New arena - just look at the Longhorns’ new Moody center

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Let’s play this out a little further with a hypothetical:

ST THOMAS gets better and in 10 years gets accepted into the Big East.

Could it make sense for the U to have a shared basketball only facility with UST since both campuses are so close?

I know the immediate answer is no because of the U’s history, but there are a lot of synergies (buzz word of the day) that hold water in this hypothetical scenario.
 

Wet_Blanket_Guy said:
Let’s play this out a little further with a hypothetical:

ST THOMAS gets better and in 10 years gets accepted into the Big East.

Could it make sense for the U to have a shared basketball only facility with UST since both campuses are so close?

I know the immediate answer is no because of the U’s history, but there are a lot of synergies (buzz word of the day) that hold water in this hypothetical scenario.
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You’re either really bad at trolling or have really bad ideas. It’s hard to tell.
 

disco said:
Four if you count Ridder.

It's been mentioned about using Mariucci for basketball. I found one instance of this. Looks like it was used for the Girls State Tournament at one time. Extremely odd looking setup - I don't think this would work well at all. They borrowed the court from the Xcel center.

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Right, Ridder too!

Yes thanks for that picture, that is precisely what I'm talking about. With an arena whose sight lines are specifically for hockey, you get what is shown in your picture for basketball. Not terrible on the sides, but the endcourt is a big waste.
 

disco said:
Unless it was built specifically for it, like whatever the Celtics/Bruins arena is called now.
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I don't think it can be done well, in any case. Unless you literally have a floor that can sink down into the ground for basketball.

I think what NBA+NHL venues do is they have an entirely different set of seating with a more gentle slope for the endcourts that sits on top of the permanent seating for hockey configuration.
 




Wet_Blanket_Guy said:
I don’t believe so (per Wikipedia) but the Chargers and Rams share an NFL stadium
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I don't think so either, but there are several college teams that share an arena with a pro team. Georgetown, Marquette, and Villanova come to mind.

Penn and Temple shared the Palestra for many years though.
 

disco said:
I don't think so either, but there are several college teams that share an arena with a pro team. Georgetown, Marquette, and Villanova come to mind.

Penn and Temple shared the Palestra for many years though.
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Villanova plays the majority of their games on campus at Finneran Pavilion (capacity 6,501). The play a just a few games at Wells Fargo Center (capacity 21,600), in which the Flyers and 76ers are primary tenants.

This year it's 9 on campus and 5 at WFC.

That would be a model I could envision the Gophers using during a rebuild/remodel time frame, or even if they went with a more boutique gym on a permanent basis.
 




Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah, there were none in Austin before the Moody Center. :)
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I didn’t say there wasn’t. But it’s a reason that random corporations aren’t going to build it for the gophers. Austin is a much different place.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I didn’t say there wasn’t. But it’s a reason that random corporations aren’t going to build it for the gophers. Austin is a much different place.
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Austin's previous major arena was built in 1977. At the time, the metro population was 377,000.
Today, the metro population is 2,176,000.
 

jovs said:
Why, the only negatives I see are 1) obstructed seats - don't sell them 2) concessions from upper deck.

Cheap seats behind the basket in the upper deck, worst seats in the arena are not bad, sat there for the Indiana game in 2013, my most enjoyable game ever, it's the product that makes the experience and 90% of the seats in the barn are close enough that you are intimately involved.
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It’s not a good stadium to make money in. No suites for corporate sponsorships. I know they can hurt some of the aura, but they are money makers
 

disco said:
Austin's previous major arena was built in 1977. At the time, the metro population was 377,000.
Today, the metro population is 2,176,000.
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Exactly. So they have more need for it, at a school that I’m sure hosts more major concerts than the U of M. You’re making my point for me.
 



UpAndUnder43 said:
Exactly. So they have more need for it, at a school that I’m sure hosts more major concerts than the U of M. You’re making my point for me.
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Yep, I live here.

First off, the Moody Center wasn't built so the UT could draw people on campus. So no one is arguing the University of Minnesota could have drawing power - but maybe the Twin Cities might have drawing power for a venue? Twin Cities metro area has 3.7 million people and it's the closest big city for 6 hours in any direction, so it's conceivable that Minneapolis could have a need for a venue that seats 10-15K being that the metro area is nearly twice the size of Austin's.

tAs Austin has grown, the one thing that there were never a shortage of were music venues. They are as common as taco trucks here.

But, my personal opinion, the demand for the Moody Center has nothing to do with the population size. There wasn't a shortage of music venues here prior to the Moody Center. However, because the Moody Center is new and has all of the bells and whistles, it's getting a lot of attention.

As to whether or not the same thing is possible in Minneapolis, yep, I don't know. The metro area is twice the size and there are considerably fewer midsize venues in Minneapolis. That said, it's a different kind of city - less music, less people who travel here for events, etc.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Yep, I live here.

First off, the Moody Center wasn't built so the UT could draw people on campus. So no one is arguing the University of Minnesota could have drawing power - but maybe the Twin Cities might have drawing power for a venue? Twin Cities metro area has 3.7 million people and it's the closest big city for 6 hours in any direction, so it's conceivable that Minneapolis could have a need for a venue that seats 10-15K being that the metro area is nearly twice the size of Austin's.

tAs Austin has grown, the one thing that there were never a shortage of were music venues. They are as common as taco trucks here.

But, my personal opinion, the demand for the Moody Center has nothing to do with the population size. There wasn't a shortage of music venues here prior to the Moody Center. However, because the Moody Center is new and has all of the bells and whistles, it's getting a lot of attention.

As to whether or not the same thing is possible in Minneapolis, yep, I don't know. The metro area is twice the size and there are considerably fewer midsize venues in Minneapolis. That said, it's a different kind of city - less music, less people who travel here for events, etc.
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Minneapolis does have the Armory now. It's a touch under what you mentioned for capacity at 8.5K but a nice lower capacity venue.

To keep it on topic. Save the Barn! I like what some have mentioned for renovation. Get rid of upper deck seats and turn into premium seats/clubs to generate revenue. Expand towards University Ave (south?) for better concessions, concourse, team store, kids zone, etc.
 

pharmacygopher said:
Minneapolis does have the Armory now. It's a touch under what you mentioned for capacity at 8.5K but a nice lower capacity venue.

To keep it on topic. Save the Barn! I like what some have mentioned for renovation. Get rid of upper deck seats and turn into premium seats/clubs to generate revenue. Expand towards University Ave (south?) for better concessions, concourse, team store, kids zone, etc.
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2nd para: when you're talking about things like this, and the money they would cost, that's almost always a "you're better off just tearing it down and starting from scratch".
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Exactly. So they have more need for it, at a school that I’m sure hosts more major concerts than the U of M. You’re making my point for me.
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The arena was not built for the school. It was built for a large metro area whose previous arena was likely functionally obsolete for a number of reasons. We have two major arenas here, so it's apples and oranges. A new venue to replace the barn would be specific for Gopher hoops.

The more I think of it, the more I think that the arena will come down once it's no longer feasible to keep it up to code. Whether that's for structural safety reasons, or the HVAC system - whatever.
 


I used to buy into the Williams Arena = Wrigley Field, never let it go position, going back to my youth experiences there in the glory days. Once I started to go to games with my dad 15 years ago on a regular basis I realized how rotten the whole experience can be. When fans do not show up and the place is 40 percent full, as is the norm now, the vibe is really bad.

The place is just a neglected dump. I went to the North- Annandale HS MSHSL game last spring and walked around the back stairs and seating areas near the back of the lower deck, and the complete lack of attention to detail and abandonment is obvious. They cannot even bother to paint the ugly walls on the upper deck at the ends Maroon, to make it look better than the dirty, faded white look left over from 1958. The place is just flat out neglected, and no once seems to notice. It is faded, dirty and does have a rotten smell to it. For such a beloved building it sure was left to rot away. The walkways in the back have a dark 1940s feel with zero attempt to do anything, other than bricking up all the old giant windows to take away any retro charm the place had.

I question the ability of the U of M to exercise proper stewardship of their buildings. They let the old Memorial Stadium rot away to the point it had to be abandoned, and I question if they can handle taking care of the new football stadium as it ages based on their track record. Williams Arena is an abomination and there is no excuse for the neglect.

Williams Arena needs to be turned to rubble, with two years at Xcel or Target C until something like what they have at Maryland, or Oregon can be built. New buildings do not have be be awful, like the Kohl Center, or Hawkeye Carver.
 
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oak_street1981 said:
I used to buy into the Williams Arena = Wrigley Field, never let it go position, going back to my youth experiences there in the glory days. Once I started to go to games with my dad 15 years ago on a regular basis I realized how rotten the whole experience can be. When fans do not show up and the place is 40 percent full, as is the norm now, the vibe is really bad.

The place is just a neglected dump. I went to the North- Annandale HS MSHSL game last spring and walked around the back stairs and seating areas near the back of the lower deck, and the complete lack of attention to detail and abandonment is obvious. They cannot even bother to paint the ugly walls on the upper deck at the ends Maroon, to make it look better than the dirty, faded white look left over from 1958. The place is just flat out neglected, and no once seems to notice. It is faded, dirty and does have a rotten smell to it. For such a beloved building it sure was left to rot away. The walkways in the back have a dark 1940s feel with zero attempt to do anything, other than bricking up all the old giant windows to take away any retro charm the place had.

I question the ability of the U of M to exercise proper stewardship of their buildings. They let the old Memorial Stadium rot away to the point it had to be abandoned, and I question if they can handle taking care of the new football stadium as it ages based on their track record. Williams Arena is an abomination and there is no excuse for the neglect.

Williams Arena needs to be turned to rubble, with two years at Xcel or Target C until something like what they have at Maryland, or Oregon can be built. New buildings do not have be be awful, like the Kohl Center, or Hawkeye Carver.
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Still need it to play volleyball and wrestling so can tear it down until a multi purpose facility is built.
 

minnyrules11 said:
Still need it to play volleyball and wrestling so can tear it down until a multi purpose facility is built.
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Yeah, for all this discussion, we tend to forget that it's actually two arenas, that host five teams. (MBB, WBB, VB, Wrestling and Women's Gymnastics.)
 

So leave the Pav up, as is, play women's bball in it (some games), play men's bball some in Mariucci, some elsewhere, tear down just Williams, and build new 9-10k bball focused arena in that footprint. Should be easily doable.
 

Gophers_4life said:
So leave the Pav up, as is, play women's bball in it (some games), play men's bball some in Mariucci, some elsewhere, tear down just Williams, and build new 9-10k bball focused arena in that footprint. Should be easily doable.
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The crowds the men are getting could actually fit in the Pav.
 



minnyrules11 said:
Tear down half the 100 year building. Good one. Haha!
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As I said before, they just (couple years ago) sunk an eight-digit (if I recall correctly) gift to the volleyball program into a new training facility built into the "wall"/barrier separating the two arenas.

They aren't tearing that down. The Pav is fine, and serves its purpose very well. No need to replace it.
 

Williams Arena should not last forever. I like the full barn atmosphere a lot, but $375 million for a Texas like arena, with suites that are going to bring in a substantial amount of increased revenue is pretty appealing. It is time people!
We have Big Ten Conference/TV $. to make payments IF we needed some financing. Okay listen up...
Absolutely, more buzz to the program. 100% you still gotta win! Win minimum to be fighting for a top 6 spot in the conference every year with the new teams coming in. A Big Ten championship at least once.
$375 million- find a $100 million guy who doesn't want naming rights to the Arena but only to the Super VIP Club (Cargill, Pohlad? Taylor?Anonymous guy? Fall back plan $25 million each or 10 X 10 whatever works))) -- sell the arena naming rights for $100 million plus -- sell 25 suites to the Fortune 500 companies for $10 million each - that's $450 million... we got $ left over to sign a couple Victor Wembanyama types and we are a Top 5 basketball program over freaking night. Hottest ticket in town!
Get Humphries, McHale, Willie Burton, Jim Peterson and the gang out there rattling the board rooms. Heck we could do this!!! Seems doable and somewhat easy and long over due.
Only problem...we might need a new AD for this to happen...even better news!
It does not need to be on the same footprint. Build a parking ramp next to it on a surface lot.
BTW: PREMIUM SEATING: 44 Suites, 3 premium clubs, 1 super VIP club, 57 loge boxes ...courtesy Maxy So, we still have half or more of the premium areas to sell!! OMG!!! We are making SO much money $$$$$$$$$
Dang it! I forgot to add the concert and trade show paydays. $$
Forbes story
 
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60's Guy said:
Williams Arena should not last forever. I like the full barn atmosphere a lot, but $375 million for a Texas like arena, with suites that are going to bring in a substantial amount of increased revenue is pretty appealing. It is time people!
We have Big Ten Conference/TV $. to make payments IF we needed some financing. Okay listen up...
Absolutely, more buzz to the program. 100% you still gotta win! Win minimum to be fighting for a top 6 spot in the conference every year with the new teams coming in. A Big Ten championship at least once.
$375 million- find a $100 million guy who doesn't want naming rights to the Arena but only to the Super VIP Club (Cargill, Pohlad? Taylor?Anonymous guy? Fall back plan $25 million each or 10 X 10 whatever works))) -- sell the arena naming rights for $100 million plus -- sell 25 suites to the Fortune 500 companies for $10 million each - that's $450 million... we got $ left over to sign a couple Victor Wembanyama types and we are a Top 5 basketball program over freaking night. Hottest ticket in town!
Get Humphries, McHale, Willie Burton, Jim Peterson and the gang out there rattling the board rooms. Heck we could do this!!! Seems doable and somewhat easy and long over due.
Only problem...we might need a new AD for this to happen...even better news!
It does not need to be on the same footprint. Build a parking ramp next to it on a surface lot.
BTW: PREMIUM SEATING: 44 Suites, 3 premium clubs, 1 super VIP club, 57 loge boxes ...courtesy Maxy So, we still have half or more of the premium areas to sell!! OMG!!! We are making SO much money $$$$$$$$$
Dang it! I forgot to add the concert and trade show paydays. $$
Forbes story
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Corporations are in the business to provide returns to shareholders. Not to name VIP clubs.
This isn't the Harvey Mackay/Sid Era with the "downtown business interests." Those don't exist anymore. Corporate boards aren't going to make time to listen to a bunch of ex-jocks.

And the few super wealthy Minnesotans don't have ties to the U. Taylor went to Mankato. Dick Schultz (who I don't believe still resides here) gave a ton to UST. The Cargill/MacMillan family is historically secretive, and when they do donate money, it's to foundations and museums.

There won't be concert and tradeshow revenue. We have two large arenas in this market, and a brand new concert venue in the remodeled Armory. We have two convention centers. That's the big difference with the Moody Center. It is now the MAIN arena for the Austin metro area, like the Xcel is here. UT is just another tenant.
 

GopherBlood666 said:
Occasional winning seasons every 5 years doesn't bring people in to capacity. Did we win the conference in any of those years? I'm talking about real winning, not limping in to the tourney with a .500 conference record. I said we have not been good enough in the last 25 years, so you look at data from within the last 25 years to "prove me wrong"? lol okay
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They have not been good enough for that in 40 years. One year they were great and that got wiped out
 

gopherguy15 said:
I would guess that the majority of those on GH that complain about Williams Arena tend to be in one of two groups... 1) younger Gopher fans and/or 2) NBA fans. The younger fans have truly never seen the Barn rocking like the 90s. Absolutely deafening. NBA fans are used to the no-character shiny arenas that all look the exact same. There will always been pros and cons to both sides. Being in my mid-30s, I'm probably part of the last generation of Gopher fans that will always be a fan of Williams Arena. I hope that Ben Johnson gets this program good enough again to pack the seats so the Barn is a nightmare for opposing teams like it used to be.
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I’ve seen the barn rocking in the 80s and the 90s. Graduated from the U in 1998. And to be truthful that building has not been rocking in 25 years save for a small handful of games. I think it has character and it was great but it’s not the 90s anymore and the gophers have had no sustained success in the past 25 years. It’s a lot more than the building, but I don’t think it helps.
 

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