A recent blog out of Lubbock oddly enough makes a case for Amarillo beating out Lubbock for tourism dollars.

Let's not get too excited there, amigo. As much as I would love to see it happen, there's a lot that has to fall in place.

What's causing the writer to believe Lubbock will lose out on events? The new 10,000 seat facility.

Round 1: 6,000 Seats Vs. 10,000 Seats

According to the blog, Lubbock is working on getting a rodeo arena built. The catch is that it only seats 6,000 people.

They say that events will see those 4,000 extra seats in Amarillo and come here instead. That's a neat thought, but what they haven't taken into account is Amarillo's drive to fill those seats.

Sure, events may leave Lubbock for those 4,000 seats. That only happens if Amarillo can fill them.

How does a production company know if Amarillo can fill seats? Usually they use presale tickets as a good indicator. Amarillo is notoriously bad about buying tickets before the day of.

Round 2: Rodeo Vs. Multipurpose

Keep in mind, they're working on a 6,000 seat rodeo arena. Very specific. Our 4,000 extra seats are for a multipurpose arena.

Our 10,000 seats being in a multipurpose arena really goes in our favor. Rodeo arenas aren't built for absolutely everything.

Plus, I'll agree with the writer of the blog, the facilities will probably be nicer than those found in a rodeo arena.

Results: I Hope It Happens

There's hope it will happen. Sod Poodles baseball is notoriously hard to get good tickets for. ZZ Top frenzy is in full effect. Bobby Bones performed for a packed house here.

I use those examples just to show that Amarillo is capable of filling seats. Can it fill 10,000? That remains to be seen, if we even get this thing built.

Personally, I would love to see it happen.