Where Would You Build a New Arena?

Grady said:
Carver is NOT a bad arena. 30+ years after being built, it still has a modern feel to it. I attended last year's Michigan bball game with my son and the place was rockin'! It CAN be a home court advantage, but some things will have to change. First, the location of student seating is terrible -- change it. Second, gotta do more to get students involved. Granted, parking and traffic suck, but that has nothing to do with the arena building.
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The parking and traffic may not be the most convenient, but compared to the Kohl Center for a B1G game Carver is a downright paradise.

People expect all the comfort and modern amenities of watching on an 80" big screen with a recliner at hand and easy access to the refrigerator. For generations of sports fans nothing topped the excitement of a live sporting event. That mindset has been changing since the turn of the century with the advent of technology.
 
judzeehawk said:
Nothing wrong with Carver that an exciting basketball team on the floor won't fix. You people need to quit worrying about the students ( that won't show up anyhow ) and start cheering. I know I'm going to get shot down but being at the women's games are a lot more fun and I know you've heard the crowds cheering like crazy. Just think that's only about 5,000 fans. Wonder what 14,000 would sound like if they would actually get into the game. Oh but yes it's all about the students.
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Anyone remember the day they stuffed 22,000+ into Carver for a women's game? When the fire marshals finally shut the doors traffic was still baked up to Coralville. I'm guessing they didn't take a breath for the next two hours.
 
Northside Hawk said:
Anyone remember the day they stuffed 22,000+ into Carver for a women's game? When the fire marshals finally shut the doors traffic was still baked up to Coralville. I'm guessing they didn't take a breath for the next two hours.
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It's a record that won't be broken! :) Standing room only and there wasn't anywhere left to stand.
 
sioux34 said:
I have been to a number of other arenas, I didnt notice how it is markedly better than carver. Funny you should mention Kinnick. I have quit going to football games. They have shrunk the seat sizes to such an extent that I no longer fit in the seats. For me, the game day experience for football is now better in my livingroom. I still go to games at carver.
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Have the seat sizes really shrunk over the years or has your personal seat expanded?
:p
 
Northside Hawk said:
The parking and traffic may not be the most convenient, but compared to the Kohl Center for a B1G game Carver is a downright paradise.

People expect all the comfort and modern amenities of watching on an 80" big screen with a recliner at hand and easy access to the refrigerator. For generations of sports fans nothing topped the excitement of a live sporting event. That mindset has been changing since the turn of the century with the advent of technology.
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Yeah. The Kohl Center looks like a pile of concrete. Good luck with parking. No shuttles. The crowds are good. The students come to the games and are loud, as is the crowd as a whole. The student section is in one end of the court, which I will point out again since Iowa’s student section placement is often criticized.
 
I have attended games through Ralph Miller, Lute Olson, Mr. Davis, Alfraud, Todd Lackluster, and Fran. Season student tickets in Miller and Lute days. Skipped Raveling, Purchased season ticket late in Steve A. tenure. Lived, barely, through Todd. Have been at all of Fran’s games.

So, I was in the old field house for several years. It was flat out wild; you could not hear yourself think. But, the seats were terrible, the views were often compromised by steel columns. Restrooms, forget it. Like hog troughs? Concession, no thanks. Once you were in your seat, you went nowhere. Don’t like the CHA stairs? Try the old field house.

I am just fine with CHA. When Lute got it built, I was really impressed. The unique concourse above and seating below is a great feel imho. I have taken Badger friends to several games and they loved our venue. It is a great sports campus with FB, BB, WR, and baseball. Do not move the arena.

Other than an ice cream cone, I never bother with concessions. Never in Kinnick, either. The seats are fine. The aisles have hand rails, which are important to most of us older fans. There is an elevator. Restrooms are fine.

Recently, I started using the Cambus from Hancher. I highly recommend. They constantly run buses from an hour before game time right up to tip off. The make the return trip during and after the game. There is virtually no wait either direction. They drop you off within 10 yards of the East entry. And, it free. 5 minute ride to the game. 10 minutes return trip. 10 more minutes and I have an Amber Bock at Tailgaters.

BTW, the Badger students sit in the same area we have for the kids at CHA.
 
Look, Iowa City would find a way to screw this up but....

How about a 10,000 seat deaf dome at the present sight of the Old Capitol Mall, where no one shops anymore. Expand the parking ramp and you're set. Easy walking distance from East or West side dorms, Greek houses, and apartments. Dozens of bars/restaurants within a three block radius. Right on bus lines, Cambus lines, and shuttle lines. You could even have a train come in on the other rail line through town, the one that runs by Iowa River and Power and parallels highway 6 right into the heart of the campus. It would stop near the main library, one block away.

Make it a hot ticket that is in demand. Put the son of a bitch right in the heart of the campus. You want to get truly mad again, make our guests feel like they are smack in the heart of Hawkdom, with no escape in any direction.
 
Make the student tickets free for first 1500 that reserve tickets to each game within a specific timeline. After that develops into a trend and students show up regularly, move them to the court. Open up more areas where beers are sold to help offset the lost revenue or stop selling out and looking money before home court advantage.

Do this for 8 to 10 years and then start thinking about your new arena.
 
HuckFinn said:
I have attended games through Ralph Miller, Lute Olson, Mr. Davis, Alfraud, Todd Lackluster, and Fran. Season student tickets in Miller and Lute days. Skipped Raveling, Purchased season ticket late in Steve A. tenure. Lived, barely, through Todd. Have been at all of Fran’s games.

So, I was in the old field house for several years. It was flat out wild; you could not hear yourself think. But, the seats were terrible, the views were often compromised by steel columns. Restrooms, forget it. Like hog troughs? Concession, no thanks. Once you were in your seat, you went nowhere. Don’t like the CHA stairs? Try the old field house.

I am just fine with CHA. When Lute got it built, I was really impressed. The unique concourse above and seating below is a great feel imho. I have taken Badger friends to several games and they loved our venue. It is a great sports campus with FB, BB, WR, and baseball. Do not move the arena.

Other than an ice cream cone, I never bother with concessions. Never in Kinnick, either. The seats are fine. The aisles have hand rails, which are important to most of us older fans. There is an elevator. Restrooms are fine.

Recently, I started using the Cambus from Hancher. I highly recommend. They constantly run buses from an hour before game time right up to tip off. The make the return trip during and after the game. There is virtually no wait either direction. They drop you off within 10 yards of the East entry. And, it free. 5 minute ride to the game. 10 minutes return trip. 10 more minutes and I have an Amber Bock at Tailgaters.

BTW, the Badger students sit in the same area we have for the kids at CHA.
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You bring up a good point about concessions. This needs a over haul. Madison you can get a premium burger and fries. And stop this business where they hire volunteers and pay their charity.

Thousands of fans are giving up their time, pay some workers that are trained and quick at serving.

Concessions at Minnesota seemed better than Iowa too. Many people would rather order good food and watch at home, give them an option to at least enjoy something even if it's expensive. Our concessions besides icecream are similar to highschools.
 
Concessions and amenities, they might not matter to us die hards. but it matters to the other 10,000 people it’s gonna take to fill Iowa basketball games routinely.
 
I've attended 90% of the home games the last 4 years & several away games. There are better stadiums (Nebraska) in the B10 but there are also a lot worse places (Barn and RAC) to visit. As a basketball junkie, I love Carver. I don't blame the team, fans or the students. It's an Iowa admin issue. I don't think anything will change until Gary Barta starts caring more about the product on the court then about the immediate money that is earned. There's a reason the best Hawkeye crowds are during the NIT games. The seats closer to the court as given to the fans, not the faculty/staff or Qtips.

Carver Positives:
  • No bench seating.
  • Wide isles
  • Seats / rows are not on top of each other
  • Close parking (walk 2-3 blocks). Could be a lot worse. Open space available nearby. A parking ramp can be built.
  • No bad view. If stairs are a problem, sit near the top or take the elevator.
 
JPinIC said:
Instead of spending money building an arena, replace Cambus with a monorail that connects the medical campus and the sports complexes to the downtown campus. It has worked for decades at WVU in Morgantown. This would relieve traffic congestion by the hospital. Traffic jams, event parking and busses to sporting events don't work well together. Take Hawkeye express to the next level.
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That's more of a Shelbyville idea...

 
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