Shooter: Buzz about a remodel of Williams Arena could diminish now that the Gophers athletics department could end up having to budget some $22MM

[BleedGopher]

Coyle chimes in:

Future of the Barn?​

Before the NCAA settlement and revenue sharing expenses came into sharper focus this summer, the Gophers started to explore potential renovations to Williams Arena, and even replacing the 96-year-old basketball venue. Coyle said the U has had a handful of meetings with outside consultants on options but is still gathering information.

“When we played UConn last year in women’s basketball, when we played Iowa in women’s basketball, the building was sold out, right?” Coyle said. “And nobody complained about the Barn, right? If we win, if we have success; we give people a reason to come to the building and be a part of that. Obviously, we had Paige (Bueckers) and Caitlin (Clark), but if we continue to have success with both our basketball programs, I feel like we’re going to have people (who) will be there.

“But no decisions have been made,” Coyle added about the future of the Barn. “And I promise we will communicate that with people before we do anything.”

Gophers AD Mark Coyle discusses financial pinch, prospect of cutting sports, future of The Barn

“t’s still bizarre the amount of changes going on right now (in college athletics),” Coyle said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Ope3]

Ya, my bad, you are 100% correct. I'm in Minnesota and have not been to the Moody Center.
I just have read a lot about it (thinking it would be a nice model for the Gophers) and posted the Texas basketball capicity (10,000) which I remembered as a much smaller number than 16 or 18 thousand. The concert capacity...take out the court and sell floor seats to achieve those higher numbers.

So, I'm very curious how they increase the capacity that dramatically for the Spurs? They must close off seating for the Longhorns? Or what explains where these Spurs seats come from?

This thread goes over how they do it, moveable panels essentially (2nd post).

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

The longhorns opened the new $375m 10k seat arena that can flex up to 16k seats (for concerts / other large events when needed. QUESTION: How in the heck does a fan base as rabid as Texas (and as large) come to the conclusion that a smaller arena (seating wise) is better than their more...

gopherhole.com

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Give Ben a raise!

 

[howeda7]

Coyle chimes in:

Future of the Barn?​

Before the NCAA settlement and revenue sharing expenses came into sharper focus this summer, the Gophers started to explore potential renovations to Williams Arena, and even replacing the 96-year-old basketball venue. Coyle said the U has had a handful of meetings with outside consultants on options but is still gathering information.

“When we played UConn last year in women’s basketball, when we played Iowa in women’s basketball, the building was sold out, right?” Coyle said. “And nobody complained about the Barn, right? If we win, if we have success; we give people a reason to come to the building and be a part of that. Obviously, we had Paige (Bueckers) and Caitlin (Clark), but if we continue to have success with both our basketball programs, I feel like we’re going to have people (who) will be there.

“But no decisions have been made,” Coyle added about the future of the Barn. “And I promise we will communicate that with people before we do anything.”

Gophers AD Mark Coyle discusses financial pinch, prospect of cutting sports, future of The Barn

“t’s still bizarre the amount of changes going on right now (in college athletics),” Coyle said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!

Shorter Coyle : I have enough problems. That's some future AD's issue.

 

[Bobek]

I saw the Nebraska basketball arena this summer, and it is fantastic! I have loved the barn and its history, with many great memories. But it is a detriment to recruiting. Unless the Gophers can pay more than competitors like Nebraska, or players being recruited love BJ, they will probably get out recruited by other middling programs like Nebraska.

 

[disco]

I saw the Nebraska basketball arena this summer, and it is fantastic! I have loved the barn and its history, with many great memories. But it is a detriment to recruiting. Unless the Gophers can pay more than competitors like Nebraska, or players being recruited love BJ, they will probably get out recruited by other middling programs like Nebraska.

I don't know that it has any affect on recruiting. The players really are only there on game days.
It's kind of like if you ever take a tour of US Bank stadium. The locker rooms are pretty basic - they don't even have permanent nameplates. Because the team is only there on game days. The real money and amenities are all in the training/practice facilities and the same is true for the Gophers - it's just a basketball court if you're a player. The arena and experience is for the fan base.

But I have to think that the physical age of the facility at this point as well as just the way it was built, even though there have been some renovations over the years, has to be a factor.

 

[BleedGopher]

Per Marcus Q&A:


Q: Are you still looking into renovations to Williams Arena with revenue sharing added to the budget?
A: We’re not tearing down Williams right now. We still need to gather information. Obviously, I have a brand new president. I want to make sure we have conversations with President [Rebecca] Cunningham because we have to be in alignment with her. … If you talk to [women’s hoops coach Dawn Plitzuweit and men’s coach Ben Johnson], it’s a great place. I do think there’s things we can do to make the experience better for our fans and for our student-athletes. But with the revenue share, we’ve got to focus on some other things first.

Gophers AD Mark Coyle says department might need a GM role to oversee ‘cap management’

Critical decisions are coming for Mark Coyle and his staff as they determine how much money each athlete should make under the new revenue-sharing model next year.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[dbmn]

I was just talking about the Barn with some friends today. We agreed that it's an iconic building that should be saved, but they're going to have to do something with it.

Had season tickets for 3+ decades. There have been changes to the physical building, including 2000 less seats and the gophers bench moving to the other end of the court (annoying due to my seat location). After all those years, money and time watching I never cared one-way or another about the building design or amenities. I go, as most people do, to watch the gophers play and to win.

 

[disco]

Had season tickets for 3+ decades. There have been changes to the physical building, including 2000 less seats and the gophers bench moving to the other end of the court (annoying due to my seat location). After all those years, money and time watching I never cared one-way or another about the building design or amenities. I go, as most people do, to watch the gophers play and to win.

You aren't going to like this response most likely, though it's something I've written before.

College basketball is entertainment. Period. End of story. The Gophers are competing with a whole lot of other entertainment options in this market, for a finite amount of disposable entertainment dollars, not to mention the convenience and quality of TV broadcasts to watch at home that didn't exist three decades ago.

People expect a certain level of amenities for their money at this point, and if you compare those of the barn to literally any other major sports facility in this market, they aren't just behind, they're non-existent. People here don't like to hear it, but when UST gets their new building done, that's going to add another one.

YOU may not care one-way about the design or amenities, but in terms of marketing an entertainment option, it's extremely important, especially in a crowded market like this. Wooden benches and peeing in troughs isn't exactly state of the art.

 

[dbmn]

You aren't going to like this response most likely, though it's something I've written before.

College basketball is entertainment. Period. End of story. The Gophers are competing with a whole lot of other entertainment options in this market, for a finite amount of disposable entertainment dollars, not to mention the convenience and quality of TV broadcasts to watch at home that didn't exist three decades ago.

People expect a certain level of amenities for their money at this point, and if you compare those of the barn to literally any other major sports facility in this market, they aren't just behind, they're non-existent. People here don't like to hear it, but when UST gets their new building done, that's going to add another one.

YOU may not care one-way about the design or amenities, but in terms of marketing an entertainment option, it's extremely important, especially in a crowded market like this. Wooden benches and peeing in troughs isn't exactly state of the art.

I see your side and do like amenities when available. Adding the alcoholic beverages and better food selection was welcomed and the scoreboard's been upgraded several times. The front entrance improvement was good too. As far as the games though, amenities are important when NOT winning. There're no more sports today than in the mid-80's and later, except pro soccer. I think, for the folks on the fringe of being a fan need amenities when the costs are so high, and the team is marginal. Another topic recently is the pre-season schedule for basketball. The last 2 seasons rated the worst (easiest) schedule of power 5 teams. Doesn't do much for attendance either and a new venue and additional amenities isn't going to cure that.

Finally, if a new venue is in the works and ticket prices are raised, I'd drop my season tickets. If they were winning, I'd continue getting season tickets. But they're not winning and have been below average for 2.5 decades.

 

[Rocksoldier]

I see your side and do like amenities when available. Adding the alcoholic beverages and better food selection was welcomed and the scoreboard's been upgraded several times. The front entrance improvement was good too. As far as the games though, amenities are important when NOT winning. There're no more sports today than in the mid-80's and later, except pro soccer. I think, for the folks on the fringe of being a fan need amenities when the costs are so high, and the team is marginal. Another topic recently is the pre-season schedule for basketball. The last 2 seasons rated the worst (easiest) schedule of power 5 teams. Doesn't do much for attendance either and a new venue and additional amenities isn't going to cure that.

Finally, if a new venue is in the works and ticket prices are raised, I'd drop my season tickets. If they were winning, I'd continue getting season tickets. But they're not winning and have been below average for 2.5 decades.

I agree with you I knew arena is not gonna make the team all of a sudden good

 

[Rocksoldier]

I see your side and do like amenities when available. Adding the alcoholic beverages and better food selection was welcomed and the scoreboard's been upgraded several times. The front entrance improvement was good too. As far as the games though, amenities are important when NOT winning. There're no more sports today than in the mid-80's and later, except pro soccer. I think, for the folks on the fringe of being a fan need amenities when the costs are so high, and the team is marginal. Another topic recently is the pre-season schedule for basketball. The last 2 seasons rated the worst (easiest) schedule of power 5 teams. Doesn't do much for attendance either and a new venue and additional amenities isn't going to cure that.

Finally, if a new venue is in the works and ticket prices are raised, I'd drop my season tickets. If they were winning, I'd continue getting season tickets. But they're not winning and have been below average for 2.5 decades.

I’ve been to Nebraska the past two seasons to watch the gophers. And yeah I get it. Its a nice new place, but personally I would rather sit at Williams Arena and watch a game. You’re only there for two hours half the time you’re standing. As long as I have a cold beer and my pulled pork nachos, im good. As far as upgrades go, maybe put backs on all the seats and get rid of benches completely and put urinals in the men’s bathroom. That would be a nice upgrade.

 

[disco]

I’ve been to Nebraska the past two seasons to watch the gophers. And yeah I get it. Its a nice new place, but personally I would rather sit at Williams Arena and watch a game. You’re only there for two hours half the time you’re standing. As long as I have a cold beer and my pulled pork nachos, im good. As far as upgrades go, maybe put backs on all the seats and get rid of benches completely and put urinals in the men’s bathroom. That would be a nice upgrade.

I think those two upgrades would go a long way towards improving it personally.

 

[GoodasGold]

You aren't going to like this response most likely, though it's something I've written before.

College basketball is entertainment. Period. End of story. The Gophers are competing with a whole lot of other entertainment options in this market, for a finite amount of disposable entertainment dollars, not to mention the convenience and quality of TV broadcasts to watch at home that didn't exist three decades ago.

People expect a certain level of amenities for their money at this point, and if you compare those of the barn to literally any other major sports facility in this market, they aren't just behind, they're non-existent. People here don't like to hear it, but when UST gets their new building done, that's going to add another one.

YOU may not care one-way about the design or amenities, but in terms of marketing an entertainment option, it's extremely important, especially in a crowded market like this. Wooden benches and peeing in troughs isn't exactly state of the art.

Nonsense.

 

[disco]

Nonsense.

What exactly did I write that's "nonsense" GaG?

Are major college sports not part of the big money entertainment industry? It's pretty hard to make the argument they are not, considering the TV money thrown about.

Do they not compete for other discretionary entertainment income? They don't exist on an island by themselves. My family is going to the Gopher FB game Saturday. If we weren't, perhaps we'd spend that money on a nice dinner or something else.

Compared to every other major sports venue in this market, is the Barn lacking in amenities? It most certainly is. Whether you (or I for that matter) care about this or not is not the question here. It's a tired old building with wooden bench seating, obstructed views, and none of the luxury amenities (i.e. revenue generators) of newer facilities.

Do the Barn's shortcomings affect attendance? Maybe, maybe not. I can't say. The team being steaming garbage for years doesn't help, but ultimately, it's an old building that needs updates.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

College on campus life is being driven by athletics. The kids are onto education not being on site.

 

[Some guy]

Too bad our governor couldn’t have put up the cash when the state had that 18 BILLION DOLLAR surplus. So lame.

The legislature isn’t going to give money to an issue when nobody has ever asked for money to go to the issue

 

[AO54]

What exactly did I write that's "nonsense" GaG?

Are major college sports not part of the big money entertainment industry? It's pretty hard to make the argument they are not, considering the TV money thrown about.

Do they not compete for other discretionary entertainment income? They don't exist on an island by themselves. My family is going to the Gopher FB game Saturday. If we weren't, perhaps we'd spend that money on a nice dinner or something else.

Compared to every other major sports venue in this market, is the Barn lacking in amenities? It most certainly is. Whether you (or I for that matter) care about this or not is not the question here. It's a tired old building with wooden bench seating, obstructed views, and none of the luxury amenities (i.e. revenue generators) of newer facilities.

Do the Barn's shortcomings affect attendance? Maybe, maybe not. I can't say. The team being steaming garbage for years doesn't help, but ultimately, it's an old building that needs updates.

It's the TV money that matters, the ticket revenue for hoops is a drop in the bucket, especially the difference a couple more thousand people would make.

 

[CentralGopher]

I saw the Nebraska basketball arena this summer, and it is fantastic! I have loved the barn and its history, with many great memories. But it is a detriment to recruiting. Unless the Gophers can pay more than competitors like Nebraska, or players being recruited love BJ, they will probably get out recruited by other middling programs like Nebraska.

No it isn’t. The practice facility and Williams Arena locker room are top notch in the league. The players aren’t sitting in the bleachers, navigating the concourse, or using a troth to go to the bathroom.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

It’s the Fenway complaints….but once you win it all goes away