfect. However the guy is successful with high quality projects when it comes to getting venues built...I do not doubt he and Slusser will deliver...Wonderful and Amazing when all is said and done.
At this point I think when all is said and done there will be more reasons to be pleased than anything else.