That of course, is the showdown between SDSU West and Soccer City. Both proposals want to transform the land currently occupied by Qualcomm, er, SDCCU Stadium.
While each is centered around sports, the two have radically different visions for the future of Mission Valley.
The legislative language of both propositions are highly complex- but it comes down to this:
- Per the UT, Soccer City wants to put the Mission Valley site into the hands of private developers so they can build a "sports and entertainment district" featuring upscale retail and housing options and, of course, a stadium built to attract an MLS team.
- SDSU West wants to expand San Diego State's campus to meet the school's growing academic, enrollment, research, and athletic needs. The site includes student housing, research facilities, and a new stadium for SDSU football. It will not be funded by the taxpayer.
I mean, look- I'm an Aztec alumni- and a proud one at that. I'm also a big fan of SDSU sports and I don't really care for soccer. It's also not lost on me that this is a sports blog- so you would assume it would only be logical for me to make an argument for SDSU West based on the merits of building a college football stadium over a soccer stadium, after all. You'd have a pretty compelling argument to call my perspective a little biased.
However, the argument I'm going to make is one based on academics, not sports.
The crux of that argument is this: SDSU West will allow the university to expand its research profile by enhancing the school's ability attract noteworthy faculty and talented graduate students, obtain grant money, and publish high caliber research in all scholastic fields. Make no mistake, SDSU West is San Diego State's chance to become not just the crown jewel of the Cal State system, but also an elite West Coast public research university on a tier similar to UCLA and UCSD.
I seriously cannot understand the motive to forsake this golden opportunity simply to maybe get a soccer team from like, the 10th most popular sports league in America. A vote for Soccer City is nonsensical. It's foolish. It's absolutely indefensible.
Not convinced? I want to share with you a little about my own experience at SDSU. I won't get into too much detail, but simply put, my time at San Diego State expanded my intellectual horizons and helped prepare me to apply for, and eventually be accepted into, a doctorate program in psychology. I'm now in grad school and I'm loving the work I do- and that is all thanks to my time at State. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that my Aztec experience changed the trajectory of my life.
As such, I can personally attest that there is no greater investment that we can make as a society than an investment in the education our next generation. That is what SDSU West provides us. A vote for SDSU West is a vote for San Diego's (and the world's too, for that matter) future teachers, nurses, businessmen, therapists, scholars, artists, and leaders. Such an investment is so much more important than any possible MLS team, over-priced condo, or expensive retail store that Soccer City would provide us.
I close this article realizing that there are many other current students at State just like me. But even more importantly- there will be many more that will follow in my footsteps, and SDSU West will expand campus infrastructure to allow the school to admit more undergraduate students and provide them with the same opportunity that I had.
A vote for SDSU West is a vote for them. Be a voter- and vote for SDSU West.
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