Recent stadium reviews and news

2013 AHL Arena Rankings

By Paul Swaney - May 22, 2013 9:57 AM EDT

For more than 75 years, the American Hockey League (AHL) has served as the step brother of the more vaunted NHL. Currently, the league features 30 teams, mainly clustered in the Midwest and East coast of the United States and Canada, but also with teams in Texas, Oklahoma, and British Columbia.

Each team is affiliated with a NHL club, so the AHL functions as the top minor league in hockey. Future NHL stars play every night, and there is great value to be found throughout the league for sports fans.

Over the past two seasons we have visited every arena in the AHL, and we present our rankings of the overall experience. Factors we include are food and beverage in the arena, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood, the fans, access (which includes parking, traffic, restrooms, and concourses), return on investment, and an "extras" category for any unique or bonus points. We use our official ratings when determining the ranking with "crowd reviews" - those reviews from our members - as our primary tiebreaker. Without further ado, our 2013 AHL Arena rankings along with an excerpt from each review:

San Francisco and Houston Named as 2016 and 2017 Super Bowl Sites

By Anson Whaley - May 21, 2013 4:27 PM EDT

On Tuesday, the NFL announced a pair of future Super Bowl sites for the league. Commissioner Roger Goodell says that San Francisco and Houston will host the Super Bowls in 2016 (Super Bowl L) and 2017 (Super Bowl LI), respectively. Owners voted on the host locations at this week's NFL spring meetings.

The Pros and Cons of Promotion and Relegation

By Kenn Tomasch - May 21, 2013 10:55 AM EDT

The following is an article from the May issue of Stadium Journey Magazine:

What Americans refer to as "soccer" is played the world over. But just as most countries refer to it as "football," another facet of "The Beautiful Game" is - so far - foreign to these shores.

Why You Should Attend the NBA Playoffs Now

By Paul Swaney - May 21, 2013 10:07 AM EDT

When you attend an NBA playoff game, you will be experiencing an entirely different atmosphere from the regular season. Surprisingly this year, there have been some very affordable tickets. Even Eastern Conference Finals tickets at AmericanAirlines Arena are still starting below $100 from second hand providers such as Vivid Seats.

Rugby Canada Stretches the Pacific

By Sean MacDonald - May 20, 2013 3:39 PM EDT

You'd be hard pressed to consider the capital of Canada as being part of the Pacific Rim (unless you think Vancouver is the capital) but this coming month sees Ottawa hosting a game in the Pacific Nations Cup. Despite lying 4,500 km (2,800 miles) away from the Pacific Ocean, Ottawa is one of three Canadian hosts in this IRB-sponsored rugby tournament that also features sides from Fiji, Tonga, Japan, and the USA.

Will ACC Basketball Tournament Move to New York?

By Anson Whaley - May 20, 2013 8:49 AM EDT

ACC commissioner John Swofford hinted at last week's conference meetings that the ACC may consider a move to Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center for the league's annual postseason basketball tournament. Such a move has been widely rumored ever since Syracuse and Pitt have announced they were leaving the Big East, but the potential move appears to be gaining steam.

Stadium Journey: 1,500 Reviews Later

By Paul Swaney - May 17, 2013 11:34 AM EDT

In May of 2009, I was kicking around the idea of a massive road trip to see every stadium of the 122 teams of the four major North American sports (NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB). My wife had bought the domain name StadiumJourney.com for me as a Christmas gift the previous year and encouraged me to stop talking, and take some action toward following through on my vision.

New Liberty Baseball Stadium To Host Big South Tournament

By Brian Wilmer - May 17, 2013 7:23 AM EDT

Liberty University unveiled their new multi-million dollar baseball facility against Penn State in late February, and the stadium has hosted West Virginia, Duke, Virginia and Maryland in its initial few months. Liberty Baseball Stadium gets its first big test next week, though, as it welcomes the 2013 Big South Baseball Championship.

NBA Finals Forecast

By Dom Solano - May 17, 2013 7:20 AM EDT

There are quite a number of games that drive the sports enthusiasts crazy throughout the year, and this time of the year is dedicated to the grind to the NBA championship. The NBA (National Basketball Association) Playoffs are one of the most followed games or basketball tournaments in the world. For some, it is just another means of deviating from the day-to-day monotonous life to having some fun and excitement; while for the others, it may be an excellent medium for benefitting out from the their favorite NBA team's victory odds. There are people who love to place sports bets on the victory or loss of a particular team, on various online sportsbook review. People make use of the best online sportsbook review and betting tips available at http://www.bosports.net to wager on teams and make some money, as a result. With the NBA Finals just weeks away, the wagers and sports bets are in full swing. After following the complete season, the experts have come up with their very own NBA Finals predictions and forecasts.

New York Rangers to Play in Yankee Stadium Twice in 2014

By Jason Bartel - May 16, 2013 5:31 PM EDT

This week, the NHL made it official. Yankee Stadium will host two outdoor hockey games in January 2014. The Rangers will play in both of them, playing the New Jersey Devils at 12:30 PM ET on January 26th, and the New York Islanders at 7:30 PM ET on January 29th.

Thinking Forward

By Meg Minard - May 16, 2013 8:56 AM EDT

In an ever changing environment, the town of Colorado Springs, CO is reaching out to its community for feedback on a new downtown ballpark.

The City of Colorado Springs has asked the Colorado Springs Sky Sox to participate in a study to determine the feasibility of building a new "state of the art" multi-purpose stadium in downtown Colorado Springs that could become the new home of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

Gleaming The Cube: Minnesota Vikings Unveil New Stadium Design

By Brandon Gee - May 14, 2013 3:51 PM EDT

In what had to come as a surprise to Minnesota Vikings football fans, the team has revealed the initial designs of its new home. The 65,000 seat stadium is unlike any facility currently in the NFL, as the design firm HKS Architects unveiled a post-modern take on a football stadium.

The facility features a good amount of glass. This will help to connect the fan inside the stadium with the neighborhood outside, something that was definitely lacking at the ol' Metrodome. As a retractable roof proved to be too costly for the project, already tabbed at $975 million, the solution to creating an airy atmosphere was to make half of the roof transparent in addition to the giant glass doors at the main entrance.

Vikings to Play at TCF Bank Stadium in 2014 and 2015

By Paul Swaney - May 14, 2013 10:57 AM EDT

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Thursday that they will play their home games at the Universty of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium in 2014 and 2015. The move will allow the building of the Vikings new home stadium, to be placed at the current site of Mall of America Field.

DePaul to Get $300 Million Arena in Downtown Chicago

By Brandon Gee - May 13, 2013 9:19 PM EDT

It has long been known that DePaul University has wanted its men's basketball team out of Allstate Arena, but has struggled to find a suitable situation. The suburban location of Allstate, out near O'Hare airport in the town of Rosemont. made it difficult to foster a student fanbase. As noted in SJ's review of DePaul basketball by Paul Swaney, there is a "total lack of fan support", which has impacted the ability to draw solid recruits.

WTA Tour Championships Move to Singapore in 2014

By Sean MacDonald - May 13, 2013 3:39 PM EDT

Last week, the Women's Tennis Association announced a five-year deal that would see its season-ending tournament, the WTA Tour Championships, be held in Singapore beginning in 2014. The competition was a mainstay at Madison Square Garden from 1979 until 2000, but since then it has struggled to find a regular home, moving to Munich, Los Angeles, Madrid, Doha, and most recently Istanbul, where it will finish a three-year run this October.

2013 NHL Arena Rankings

By Paul Swaney - May 13, 2013 7:27 AM EDT

Over the past two seasons, we have made visits to each NHL arena. Our ratings are meant to measure the overall fan experience of attending a game. Factors we include are food and beverage in the arena, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood, the fans, access (which includes parking, traffic, restrooms, and concourses), return on investment, and an "extras" category for any unique or bonus points. We use our official ratings when determining the ranking with "crowd reviews" - those reviews from our members - as our primary tiebreaker. Without further ado, our 2013 NHL Arena rankings:

Arizona and UNLV on Verge of Agreement to Play at University of Phoenix Stadium

By Jason Bartel - May 09, 2013 6:48 PM EDT

As of right now, the Arizona Wildcats and UNLV Runnin' Rebels are scheduled to meet on the gridiron at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on September 7th. But it appears that the game will likely be played a lot closer to Tucson.

In a weekly email sent out by Arizona Athletic Director Greg Byrne called "Wildcat Wednesday", he confirmed that the rumors are true and that a deal is in the works to play the Rebels at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

Rain Check Policy Treading a Slippery Slope

By Leroy Watson Jr - May 09, 2013 11:45 AM EDT

Count me as an extremely interested observer of what is, at the present moment, merely a footnote on the 2013 Major League Baseball season. Depending on how MLB fans in the nation's capital and beyond react, it could turn out to be a pivotal moment in modern baseball history.

Wednesday morning, the Washington Nationals announced that any fans holding tickets to Tuesday night's Nationals-Tigers game could only gain guaranteed free entry into Thursday afternoon's 4:05 p.m. makeup game.

Levi's Lands Naming Rights to San Francisco 49ers New Stadium

By Brandon Gee - May 09, 2013 7:11 AM EDT

As the San Francisco 49ers slip into their new stadium in the fall of 2014, it was announced today that their new home will be known as Levi's Stadium after a partnership was struck with the San Francisco-based apparel company, Levi Strauss Company. The deal is reportedly worth $220 million over a 20 year term.

Big Ten/ACC Challenge Matchups Released

By Jason Bartel - May 08, 2013 5:41 PM EDT

2013 will mark the 15th anniversary of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The ACC is 10-3-1 all-time in the head-to-head battle between the two conferences, with the only tie occurring last year when each conference won six games. The winning conference takes home the Commissioner's Cup, which is currently held by the Big Ten since they won it in 2011. Between the two conferences, 14 of the teams made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

The 2013 version welcomes new ACC members Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh into the fray. This challenge is one of the highlights of the early season for college basketball fans.

Big Ten Conference Releases Inaugural Hockey Schedule

By Brandon Gee - May 08, 2013 1:36 PM EDT

The conference that started the seismic shift in college hockey has officially released their conference schedule.

Big Ten hockey will officially start November 29 when two sets of traditional rivals face-off. The Ohio State Buckeyes will visit the Michigan Wolverines and the Wisconsin Badgers head to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Each team will play a 20 game conference schedule as some additional highlights include Michigan's return visit to Ohio State on Monday, Dec. 2 and Penn State hosting their first ever Big Ten game at Pegula Ice Arena on January 12 against Minnesota.

Two Ends of the Stadium Spectrum: Security and Nachos

By Steve DiMatteo - May 08, 2013 7:25 AM EDT

Security at stadiums is always important, but the focus on it gets amplified in the wake of tragedy. It happened after 9/11, and it is especially happening after the Boston Marathon bombings. With that in mind, it might concern you to know what kind of security is supposedly protecting you at these venues.

Clarke Stadium Seating Expansion Ongoing

By Jim Flannery - May 07, 2013 2:20 PM EDT

It may be a week or two late, but new stands are being built around Clarke Stadium to provide extra seating for the NASL's FC Edmonton. Clarke Stadium currently seats 1,200, but the new stands on the east side of the pitch, as well as the south east and south west corners, will more than double the capacity of the venue.

Toronto Rush Set Ultimate Attendance Record

By Robbie Raskin - May 07, 2013 8:03 AM EDT

The newest sport spreading throughout North America is ultimate, or if you prefer, ultimate frisbee. There are two professional ultimate leagues on the continent right now; Major League Ultimate (MLU) and the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL).

A Guide to the 2013 NCAA Baseball Conference Tournament Sites

By Jason Bartel - May 06, 2013 7:32 PM EDT

It's coming up on that time of year when the college baseball season enters postseason play. Every conference with the exception of the Big West, Ivy, and PAC-12 are holding conference tournaments this year (Columbia won the Ivy Championship already). Here's when and where you can find some college baseball action near you that decides who has the chance to play in Omaha in June.

Ranking the Arenas of the OHL

By Dave Cottenie - May 06, 2013 11:17 AM EDT

If you are looking for the future of the NHL, then the best place to look would be in the Canadian Hockey League. The CHL is really an association of 3 different junior hockey leagues based in Canada with some franchises located in the United States. Some of the greatest players ever to play hockey were drafted out of the Ontario Hockey League. The OHL has brought fans a who's-who of hockey royalty over the years. Bobby Orr starred for the Oshawa Generals. Bobby Smith and Denis Potvin were juniors under the banner of the Ottawa 67's. Scott Stevens and Al MacInnins patrolled the blueline of the Kitchener Rangers. Roger Neilson and Mike Keenan got their starts behind the bench of the Peterborough Petes. Modern stars Corey Perry, Patrick Kane and Rick Nash were once London Knights. The greatest player ever to pick up a hockey stick got his start wearing the number 99 for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

OHL arenas offer capacities from 4,000-10,000 fans. The league features arenas that are very new like London and Windsor, while also featuring arenas that drip with history like Kitchener and Peterborough. The twenty teams in the league are spread across medium-sized cities in Ontario as well as Pennsylvania and Michigan. Although there is a wide variety of experiences in the OHL, there are a few things that remain constant ... you will get to see players that will move on to be stars in the NHL, and you will have a great time.

Six Playoff Games in Toronto This Week

By Sean MacDonald - May 05, 2013 9:25 PM EDT

If you are a hockey fan, there is only one place to be this week: Toronto, also known as the Center of the Hockey Universe. How this nickname came to be placed upon Hogtown is lost to the mists of time, but it probably has something to do with the fact that Hogtown is a terrible nickname, and Toronto is home to the Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as the NHL's Situation Room. Oh, I almost forgot, the Toronto Maple Leafs play there as well.

Moby Arena Gets a New Floor

By Rich Kurtzman - May 05, 2013 11:52 AM EDT

Colorado State's Moby Arena, which has served the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the school's volleyball team, for a collective 47 years, is getting a face-lift.

The arena already went through phase one of the renovations when the concourse was remodeled to include indoor ticket offices, modern styling, upgraded food vendors and even bathrooms.

This season, the school will unveil its new court, which shows off the Colorado State name.

Et Maintenant, les Blue Jays de Montréal!

By Robbie Raskin - May 04, 2013 1:58 PM EDT

Since the MLB's Expos packed up and moved from Montrèal to Washington in 2004, the Toronto Blue Jays have embraced their role as Canada's team; embarking on cross-country winter tours, adding Canadian players to the roster, and signing agreements with Canadian minor-league teams. Still, baseball fans in Montréal, Canada's second-largest city, have been missing baseball in their home town

Improvements to Great American Ball Park

By Conrad Klank - May 04, 2013 8:12 AM EDT

This past offseason the Cincinnati Reds organization spent $2 million on improvements to their home stadium, Great American Ball Park. In the hopes of appealing to a greater number of fans and to boost revenues, Reds COO, Phil Castellini called for what may seem like small, albeit vital improvements. Additionally, it has to be assumed that the improvements have been spurred by long term plans to prepare for the 2015 MLB All-Star game which will be hosted in Cincinnati.

Notre Dame Announces Feasibility Study to Examine Stadium Enhancements

By Paul Swaney - May 03, 2013 10:39 PM EDT

In October of 1930, the Fighting Irish played their first ever game in Notre Dame Stadium, defeating SMU 20-14. The football team was already distinguished as one of the best in the country, winning three National Championships under legendary coach Knute Rockne. Today, the stadium remains an icon in the pantheon of college football stadiums. While some will complain about the wood bleachers and the "coziness" between spectators, it is hard to deny the wonderful sightlines due to the proximity of the stands to the field.

Ranking the Basketball Arenas of the Big Sky

By Jason Karp - May 03, 2013 2:03 PM EDT

The arena offerings of the Big Sky Conference are as diverse as the landscapes surrounding the league’s 11 teams (soon to be 12 with the addition of the University of Idaho in 2014 for all sports except football). On the outside Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon are within the Big Sky's footprint. On the inside the league features everything from cracker box gymnasiums to indoor football stadiums, with some venues nearly at sea level and others at almost 7,000 feet. In fact, with the addition of Idaho, the Big Sky Conference will lead the nation in the number of teams that play their basketball inside a building designed for football (NAU, Idaho State, and Idaho).

Big Sky road trips are tough. Not only do players have to adjust to the unusual arena configurations, the spread out nature of the league requires some epic bus trips and harrowing air travel when the winter weather doesn’t cooperate. The players have to adjust their mental state as they go from sunny California, to the rainy Pacific Northwest, to the snowy Rocky Mountains, and the frost bitten Great Plains. The Big Sky doesn’t have any Cameron Crazies or Rock-Chalk-Jay Hawk, but you have to appreciate the challenge of playing in the tiny 1,200 seat Hornet’s Nest at Sacramento State (elevation-30 ft.) when it’s a sunny 70 degrees outside, and two nights later adjusting to NAU’s cavernous Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona (elevation-7000 ft.) where there’s two feet of snow outside. Big Sky schools have traditionally had a difficult time scheduling home games with teams from the power conferences, which isn’t surprising considering the struggles even excellent teams have when thrown into the extreme environments, both inside and out, that feature in Big Sky Conference basketball.

El Paso Owners Ask Fans to Name New Triple-A Team

By Jason Bartel - May 02, 2013 7:45 PM EDT

El Paso will be home to a Triple-A franchise starting in 2014. While there is no stadium there yet, it will be built downtown, where City Hall used to stand before it was torn down in mid-April to make way for stadium construction. When the stadium is completed, the Tucson Padres will be leaving Kino Stadium for the new El Paso stadium, after spending three years in the Old Pueblo.

Could the Edmonton Rush be on the Move to Saskatchewan?

By Jim Flannery - May 01, 2013 11:03 PM EDT

Sources within the Edmonton Rush organization have confirmed that they have held some preliminary talks with a group of interested parties in Saskatoon, SK regarding a possible move of the franchise.

A Seat to History

By Jordan Baer - Apr 30, 2013 9:45 AM EDT

Once in a while, there comes an opportunity for sports fans to grab a piece of decades old sports history to put in their personal den. That opportunity is now knocking in the city of Indianapolis. For a mere $45, fans of baseball history can now own a seat from a stadium that is more than 80 years old - Bush Stadium. Given this once in a lifetime opportunity, I jumped in my car last Thursday and made the three hour journey from Evansville, Indiana to Indianapolis to get not one but two of these one of a kind seats.

2013 NBA Arena Rankings

By Paul Swaney - Apr 29, 2013 10:39 AM EDT

For the 2012-2013 season, we have rated all but one NBA venue as an above average stadium experience. Our ratings are meant to measure the overall fan experience of attending a game. Factors we include are food and beverage in the arena, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood, the fans, access (which includes parking, traffic, restrooms, and concourses), return on investment, and an "extras" category for any unique or bonus points. We use our official ratings when determining the ranking with "crowd reviews" - those reviews from our members - as our primary tiebreaker. Without further ado, our 2013 NBA Arena rankings:

The Oldest High School Basketball All-Star Game

By Jordan Baer - Apr 29, 2013 8:30 AM EDT

For forty years, Louisville residents and Kentucky Derby tourists have been treated to a sneak peak of tomorrow's basketball stars at local powerhouses Indiana University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville among many others. Similar to the McDonald's All-American Game, the Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic, as it is officially known, has been showcasing future stars, legends, and hall of famers of both collegiate and pro basketball since 1973 and long before they became household names. The game is hosted each year as one of the many festivities before the annual Kentucky Derby. Autograph sessions, three point shooting contests, and dunk contests also accompany the event each year.

Diamondbacks Speak out About Sun Devils Playing Football at Chase Field

By Jason Bartel - Apr 28, 2013 11:14 PM EDT

Last Tuesday, at a press conference officially announcing that Arizona State was moving their baseball operations off-campus, ASU President Michael Crow may have jumped the gun when he told the media about his plans for the football team. Unbeknownst to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the City of Phoenix, he told everyone the Sun Devils would play their home schedule in Chase Field for the 2015 or 2016 season, or possibly both, while Sun Devil Stadium undergoes approximately $300 million in renovations. The Diamondbacks are not too pleased about this plan, to say the least.

St Paul Saints Bump Umps to Let Little Leaguers Make the Call

By Brandon Gee - Apr 28, 2013 3:59 PM EDT

The independent baseball team, the St. Paul Saints, have long been an organization able to make national press with their creative promotions. In 2007, the team gave away "bobble feet" surrounded by a mini bathroom stall to make light of the controversy that arose after the Idaho Senator Larry Craig was arrested for an incident in a Minneapolis airport bathroom. They've had ball pigs (apparently St. Paul was once known as Pig's Eye), named after the short celebrity marriage of Kim Kardashian (Kim Lardashian) and Minnesota native/former Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball player Kris Humphries (Kris Hamphries), trained to deliver game balls to the mound. Their new promotion will actually bring the fans into the game.

Promoting Season Ticket Sales - Whatever It Takes

By Meg Minard - Apr 27, 2013 9:47 AM EDT

Teams, especially minor leagues, often try many methods in which to boost their season ticket holders and sales. Often these methods include premier parking, a special entranceway, in-stadium promos during the game and special events with the team just for the season ticket holders, etc.

The Arizona Sundogs, a CHL (Central Hockey League) team is trying an additional approach this season...