There's more games televised, from the standpoint of they make you double-pay for them. You have to have cable and _____+ to watch them all.
Ironically, we have the structural ability to build the same kind of overhang arrangement these days without the sight-obstructing columns, but the architects and engineers rarely if ever go that route. Not that it would be cheap, but back to my adage that, if you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound. I don't think of it as scope creep if you're realizing value. How often do we build one of these anyway? Screw keeping up with the Joneses; we should challenge the Joneses to keep up with us!
Would you still feel this way if they jacked up ticket prices to help pay for it. Always easy to spend others money.
Now do the average tickets sold and tickets scanned.
It's the approach I take with anything I myself buy or build, and I feel ownership of this situation.
the discussion was over whether the U of MN should consider a smaller facility.
I personally like the barn. I was at Nebraska last year for a game. The arena is beautiful, but I didn’t feel close to the game like I do in my seat at the barn. It’s only a two hour game it’s not like you live there. I sat in a plane seat just recently with less room for three hours. I would do with getting rid of all of the bench seating and adding urinals in the bathroom and maybe a few things here and there but I’m OK with the way it is.
Assuming very few are obstructed.
I'd have to look it up, but in the first 10 years we had our season tickets, the building was routinely sold out, and for a time, there was a waiting list for season tickets. Capacity was about 16,000 the first four of those years and then the current 14,000+ thereafter.
We didn't start averaging under 10k until the Ben Johnson era. Call me an optimist that we've already hit rock bottom.
I think they can find a firm that can do a reno that keeps those elements and adds those modern conveniences we want.
Cantilever...or bridge. 4th Street could go through a tunnel of sorts. A parking ramp across the street could deliver people via a skyway level or the like. You could do something similar over University. But the cost would be high, and you'd have the same physical constraint on ground level as you do today. I do question whether the streets and their locations are so sacred that you need to bridge or cantilever over them.
Just since 1990, the Gophers averaged over 14,000 in a season nine times. Over 12,000 22 times. But I'm not sure those days are ever coming back. I think 12K is certainly enough. Perhaps 10.
Land of 10,000 seats
Would be very cool if we built one with 11,842 seats, which is the number of lakes (> 10 ac) in the state.
Plus I think something in that 12,000 range seems more optimal than capacity of 10,000. Just a wild "right sizing" guess.
Also good info, thanks for sharing.
If I had a magic genie, I would completely tear down Williams and the Pav and build a new, single multi-purpose arena on the overall site.
Interesting the huge window space and natural light. Didn't someone say that the players complained about that decades ago at Williams, which is why they bricked them up? I wonder if there are electric shutters or something in Moscow.
How many seats? Looks very cool, but also really small.
