Elephant in the room? Williams Arena

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howeda7 said:
Staying in the Dome longer wasn't an option. They'd be the Las Vegas Vikings by now.
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The NFL holding cities hostage to get new stadiums to increase their value has nothing to do with my point. My point is that from a fan attendance perspective, I don't think there were many fans that did not go to games because of the dome. Obviously people prefer a nicer venue, but it wasn't keeping fans away.
 

gopheraschells said:
The NFL holding cities hostage to get new stadiums to increase their value has nothing to do with my point. My point is that from a fan attendance perspective, I don't think there were many fans that did not go to games because of the dome. Obviously people prefer a nicer venue, but it wasn't keeping fans away.
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True. The Vikings would sell out regardless of venue. Not sure any other team in town can say that though.
 

MplsGopher said:
If you already have season tickets, then probably you'd still go anyways, regardless if it's old Williams or new Williams.

But new Williams could entice people who've never had season tickets, to get them.
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For a year or two maybe. I don't think a year or two is worth tearing down an iconic venue at a cost of millions of dollars. As others have pointed out. There are many factors that are a bigger influence on attendance than the actual venue
 




There should be a remodeling of Williams arena. The shell is awesome. I think the arena should be remodeled. If the gophers have to play a year or two at Target Center then fine. Completely redo it and even get rid of of the raised floor. I am starting to think it's not an advantage.
 

Love the barn as it is (except for no plumbing in the upper levels). I think it's a big advantage to the gophs. Look at it from the other team's perspective. You get jammed into a tiny and ugly visitor's locker room, have to walk through a narrow underground damp hallway, climb some ridiculously narrow and steep steps to get to the main floor, and then have to climb again to get to the actual court. Then, and I've seen this happening, as part of the pre-game warmup your coach has you practice sliding across the floor and falling off the deck so during the actual game you don't hurt yourself when you land on the concrete below. Plus, the fans are basically right at the court's edge (compare that with T-Wolves games where if you're sitting in the "end zone" you're a mile away from the action). All of that gets in the heads of the visiting players. If there is any remodeling, I hope they keep the home-court advantage.
 

howeda7 said:
Purely for atmosphere, maybe. But it lacks any amenities. Parking isn't easy. Half the seats are bench seats. The obstructed views, restroom issues etc.

In the post-Covid era, it's going to be hard to compete for sports $ in MSP and the Gopher fan base that loves the Barn for nostalgia is getting older and older. They need a new venue or a major renovation in the next decade. But it's separate from the coaching change for now.
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Agree on all the points you are making. I'll never forget when I went to Memorial stadium in Lincoln years ago. I loved how a large portion of the seats have pretty much zero view of the field and the husker fans still sit in those seats and watch on small tv screens. Williams is like that in a lot of ways however the biggest difference is that it's hard to really call our men's basketball team a program right now. We still have a cloud hanging over us from Clem days and we don't exactly have a history of winning either. So to your point without those things the history of the arena really is irrelevant..
 

I'm going to try to spend less than a minute writing this post, because I don't have two minutes for anyone who doesn't love the Barn.

If you tear down Williams Arena to build something new, you will lose more than you will gain. And the history and character and charm that you lose, you can never get back.

Well there, I guess I did it.
 



everybody knows my name said:
I'm going to try to spend less than a minute writing this post, because I don't have two minutes for anyone who doesn't love the Barn.

If you tear down Williams Arena to build something new, you will lose more than you will gain. And the history and character and charm that you lose, you can never get back.

Well there, I guess I did it.
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Thanks for the post!

People come for the product, not the packaging.
 


howeda7 said:
True. The Vikings would sell out regardless of venue. Not sure any other team in town can say that though.
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StP Saints? I think before last year, you could say the Wild. My guess is Wild would be back to sellouts this season...they are very fun to watch.
 

The Williams arena thing is just an excuse. Going to games there in the late 80s and 90s was the best fan experience in the twin cities. Get the right coach here and it could be again. Not to say that it doesn’t need some upgrades. A splash guard over the trough would be nice.
 



bmb5270 said:
The Williams arena thing is just an excuse. Going to games there in the late 80s and 90s was the best fan experience in the twin cities. Get the right coach here and it could be again. Not to say that it doesn’t need some upgrades. A splash guard over the trough would be nice.
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And maybe a Flomax dispenser for the older crowd. 👨‍🦳
 

Williams needs to be renovated not tore down. People have to chill on get up in arms because people question Williams Arena value as far as recruiting. It is an Arena built in the early 20th century. Why is bringing that up an issue? Also comparing it to Cameron isn't the same because Cameron nostaglia is different than Williams. People outside of the stated doesn't know much about Williams. Kids see Duke all the time on ESPN so they will have a different perspective on Cameron compared to Williams. Also the student section hasn't been the greatest at Williams either
 

I guess I’m in the minority, but I really dislike Williams. Watching these tournaments games you can see how much better arenas like Mackey are. Elevated seating, clear sight lines etc.

The elevated floor is awful. You shouldn’t be looking up at the game. And it’s not like there’s some great history associated with the place. It’s just old. That’s it. Not to mention the new floor looks absolutely terrible.

Tear it down and build something unique. New coach new era new building.
 


theTurning said:
I guess I’m in the minority, but I really dislike Williams. Watching these tournaments games you can see how much better arenas like Mackey are. Elevated seating, clear sight lines etc.

The elevated floor is awful. You shouldn’t be looking up at the game. And it’s not like there’s some great history associated with the place. It’s just old. That’s it. Not to mention the new floor looks absolutely terrible.

Tear it down and build something unique. New coach new era new building.
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We already have something unique. Do some renovation and Williams Arena can continue to be one of the best home court advantages for many many years.
 


Ralph said:
There should be a remodeling of Williams arena. The shell is awesome. I think the arena should be remodeled. If the gophers have to play a year or two at Target Center then fine. Completely redo it and even get rid of of the raised floor. I am starting to think it's not an advantage.
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you don’t think it is an advantage? was our home and away record the comparable this year?
 

This cracks me up. This team proved literally incapable of playing quality basketball anywhere but Williams Arena and now folks want to tear it down because it's supposedly the "elephant in the room."

I guess some folks weren't really paying as much attention this year as I thought.
 

Watching Wisc. Baylor at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Why couldn't the court at Williams be turned 90 degrees like it is at Hinkle in a renovation?
 


bmb5270 said:
The Williams arena thing is just an excuse. Going to games there in the late 80s and 90s was the best fan experience in the twin cities. Get the right coach here and it could be again. Not to say that it doesn’t need some upgrades. A splash guard over the trough would be nice.
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That was 25-30+ years ago.

Williams isn't preventing the Gophers from winning, but it isn't helping them either. It is in desperate need of a renovation.
 


Not sure of the purpose of this thread. Elephant in the room? It is a barn isn't it?
 


One of my favorite venues but more than one recruit has wanted nicer,newer facilities. self contained. Combined with mediocre tradition it matters. But great coaches would overcome that. win big, improve the brand.
 

The arena is way down the list IMO. Much higher on the list is (IMO) . . . Look at all the MN kids on the WI roster?
 

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