Each summer millions of Americans flock to one of the 30 MLB stadiums to enjoy a baseball game. Their attention, for the most part, is on the players from both teams on the field. However, there is a much larger team operating behind the scenes to ensure that fans have a fun time at the ballpark and that their respective teams are playing at their top performance level. Working at the Ballpark by Tom Jones explores the many functions people perform at the ballpark to enhance the fan experience and their team’s chances of delivering a win for the home team He does this through interviews with a wide variety of players, staff and the media. Chapters explore the front office, the dugout, the field of play, the bullpen, the stands, the electronic and print media, and the clubhouse. The Mover’s and Shakers chapter looks at the front office of several clubs and includes conversations with owners, general managers, and directors of player personnel. It also features a discussion with a principal in the architectural firm of HOK Sports on how the fan experience is central to the design of the ballpark. The In the Dugout section looks at the role of the manager, the various specialty coaches and the trainer in putting the best team possible on the field each night. The Field of Play chapter features several players, an umpire, and a ballboy and gives readers an overview of the gameday schedule, which begins several hours before the first pitch. This includes watching tape on the opposing team, batting practice, and strategy sessions with the coaches. The unique world of the relief pitcher is covered in the Bullpen section of the book. It features conversations with the bullpen coach and members of the relief staffs of many teams. The In the Stands section focuses on the many ways that teams focus on the fan experience. The ticketing staff discusses the ins and outs of choosing the best seats available for the fan, while an usher discusses their role in guiding the fans to their seats, as well as being a point of contact for any questions a fan might have about the location of a stadium amenity. A peanut vendor and a beer vendor discuss their roles in the very important area of fan concessions. The Eyes and Ears chapter discusses the role of media in the stadium experience. It includes conversations with a beat writer, a sports columnist, and a sports talk show host. The section also looks at the in-game staff which includes the scoreboard operator, the public address announcer, and the official scorekeeper. The closing chapter of Working at the Ballpark explores the many supporting roles staff plays in the fan experiences. A member of the community affairs department discusses the role the team plays in the nonprofit world. The director of merchandising shares how they create new products each season to meet the fan demand for the latest apparel and other team products. This chapter also covers the important role of support staff in working on team needs. The clubhouse manager is a jack of all trades, as they are responsible for feeding the players before and after the game, doing the laundry, as well as preparing the clubhouse for the next game. The head groundskeeper discusses the ins and outs of having the field in the best possible condition for each game. The Director of Team Travel shares his many tasks for road trips, including reserving planes, making hotel arrangements in the visiting city, and making sure buses are available to pick up and deliver the team to the stadium, the hotel, and the airport. Tom Jones provides fans with unique insights on all the staff necessary to put on a major league game. His use of conversations with the people who fill these roles gives a real authenticity to his narrative. We think any true baseball fan will enjoy Working at the Ballpark and its behind-the-scenes look at a day at the ballpark.

Photos by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.00 NM State Softball Complex 1830 Stewart St, No1654 Las Cruces, NM 88003 Map It New Mexico State Aggies website New Mexico State Softball website Year Opened: 1981 Capacity: 1050 Aggie Softball The NM State Softball Aggies team has had winning seasons over the last decade, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2015, 2017, and 2018. The team began play in 1975 and is currently a C*USA (Conference USA) member. They play their home games at the picturesque NM State Softball Complex on campus in Las Cruces, NM.  The complex was built in 1981 and received renovations in the 2000s.  The university has hosted many conference tournaments featuring top competition from around the country throughout the years.  It also hosts the annual Troy Cox Classic, which Stadium Journey saw during its visit in 2024. Food & Beverage 2 A small concession truck sits behind the stands selling snacks and drinks. Nachos, hot dogs, chips, pickles, popcorn, Cheetos w/cheese, and candy cost $2 - $5. Sundays are $2 hot dog days. Drinks include bottled Pepsi products, water, and Gatorade ($4). Beer choices include canned Coors Light, Modelo, and Mixed-Up Aggie-Rita (a canned raspberry margarita cocktail made especially for NM State). The canned alcohol sells for $8. Outside food and drink are not allowed except for bottled water. Atmosphere 3 NM State Softball Complex offers a pleasant game day outing. Ten to twelve rows of bleachers with handrails sit behind the home plate area.  Two smaller ancillary bleachers are adjacent to the main set and do not have handrails.  The press box sits on top of the bleachers.   The bleachers do not offer any shade, so remember to bring sunscreen for day games.   A medium-thick net guards the seating area, protecting fans from foul balls. The infield dirt is clay with a polymer additive that repels water.  It requires no watering and maintains a consistent playing surface year-round. The outfield is pleasantly treelined.  You can see Presley Askew Field (baseball) through the trees.  The stadium flies other C*USA school flags along the outfield wall. The music is a tad loud but mostly played just between innings.  The music person sometimes plays music at the same time the PA announces the players; fans cannot hear who’s coming to the pitcher’s circle or on deck.  They should take lessons from their women’s basketball counterparts. Neighborhood 4 The NM State Softball Complex is near the other on-campus NM State Athletic fields in Las Cruces, NM.  Plenty of restaurants and hotels are within 1 – 2 miles of the arena. Ten or more restaurants (including fast food) are along University Ave from I-10 to the arena:  I-Hop, Burger King, Panda Express, and Chick-fil-A.  The Game Sports Bar and Grill is a decent pregame place to visit for a beer and a bite.  Weck’s, an NM breakfast/lunch chain, is a worthwhile visit before an afternoon game. Other things to see and do when visiting Las Cruces include the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum about three miles from the stadium.  The Museum of Science and Nature or the Las Cruces Railroad Museum may also be worth a visit, depending on your interests.  Of course, a visit to see the world’s largest chile pepper may be in order, too! Plenty of hotels are near the university.  The closest are the Hilton Garden Inn Las Cruces, Comfort Suites University, and Sleep Inn University.   A whole slew more is within two–three miles of the complex. Other sports in the area are the Aggies baseball team and the men’s basketball team.  A trip to El Paso, TX (a 45-minute drive) will take you to the El Paso Chihuahuas, AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Fans 3 The fans in attendance are extremely encouraging to the players.  Average attendance is generally over 600 fans.  For the Troy Cox Classic game, a great many visiting fans were in the stands. Access 3 The softball stadium is near the rest of the university’s athletic fields, south of the Pan American Center. Getting to the stadium is an easy drive off I-10. Free parking is in front of the stadium. Handicapped parking is available, as is a ramp to the bleachers and a few areas for wheelchairs. Las Cruces does have a bus stop (Aggie Green), but it looks operational only M – F, 7am – 6pm, so it may not be suitable when attending late afternoon/evening or weekend softball games. Las Cruces Airport is 12+ miles from the university. The ticket office is a separate building with polite staff manning the booths. I didn’t notice any rules about a bag policy. Your best bet is use a clear stadium bag 12” x 6” x 12” or a small clutch. Clean, accessible restrooms with plenty of stalls are near the ticket booth. Return on Investment 4 The cost of attending an Aggies softball game at NM State is a sports dollar value.  It is $7 for a single game.  The Troy Cox Classic costs $20 for the entire tournament (10 games), $7 for a single game, but $10 for the game against Nebraska.  Kids under 12 get in free. They don’t charge for parking, and even the concession prices are not out of this world. . Extras 2 The stadium proudly displays the Ross Kremer Wall of Honor which honors outstanding Aggies softball players and team accomplishments. The NM State Softball team is entering its 50th season in 2024 with 1,144 wins and a dominant reputation. The team has brought ten championships home to Las Cruces. Final Thoughts Watching a reputable softball team in an attractive stadium is an enjoyable few hours of entertainment on a spring afternoon.

Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00 Coca-Cola Court @ Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens 60 Carlton St Toronto, ON M5B 1J2 TMU Bold basketball website Mattamy Athletic Centre website Year Opened: 1949 Capacity: 1,000 Basketball in a Hockey Holy Grail Editor's Note: Ryerson University changed its name to Toronto Metropolitan University. This review was written before the rebranding, and will reflect the team's previous name as the Ryerson Rams. Former Toronto Maple Leafs director, the legendary Conn Smythe, pushed for a new arena and for the opportunity for the Leafs to get out of the smallish Arena Gardens on Mutual Street. In 1931, Smythe was rewarded with the opening of the now legendary Maple Leaf Gardens. For more than 60 years, the Gardens was the pre-eminent entertainment venue in all of Canada. The Maple Leafs shared the ice with major concerts including The Beatles and Elvis Presley, Maple Leaf Wrestling, junior hockey’s Toronto Marlboros and a host of other sports teams. The Maple Leafs would play their final game at the Gardens in 1999 before heading to the Air Canada Centre to join the Toronto Raptors. The final sporting event at Maple Leaf Gardens would be the National Lacrosse League championship game in 2000 where the Toronto Rock were victorious. Then the Gardens went dark for a decade. The future of Maple Leaf Gardens would be questioned for years. Not surprisingly, Ontario declared it a Heritage Site in 1991 and Canada would do the same in 2007. Options for the property were limited. Eventually, the Gardens would be sold to the Loblaw Company, parent company of a huge chain of grocery stores, and they would partner with Ryerson University. It was the financial aid of Mattamy Homes Ltd founder, Peter Gilgan, that would help transform the former Maple Leaf Gardens into what it is today, the Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens. The main floor on Carlton Street is a Loblaw’s grocery store. The top level retains much of the design of the old Maple Leaf Gardens and houses Mattamy Home Ice, the home of Ryerson Rams hockey. The middle floor serves as the recreation facilities of Ryerson along with Coca-Cola Court, the home for Ryerson basketball and volleyball. Ryerson University was established in Toronto in 1948. Today, Ryerson has grown to a university with over 40,000 students and has produced many members of the Canadian media. Participating in the OUA, the Ontario conference of USports, Canada’s university sport governing body, the Ryerson Rams have been fielding a basketball team since 1949. Usually considered an “also-ran” in the OUA, Ryerson’s move to the MAC has coincided with its best showings on the court. It is no coincidence that Ryerson has taken home the Wilson Cup as OUA champions in both 2016 and 2017. Food & Beverage 3 A variety of concessions are available on the second floor of the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The Rams Café services fans attending Rams basketball games as well as students using the recreation facilities. The selection of food at Rams Café is decent but not spectacular. Pizza, sandwiches, popcorn, protein bars, chips, chocolate bars and candy are all available. Coke is obviously the soda selection to be had. Vitamin water and other soft drinks are also available. Coffee, a selection of teas, cappuccino, slushies and smoothies round out the soft drinks available. Beer is also available at Rams Café for those who are of legal age. There is a decent seating area in Rams Café which also serves as a great place to meet friends and relax before the game begins. Atmosphere 5 Mattamy Athletic Centre is possibly the best example of repurposing a classic sporting venue that there is on the planet. The Heritage designation required Ryerson and Loblaw to maintain much of the exterior. Carlton Street boasts the main entrance and the cream coloured brick, iconic domed roof and traditional Maple Leaf Gardens marquee remain. The building still fits the neighbourhood perfectly. Upon entering the MAC at the main level, fans are struck with the sleek, modern, Loblaw Atrium. Smartly lit and promoting a variety of Ryerson athletes, the Atrium welcomes fans and nicely transitions to the historic aspects of the MAC. Throughout the entire building fans can see a ton of old pictures from some of the biggest events ever held at Maple Leaf Gardens. The row of red seats along the south wall on the second level might just be the ones that Conn Smythe had put in when he infamously replaced the portrait of the Queen. Up the escalator to the second level is where fans will find Ryerson’s recreation facilities, a small team shop and Coca-Cola Court. The court is located at the west side of the building. Coca-Cola Court is a small, intimate basketball facility, perfect for OUA basketball. The court runs from north to south with two sets of eight row, moulded plastic bleachers on the east and west sides. Fans who wish for the perfect picture of the centre court logo should head for the west side. The court is full of white, blue and yellow with huge painted logos on the north and south walls. The north side proudly proclaims for all to see that “This Is Our House Now.” The north and south walls each have simple scoreboards with the north featuring individual player scores as well. There is also a simple scoreboard on the floor on the east side of the court. To the left of the north scoreboard are the OUA and USports championship banners, including the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Wilson Cup banners as conference champions. The game day production at a Rams basketball game is about what you expect from an OUA basketball venue. There is an in house DJ who plays music during down times and adds sound effects to made free-throws. The PA announcer does a solid job and does not blow away the fans in attendance with too much show or too much volume. Sometimes the Ryerson mascot Eggy the Ram can be found in attendance. Neighbourhood 5 The Mattamy Athletic Centre is located in the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. It is very close to Queen’s Park and the Ontario Legislature as Toronto is also the capital city of the province. There is an abundance of opportunities for fans around the MAC and although it is not Harbourfront, fans will not be left wanting. There are a plethora of restaurants and bars within walking distance of the MAC. Some spots that may be of interest would include Mick E Fynn’s, Fran’s Restaurant and Carlton Restaurant. Toronto is a city where a weekend will not cut it, a whole week is probably necessary to get what may be close to the full experience. For fans hoping for other sporting experiences to pair with a Ryerson Rams basketball game there are a number available. A good place to start would be by going upstairs to Mattamy Home Ice to catch the Ryerson Rams play hockey. A twenty minute walk will bring fans to Ryerson’s main rival, the University of Toronto. The Varsity Blues play football at Varsity Stadium, hockey at Varsity Arena and basketball at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. As far as the professional ranks go, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto Rock all call Scotiabank Arena home. The Rogers Centre is home for the Toronto Blue Jays and BMO Field is home for the Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC. Across the parking lot from BMO is the Coca-Cola Coliseum, home of the Toronto Marlies. Finally, at the north side of Toronto is York University, home of the Lions. Football is played at York Stadium, basketball is played at the Tait McKenzie Centre and hockey is played at Canlan Ice Sports York. There are also a plethora of other tourist options near the MAC. Casa Loma is to the north and offers a unique experience in the city. The CF Eaton Centre is probably the most recognizable shopping experience in Toronto and is also close by. The theatre district in Toronto is probably second only to New York and that doesn’t even cover the CN Tower, Hockey Hall of Fame and other tourist spots closer to Harbourfront. For fans needing to stay close by, the Holiday Inn is right next door to the MAC. The Courtyard by Marriott is also close by. Fans 2 It is so difficult to assess OUA basketball fans. In many cases the attendance is not reported with the official score. It is reported that fan support for Rams basketball games hovers between 300 and 800 fans, which is pretty good, but probably on the high side. Ryerson is also pretty much a commuter school, with students coming from all across Toronto, rather than just the Ryerson campus. The fans that are in attendance can be pretty laid back as most OUA basketball fans are. The game that was reviewed was a significant mismatch which could account for the small and quiet crowd. Access 4 There are a couple of different ways to get to the Gardens. It is located in the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. It is north of the Gardiner Expressway and west of the Don Valley Parkway. It is also significantly south of highway 401. For fans coming to the Gardens by car, be prepared to do some significant driving through the city. There are a number of paid surface lots around the Gardens. There is also parking beneath which is controlled by Loblaws. The parking around the neighbourhood usually goes for around $10-$15, but the Loblaws parking is quite significant and can go to $40. The best way to get to the Mattamy Athletic Centre may be the subway. The College Station for the TTC is less than a block away. There are also buses and streetcars in the neighbourhood. Fans can check out the Toronto Transit Commission website for fares, schedules and maps. The ticketing window is immediately on the left when entering the MAC off of Carleton Street on the main floor. There are usually not much in the way of lineups. Fans should be aware that at least one window will be a cash only affair. Getting around the MAC is not too difficult at all. Fans must travel to the second level by escalator to reach the Coca-Cola Court. There are elevators for those who are unable to take escalators. The washrooms on the second level are clean and new. There is more than enough space to accommodate the number of fans that are normally in attendance for Ryerson Rams games. Return on Investment 5 As with most USports experiences there is tremendous value in Ryerson Rams basketball games. USports basketball is a hidden gem and the Rams program is currently one of the strongest in the country. Tickets for Ryerson games are $13 for adults, $9 for alumni and Ryerson students and children under 12 are free. The level of basketball is great and it is easy to have a great time on a very small investment. Concession prices are not too bad either. There will be a bit of a cost getting to the MAC but that is offset by the ability to check out a truly iconic venue. Extras 4 Two extra marks for Ryerson maintaining the history of Maple Leaf Gardens. The exterior façade sets the tone and fans of the Maple Leafs and Toronto sports history can spend hours perusing old photos and artifacts. An extra mark for the budding rivalry with the Toronto Varsity Blues. Games against Varsity are now becoming popular and very well attended. Something that USports desperately needs. An extra mark for the unique flexibility that Ryerson has. Coca-Cola Court is a small, intimate venue for basketball. For games that will draw a larger crowd, it is not that difficult to set up a basketball court on Mattamy Home Ice. Final Thoughts Ryerson Rams basketball offers sports fans the opportunity to see a great sports property and a significantly low price in a truly iconic venue. Even Leafs fans who are not into OUA sports need to take the pilgrimage to the Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens to see how well Ryerson has done in preserving this heritage site. Coca-Cola Court screams, go for the Gardens, stay for the Rams. Follow all of Dave’s sporting adventures on Twitter @profan9 and on Instagram.

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.43 Pot O’ Gold Sports Palace                                                                                                                                     777 Lucky Charms Place Dublin, Ireland 77777 St. Patrick Saints website Pot O’ Gold Sports Palace  website Year Opened: 2017 Capacity: 26,000 humans, or 52,000 leprechauns This Sports Venue Really Sham Rocks! The Pot of Gold Sports Palace is a multi-sport facility, as it hosts a wide variety of Gaelic games. It opened on March 17, 2017. It has a seating capacity of 26,000 humans or 52,000 leprechauns. Over the years it has hosted soccer, American football games, Celtics exhibition basketball games, and the Commonwealth Indoor Olympic games. Local fans are still talking about the legendary upset victory of the St. Patrick Saints over the Sydney Snakes in soccer. The victory was so magnificent that it drove the Snakes team to leave the country, never to return. Other teams that call the Pot O’ Gold home include the Limerick Lilliputians and the Wearin’ of the Green Bay Packers. Teams based at the Sports Palace have undefeated home records. We assume it is just the luck of the Irish holding true! Food & Beverage 4 There are several concession stands located throughout the Pot of Gold Sports Palace.  Some of the stands are familiar names like Beef O’ Brady and Bennigan’s. The other stands specialize in Irish favorites, including Irish stew, soda bread, pot pies, shepherd’s pie, colcannon, cabbage, corned beef, green eggs, and ham. Scones are available for dessert. There are some children’s foods, including Lucky Charms and Dunkin O’ shamrock-shaped Donuts, on the kid’s menu. A wide variety of green beverages is available at the Pot O’ Gold games. They include Irish coffee, green tea, and green Gatorade.  The craft beer offerings include Guinness brand beers, several stouts, plus 52 craft beers (all of which are green in color). They also offer Irish red and pale ales and of course Bailey’s Irish Cream. We found that you will not be sharing a lot of green at the facility, as stands only accepts credit cards. Concession stands accept Hibernian Express, Irish VISA, and Master O’ Card only. Atmosphere 4 The owner’s box is rather small compared to other major sports venues, but then the owner is a leprechaun, so the added space is not needed. Fans with lots of green can purchase seating in the premium seating area, the Paddy O Furniture Deck. In addition to the very comfortable seating, the Deck also offers at-your-seat food and beverage service, premium parking, and a lottery ticket to win the pot of gold drawing. Pot of Gold Sports Palace has a one-of-a-kind shamrock-shaped video board behind the end zone. It offers both instant replay videos and other announcements throughout the games. Fans in a pinch for some green gear can visit one of the four-leaf clover Shamrock Sports Stores located along the concourse. Neighborhood 5 Dublin and the Pot of Gold Sports Palace are both located in the Emerald Isles, so you will need either a boat or plane to get to an event. Dublin offers a wide variety of things to do. These include Phoenix Park, Trinity College, Dublin Castle, and of course, the National Leprechaun Museum. The world-famous Blarney Stone is also nearby. Fans 5 Gamedays begin at the top O’ the mornin’ as the green lot is set aside for tailgating. Corned beef cabbage hole is a popular game with fans as they wait for the doors of the Sports Palace to open. The fan bases for the various teams that call the Pot of Gold Sports Palace are very loyal to the home squads. They sing the team anthems throughout the games and are known to break out in the “We will… we will Shamrock you!” cheer during rallies by the locals and scream like banshees when a referee’s calls go against the Saints. Like many European sports events, the fans can get a little out of control after too many beers, which can result in a donnybrook.  Security has been tightened as a result. Challenging an officer with taunts like “Fight me…I’m Irish” or “I’ll Shamrock your world!” will find themselves at the wrong end of a shillelagh. The jig is up, and Hibernian hooligans are sent to a paddy wagon. Teams playing at the Pot of Gold Sports Palace generally draw small crowds. Oh, they draw very well…. It’s just that most of them are leprechauns! The fans get into the halftime shows, as they feature the Notre Dame Fighting Irish band and U2. The band is known to bring the fans to tears, as they close each performance with “Danny Boy”. Access 5 Directions: You won’t need the luck of the Irish to find the Pot O’ Gold Sports Palace…. simply follow the rainbow to its’ end stupid! Visitors may find the concourses to be narrower than you would usually find in a major sports facility. This is because the fanbase is mostly made up of leprechauns, who take up a lot less space. Another word of caution… leprechauns are wee when they go to pee, so the urinals and toilets in the restrooms are set very low. Ask your usher where the “special needs” restrooms are, as they will have normal-sized plumbing. Parking is free at the Pot of Gold Sports Palace. Just don’t park in the Lots O’ Green section, as it is reserved for the leprechaun season ticket holders. Return on Investment 5 You won’t need a pot of gold to attend a sports event at this venue. The tickets are very reasonably priced, the concessions are cheap, and parking is free.   Extras 3 In addition to sports events, Pot of Gold Sports Palace has hosted concerts by the Cranberries, U2, and the Riverdance dance group. Before each match, a member of Celtic Women sings “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”. The Pot O’ Gold Sports Palace is a “green” facility. It is painted green! It also does a great job of recycling as well. Final Thoughts You’ll thank your lucky charms for the gameday experience at the Pot O’ Gold Sports Palace. Your friends will be green with envy, as it takes the luck of the Irish to get a ticket to one of these Gaelic games.

The next time you attend a Lakers, Clippers, Kings hockey or any other event at Crypto.com Arena, as you pass by the much celebrated Kobe Bryant Statue unveiled last month, you may notice that at the marble base of the statue are some glaringly needed adjustments. The statue depicts Kobe in his white No. 8 jersey with his right index finger walking off the court following his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006. At the marble base of the statue are the player stat lines of the box score from both teams on the night of Kobe’s accomplishment. However some spelling errors were noticed on players names Jose Calderon and Von Wafer, as well as “decision” being misspelled as “decicion” from the stat line. A tweet from German basketball journalist Andre Voigt shows photos of the errors. https://twitter.com/drevoigt/status/1766970863054696482 “We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon,” a Lakers spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. The bronze statue was sculpted by Julie Rotblatt Amrany and stands 19 feet high and weighs 4,000 pounds. The statue also includes a QR code which fans can scan with their phone. The QR code directs fans to a  short film directed by Antoine Fuqua and narrated by Denzel Washington . The statue is the first of three to be created honoring the five-time NBA Champion and top scorer in Lakers history. Hopefully everything will be spell checked before Black Mamba is honored along Chick Hearn Court. Fans honoring Kobe the day after his statue was unveiled, 2/9/2024 Follow and view all of Andrei’s Los Angeles journeys on Instagram @thestadiumjourneyman and @dreiinla.

This week's episode takes a look at the world of rebranding from the low levels of baseball all the way to the NBA! Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Monday on our social media streaming channels.

Photos courtesy of the UFL On February 15 the newly formed United Football League (UFL) unveiled its official game ball. The UFL was created by merging the recent incarnations of the United States Football League (USFL) and the XFL. The new league will begin playing their inaugural season on March 30, 2024 and will feature eight (8) teams from the combined leagues: the defending USFL champion Birmingham Stallions, defending XFL champion Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, St. Louis Battlehawks, and San Antonio Brahmas. The new balls have been designed and are handcrafted to “perform at the highest level,” according to the UFL. Each football is embossed with metallic lettering and has the UFL logo hot-stamped in silver, along with the team markings. The design of each UFL ball features premium Horween Red 864 top-grain leather and suede ProTack+ lace. According to a release from the UFL, the goal is to: “[reflect] the contemporary look of the UFL brand yet remains authentic to the game of football.” Big Game Football Factory of Dallas, the largest American-owned football factory in the world, is the company tasked with creating, designing, and building the new balls from start to finish. This year marks the company’s 30th as the industry leader in custom-made footballs. The official league game ball is available for purchase on the newly launched Shop.theufl.com and through TheUFL.com. ---- Follow Eric Moreno’s Stadium Journey on Twitter at @EricMoreno6477. Visit Eric Moreno’s writer’s portfolio site at ericmoreno.contently.com.

Photo courtesy of the AP The College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers announced on February 20, 20204, that they have voted to unanimously revise the qualifying criteria for the 12-team playoff that is scheduled to begin with the 2024-2025 season. The updated playoff field will now include the five highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP Selection Committee. “This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and Chair of the CFP Board of Managers. “I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches, and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.” The updated format modifies the original plan, in which the six highest-ranked conference champions would be joined by the next six highest-ranked “at-large” teams. The new format replaces the existing “best four” playoff structure which has been in place since 2014. The reformatting to the 5+7 is in large part a response to the latest round of conference realignments, a byproduct of which saw the virtual dissolution of the PAC-12 Conference. Under the new 12-team format, the four highest-ranking conference champions, seeded one through four, will receive first-round byes, with seeds five through eight hosting a first-round playoff game at their respective home fields. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played as part of the New Year’s Six rotation of bowl games: the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The quarterfinals for this season’s playoffs will take place on Dec. 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be January 9-10, 2025. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. ---- Follow Eric Moreno’s Stadium Journey on Twitter at @EricMoreno6477. Visit Eric Moreno’s writer’s portfolio site at ericmoreno.contently.com.

What's the fuss over the new MLB Fanatics/Nike Vapor Premier jerseys, and should NHL fans be worried when Fanatics takes over this fall? Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Monday on our social media streaming channels.

Photo courtesy of Paris 24 The 2024 edition of the Summer Olympics is right around the corner, with the games scheduled to start in Paris on July 26 and running through August 11. This year’s incarnation will mark the third time that the City of Lights has held the summer games, and marks 100 years since the last games were held there. Hundreds of athletes from across the globe will gather in Paris to compete in dozens of competitions in the grandest display of sportsmanship and brotherhood that humanity is graced with every four years. The aim is to prove themselves against the best in the world for a chance at sports immortality – the best of the best also compete for one of the most illustrious prizes in all of sports, the Olympic medal. “A symbol of excellence, a source of motivation, of surpassing oneself and of ultimate achievement, medals are much more than objects: they represent the apotheosis in the career of elite athletes,” said Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 in a news release. “Their power to fascinate and inspire goes far beyond the circle of athletes. I see it when I take them with me on a trip, particularly in the eyes of children.” Paris 2024, working in concert with the Paris 2024 Athletes Committee, has worked to ensure that this year’s medals are the most unique ever. In an effort to marry the strongest symbol of the Games with the figurative heart of Paris and of France, the groups collaborated with world-renowned jeweler House of Chaumet to create something truly unique. To do so, they revamped the design to include real pieces of metal from the Eiffel Tower itself in each one. “Thanks to Chaumet, the Paris 2024 medals have been designed like real pieces of jewelry: on both sides, they will show the most beautiful face of France” Estanguet said. “With their piece of the Eiffel Tower, they will be totally unique, creating a genuine link between the medal-winning athletes and our country.” Real iron from the Eiffel Tower was salvaged from past renovation work and has been carefully preserved ever since. Erected in 1889 as part of the Universal Exhibition, the Eiffel Tower is an indelible symbol of Paris, and is one of the most recognized landmarks in the world. “The Paris 2024 medals will represent the coming together of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said Estanguet. “We are delighted and proud to present the medals for the Games of Paris 2024!” Follow Eric Moreno’s Stadium Journey on Twitter at @EricMoreno6477. Visit Eric Moreno’s writer’s portfolio site at ericmoreno.contently.com.

Photo courtesy of Kiko Gaspar Communications On Wednesday, February 7 the NFL announced that the Philadelphia Eagles would play as the designated team for the league’s historic first regular season game that will be played in Brazil, during the 2024-2025 season as part of the NFL International Series. Their opponent will be announced with the unveiling of the 2024 schedule sometime in the spring. The first game in the International Series was held on October 2, 2005 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico in a contest between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers. This year’s game is historic for several reasons – first is that this is the first NFL game to be played in Brazil, and second, the game set for September 6, 2024 will be the first time the NFL has scheduled a regular season game on a Friday night since the 1970 season opener, with the then St. Louis Cardinals taking on the Los Angeles Rams. “Hosting the first NFL game in Brazil and South America is both a significant challenge and a tremendous honor – monumental occasion for our country, highlighting our importance on the global stage," said Gustavo Pires, a prominent figure in São Paulo's events and tourism sector in a news release. “Hosting the iconic Philadelphia Eagles in our city is [also] a true honor”. São Paulo is the host city for this year’s contest which will be held at Corinthians Stadium, the home stadium of the SC Corinthians; the venue served as an official site for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and also was used during the 2016 Summer Olympics. This game is also significant for Brazil, as it will be held on the eve of the country’s Independence Day. The Brazil game is a landmark for the NFL’s international efforts, especially its ongoing expansion into South America. Opening Week 1 of the regular season on foreign soil is a unique way the league is highlighting its international growth and global ambitions – as Brazil is home to 38 million residents, the opportunities for the NFL are obvious. Photo courtesy of Kiko Gaspar Communications “With projections of over $60 million injected into our local economy, this event underscores São Paulo's potential to host major international sporting events,” Pires said. “As a city renowned for its vibrant culture and passionate sports fans, São Paulo eagerly anticipates the opportunity to showcase our warm hospitality to the world”.

The Super Bowl may have just ended, but that doesn't mean that football has ended. A trip to Canton, Ohio should be on the bucket list for any good football fan. How does the Pro Football Hall of Fame compare to the other big sports, and why would it be in Canton? Grab a beer and join Paul and Dave as they make a pilgrimage to the shrine of football in the latest episode of Stadium Journey's Obstructed Views. 🏈🏈

This week we're joined by the author of the book "Field of Schemes" and website of the same name. We discuss the current events in Oakland, Chicago, Baltimore and Arizona and more. Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Monday on our social media streaming channels.

In this episode we discuss some highlights from our travels over the last few months. Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern at danlaw.tv.

Like most shopping malls around the country, Macon Mall in Macon, GA was experiencing hard times. A new lifestyle center had lured away many of its tenants, while other national tenants had gone bankrupt and gone out of business. Online shopping has become popular during the pandemic and has cut down the flow of shoppers in the mall drastically. The vacancy rate in the mall hovered at 74 %. The final straw was the owner of the mall turning over the mall to the city of Macon. The city was facing a quandary. What do you do with a shopping mall? The first thing the city did was downsize the mall by demolishing one wing of the mall. In its place, the city will construct a 10,000-seat amphitheater. It already was a needed amenity in the area and would bring traffic back to the mall area. This still left a large vacant area where one of the anchor stores had stood. How could that space be filled? The answer to that question is to marry a shopping mall with pickleball. Pickleball is the #1 participant sport in the country. Leagues and courts are popping up everywhere. The solution is the 32-court Rhythm and Rally Sports and Event Complex. The 150,000-square-foot facility is the largest indoor pickleball facility in the world. The facility also includes climate-controlled locker rooms, showers, and a pro shop. The city of Macon has seen its white elephant turn into a gold mine. The new facility is a great hit in the pickleball community. In the first few weeks, it was open, Rhythm and Rally hosted a tournament with more than 6,500 participants. Players came from 24 four states and several foreign countries. A second tournament in January 2024 drew more than 900 participants. The facility has lined up a series of local, regional, and national tournaments throughout 2024. The local community has responded to the new complex just as enthusiastically. Local membership in the complex has skyrocketed, with most of the courts in use around the clock. The facility has also drawn the attention of government officials in other cities and states, as they all are facing the same issues of abandoned properties. It has spawned the concept of adaptive reuse in malls and other large vacant properties. In the meantime, Rhythm and Rally Sports and Events Complex expects to generate between $ 3-5 million in revenue in 2024 for the city of Macon.

Photos by Richard Smith, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.43 Gator Court 4701 N Charles St Baltimore, MD 21210 Notre Dame Gators website Gator Court website Year Opened: 1989 Capacity: 1,000 Gators In Baltimore Notre Dame of Maryland University is a Catholic liberal arts college located in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1873. It is right next door to the “Evergreen” campus of Loyola University Maryland (which it shares a library facility). It was formerly an all-women’s college, but that ended in 2023 as it is now co-ed. The university has over 3000 students. The original name of the school was the Notre Dame of Maryland Preparatory School and Collegiate Institute. It also spent many years with the College of Notre Dame of Maryland name. In 2011, the school attained university status with the addition of several graduate-level programs. Notre Dame’s athletic teams are members of Division III of the NCAA. All sports but swimming compete within the United East Conference. Although the swim team does not compete within a conference, it participates in the yearly Old Dominion Athletic Conference swim championships. The university’s sports teams are known as the Gators. The 2023/2024 season is the first for the men's basketball program. Gator Court is home to Gators basketball and volleyball. It is located within the larger Marion Burk Knott Sports Complex. Food & Beverage 1 There is no permanent food stand at Gator Court. There is a small table set up near the entrance to the gym where candy and chips are sold. The prices are great, but you will want to plan for food. Atmosphere 3 This is a medium size gym that is very reminiscent of a high school gym. Because of the relatively small size, it can get loud pretty quickly depending on the game's action. There is a small simple grandstand on the main side of the court. There are no seats on the other side of the court, behind the benches. A few people stand or sit in an area above the gym level where a balcony has a view of the game's action. These do offer a great view of the action, although this area is not meant for much of a crowd. Neighborhood 3 Notre Dame is in a very good part of Baltimore City. The problem is that there is just nothing much around the local neighborhood. Luckily Baltimore is a big city that is not too big to get around. Miss Shirley’s at 513 West Cold Spring Lane is noted for their great breakfast and down-home food. They are one of the closer options to campus. Also relatively close to the university is the Mt. Washington neighborhood that straddles I-83 South (known as the Jones Falls Expressway, or the JFX, by locals). The Mt. Washington Tavern is an excellent restaurant with both a fine food and bar food type of menu. The place is large, and there always seems to be room for more. Parking is the biggest problem here, so it would be worth paying the nominal valet charges. Radisson Hotel at Cross Keys is the closest hotel and has a lobby restaurant which is another option. Venturing further from the university, one may want to try out the suburb of Towson with its variety of shops and restaurants. Try the Charles Village Pub in the heart of downtown Towson for good food and drinks. Fans 2 As with most small college gyms, the bulk of the fans tend to be family or friends of both teams. There will be some local fans who just happen to stop by for the game as well. The men's team, although new, is still drawing relatively well since many of the players are from the local area. Access 3 The campus is located in a quiet north Baltimore neighborhood. That means that getting to the campus is not easy. The best route is to travel I-83/The JFX, south and get off at Cold Spring Lane. Other options include exiting I-695, the Baltimore Beltway, and driving south via York Road or Charles Street. York is the busiest route, but may be easier than the high-speed curves of Charles Street. If one is attending weekend games, there should be no problem finding parking. There is a big lot near the tennis courts and is just a short walk away from the Knott Complex. I have not attended a game here on weekday nights so I am not sure how filled that parking lot gets. You may want to arrive a little early just in case. The Knott building can be accessed in one of two main ways. The main entrance is on the south side, while if coming from the parking lot, there is a small unmarked door from the north. The north entrance is better anyway as it takes you right to the gym level, whereas the main door brings you to the balcony area. Return on Investment 4 You are not going to be watching the highest level of basketball competition, but the cost is about the best you can find. That’s right, there is no admission cost. Combine that with free parking, and you have a pretty great night out. . Extras 1 The Notre Dame campus is small but quite pretty. Take a quick walk around before the game. There is a small trophy case with some athletic trophies and accomplishments right at the main Knott entrance. Final Thoughts There is not too much to see at a Notre Dame of Maryland University men's basketball game. But the gym is still a pleasant place to see some intercollegiate action.

1998 Olympic Hockey Gold Medal winner and Isobel Cup champion executive Colleen Coyne joins us to discuss the past, present and future of women's hockey. Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern at danlaw.tv.

Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.00 Gillette Stadium 1 Patriot Place Foxborough, MA 02035 UMass Minutemen football website Gillette Stadium website Year Opened: 2002 Capacity: 65,756 (2016) A Campaign Far From Home For The Minutemen When the University of Massachusetts announced that they would be moving their program up to FBS, the top level of collegiate football, they had a problem. Their longtime on-campus home, McGuirk Alumni Stadium, did not meet minimum standards for an FBS facility. While McGuirk Stadium was renovated to bring it up to minimum standards, the team played at Gillette Stadium, better known as the home of the New England Patriots of the National Football League, for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Once work on McGuirk was completed, the Minutemen continued to play half of their home schedule at Gillette. The school and stadium had a contract that called for a portion of the school’s home games to be played in Foxboro through 2016. UMass will be playing all of their home games on campus in 2017, and have a single game scheduled at Gillette Stadium (against Brigham Young) in 2018. While they were a member of Division 1-A (and subsequently FCS), the Minutemen were very successful, winning 22 conference titles, appearing in two bowl games, eight NCAA tournaments, and three title games. UMass won a Division 1-A National Championship in 1998. The UMass program has struggled since their elevation to FBS. With the Gillette Stadium portion of their 2016 home schedule complete, they are 2-18 in Foxboro. Overall, their record is not much better, as they have complied a 5-31 record since 2012, a winning percentage of .139. Food & Beverage 4 For Minutemen games, Gillette Stadium scales back their concessions due to the smaller capacity of the venue for college football. This does not mean that Minutemen fans have limited menu selections. Enough of the 38 permanent concession stands are open here to ensure that the entire concession menu is available and lines do not get too long. Gillette Stadium’s food offerings hit all the expected notes. Stands are organized by the type of food offered at each one. Minutemen fans can choose from Fried Tenders & Wings (chicken products), Stadium Grille (burgers, cheesesteaks and grilled chicken), Market Fresh Deli (Wraps, sandwiches and salads), Backyard BBQ (pulled pork, pulled chicken and brisket), Italian Sausage (sausages, bratwurst and hot dogs) and Stadium Pizza (Papa Gino’s pizza). The Lighthouse Grill behind The Fort offers burgers, chicken tenders and pizza. Fans may have to search a little to find their desired items, but the quality is worth the effort. Fans looking for healthier alternatives will find wraps, sandwiches and salads at the Market Fresh Deli stand. Items such as turkey burgers and Kosher hot dogs can be found throughout all stands as well. Several portable stands are open to augment the menu. Food carts offer items such as nachos, Friendly’s Ice Cream, Kayem hot dogs and assorted snacks. Pepsi products are featured at Gillette Stadium. Fans looking for adult beverages can choose from several national and international brands, including Bud Light, Coors, Shock Top, Heineken, Guinness and Bass Ale. Many fans will seek out the popular Beers of New England stand, which features local microbrewed favorites from Sam Adams, Harpoon, Long Trail and Allegash Breweries. Be warned that you will be paying NFL prices for concessions here at Gillette Stadium. Atmosphere 2 One commonly heard complaint about the gameday atmosphere at Gillette Stadium is that even when there is a solid crowd of 20,000 here for a UMass game, any energy generated is swallowed up by the sheer enormity of the facility. For Minutemen games, the entire upper deck of Gillette Stadium is closed off, along with portions of the lower deck. The large empty spaces do indeed put a damper on things here. With Gillette Stadium’s location 92 miles from UMass’ campus in Amherst, it’s amazing that so many students make the trek east. Still, the student section remains only half filled. Despite the best efforts of the marching band, cheerleaders, dance squad and stadium personnel, 50,000 empty seats tend to minimize any noise and energy generated here. Neighborhood 4 Any long time visitor to Gillette Stadium and its predecessor, Foxboro Stadium can tell you what a wasteland the area around the Stadium used to be. That began to change in 2007 with the development of Patriot Place, an open air shopping center and entertainment venue located on the former site of Foxboro Stadium. Today Patriot Place consists of dozens of retail stores, over a dozen restaurants, entertainment venues including a bowling alley, theater, and concert venue, a nature trail, cranberry bog, four star hotel, outpatient health care center, and the Patriots Hall of Fame. Fans coming to Gillette Stadium for a Minutemen game who do not wish to partake in the tailgating scene can choose from eateries ranging from the upscale (Davio’s Steakhouse, Twenty 8 Food and Spirits), to national chains (Red Robin, Five Guys Burgers). Choices run the gamut here, from American fare (CBS Scene, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill), to fine seafood (Skipjacks, Blue Fin Lounge), to sports bars and night clubs (Bar Louie). If you would like to enjoy some shopping before the game, the stores at Patriot Place do not focus solely on sporting goods as you might expect from a mall located at a football stadium. In addition to the dozens of stores here, the Showcase Cinema de Lux shows first run movies in their theaters, Showcase Live contains a 16,000 square foot concert hall, and Splitsville is a combination bowling alley/restaurant/night club. With Patriot Place remaining open after games, fans are not obligated to leave immediately after the conclusion of the game. While Gillette Stadium’s “neighborhood” may not be an organic one, everything you need or want can be found there. You can’t ask for much more than that. Fans 2 Despite initial projections, fans just have not flocked to Gillette Stadium as the administration had hoped. Over the five years that UMass played in Foxboro, the team averaged about 13,000 fans per game. The two hour drive from Amherst, the longest distance between any campus and home stadium in the country, has limited attendance in a major way, as has the team’s lack of success since moving up to FBS. On the plus side, those students who travel the two hours to see the Minutemen play really want to be there, and are enthusiastic in their support of the home team. Access 4 Any local football fan can tell you about the nightmarish traffic at Gillette Stadium for Patriots games and concerts. Fortunately for UMass football fans, getting to and from Gillette for Minutemen games is much easier. Gillette Stadium is located on Route 1, a four lane highway near the intersection of interstates 95 and 495. The legendary traffic jams for Patriot games here are not an issue with the smaller Minutemen games. The 16,500 parking spaces surrounding the stadium are more than enough to handle a typical UMass crowd. Once fans arrive at the stadium, they will enjoy plenty of room to tailgate, wide and well-marked pedestrian walkways leading to both the stadium and Patriot Place, and nicely manicured grounds. For fans who can recall the old dirt parking lots and cold metal bleachers of the old Foxboro Stadium, this is a different world, indeed. Fans will enter Gillette Stadium through one of three entry plazas. The two entry plazas on the west side of the stadium deposit fans on the main concourse above the 100 level seats. The third entrance is located by the Patriots Hall of Fame, and fans entering here will find themselves at the base of the bridge and lighthouse. Ramps lead up from here to the 100 level concourse. The 100-level concourse completely encircles the field and is more than wide enough to handle traffic for the typical Minutemen crowd. Lines at concession stands and restrooms are manageable, even during halftime. Return on Investment 3 Tickets for UMass games at Gillette Stadium cost $25 for all seats. Fans wanting a more upscale experience can purchase seats in the Putnam Club for $50. Parking for Minutemen games is free. Fans used to the high NFL and concert prices at Gillette Stadium will be very pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, if purchasing concessions during a UMass game, you will be paying NFL prices for food and beverages. Extras 2 An extra point is awarded for the opportunity to catch some big time college football in a state of the art facility, a rarity in this part of the country. UMass’ presence at Gillette gives fans who cannot afford to come to Patriots games a chance to experience this stadium. A second extra point is awarded to the diehard fans who travel two hours each way to cheer on their favorite team. Final Thoughts Gillette Stadium is a fine facility, one that annually finishes in the top ten of Stadium Journey’s rankings of all NFL facilities. It’s simply too big and too far from the UMass campus in Amherst to be a viable home for the Minutemen. For the 2017 season UMass will play all of their home games at the on campus McGuirk Stadium, and going forward will only play marquee games at Gillette.

Photos by Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey It is that time of year again when hockey teams from across multiple leagues hold their annual Teddy Bear Toss, with all proceeds going to local charities. Fans bring and toss a stuffed animal onto the ice after the home team scores, resulting in a stoppage of play and thousands of cute stuffed toys spread on the ice. I went to my first one this week, and it was everything as advertised. The Indy Fuel of the ECHL has been hosting their teddy bear toss for ten seasons, and the game usually sells out for the holiday event. Many arrive early carrying handfuls of stuffed animals, some with plastic bags stretched behind their backs and a few more double-fisting a bag full of stuffed bears. Once inside the lobby, it is overflowing with fans with tables set up with several stuffed animals for those who came unprepared and others picking up tickets at the box office window.  The holiday crowd brought out Santa Clause, who did not have to go through the metal detectors, as he sat down on his chair next to a live reindeer and took pictures with little boys and girls. Once inside the seating bowl of the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, teddy bears the size of a small child took up seats against the windows. It was hard to spot a fan without a cuddly toy on their lap or in their hands. The densely crowded concourse was full of fans making their way to their seats in honorable fashion. You could see many grabbing a bite to eat or a drink while having someone in their party hold on to the stuffed bear. If you were a fan of people-watching, this was the night to do so at the hockey game. Finally, the face-off and the game commence against the Kalamazoo Wings. Each time a Fuel player skated towards the net, the crowd erupted with anticipation. The sound grew louder when a shout took place and deflected off the goalie’s stick or pad. The game went back and forth with multiple shots on the net, a few hits against the boards, and several shots off the mark. The crowd wanted a goal, the public announcer wanted a goal, and I wanted a goal sitting on the top concourse of the building. Finally, at 8:17 in the first period, the goal horn and light went off, and the teddy bears rained down from the seating bowl. Suddenly, the Christmas music piped over the sound system, and it was time to celebrate. The stuffed dolls came from the upper and lower decks and flipped over the glass gingerly. I rushed down to the ice to get a shot of the teddy bears falling to the rink, and they were still raining down onto the rink. Accumulations of stuffed dolls clumped together off the sticks of hockey players. Staff members were pushing 64-gallon garbage bins to retrieve the stuffed animals. Others, like me, walked on the ice to take photo ops of fans, players, employees, and many others having fun during the timeout of the game. Fuel players jumped in to help throw dolls into the trash bin while K-Wings players hung out and waited through at least a second teddy bear toss scene this season; they had their own on November 26. The Fuel mascot, Nitro, attempted to assist, but he was having more fun waving to the crowd. A plethora of stuffed dolls were placed on a tarp off the ice and whisked away by 2 or 3 crew members to an area for counting. After around 20 minutes, the teddy bears were ready to count. A few staff members couldn’t resist and jumped into the massive pile as if they were school children jumping into a pile of leaves. Then, an announcement over the speakers that the goal did not count, much to the chagrin of many in the building. However, it didn’t matter; they saw what they had purchased a ticket to see--the annual teddy bear toss. It was the last event of its kind at the Coliseum. Next year, the Fuel will relocate 14 miles from Fishers, Indiana, to the 8,000-seat Fishers Entertainment Center. After a meticulous count, there was a total of 5,875 stuffed animals that landed on the ice. It was a bump from last year’s total of 5,395 - but not as much as the Hershey Bears record of 67,309 last season. It is a tradition that began 30 years ago in Kamloops, British Columbia when Blazers fans threw 2,400 bears onto the ice for a game. The tradition has spread to other parts of the world, from Europe to Australia. It is a mainstay in the ECHL and other leagues in Canada and the United States. The fans enjoy a packed house at the game; the atmosphere is full of holiday spirit, and a teddy bear is donated to several local charities. There are several teddy bear toss games scheduled at a local hockey area in the minor or junior leagues of North America. Visitors should be on the lookout for their chance to bring in a stuffed doll and toss it onto the ice when appropriate.  It is that time of the year again to give back to the community. --- Follow all of Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel. Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com

It's the annual look back at our travels this year. What were our favorite venues, games, biggest surprises, and cities of 2023? Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern at danlaw.tv.

Photos by Eric Moreno, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71 Alamodome 100 Montana St San Antonio, TX 78203 All-American Bowl website Alamodome website Year Opened: 1993 Capacity: 72,000 All-American Bowl – Alamodome For over 20 years the nation’s best high school football players have competed against one another in the annual All-American Bowl. The game between all-stars from the East and the West has featured some of the best players in the recent history of the game – these include Vince Young, Andrew Luck, Tim Tebow, Adrian Peterson, Odell Beckham, Jr., and Chase Young. Since 2002 – with exception of a COVID year in 2021 – the game has been held at the venerable Alamodome in downtown San Antonio. The stadium, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, has a long tradition of hosting numerous football games over the years; it serves as the home field for the UTSA Roadrunners and is the site of the Alamo Bowl each December. Countless high school games, minor league football, and even NFL games have been played on the Alamodome’s field. While it can at times feel truly cavernous, it has proven to be a great facility for football, especially high school football; the All-American Bowl is no exception. Read on to learn what makes the game and the venue something all fans should see. Food & Beverage 3 Not all the regular concession stands at the Alamodome are open during the All-American Bowl. However, what they do have is perfectly fine for fans on game day. At numerous spots on the main concourse fans can get their fill of hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, hamburgers and fries, tacos, and bottled drinks. There are also a few spots dedicated to selling bottled domestic and imported beers; you won’t go hungry or thirsty at the Alamodome, but for this game the offerings are in the average category. Atmosphere 4 While the Alamodome basically opens up only the lower bowl for this game, and fans are there primarily to cheer on their friends and family members playing in the game (as opposed to a particular team), the atmosphere is still remarkably good for this game. It feels like a big deal, and everyone involved treats it as such. There is signage everywhere (this also extends to the downtown San Antonio area) touting the game. Local high school marching bands and cheerleaders keep the crowd engaged, and there are several game merchandise stores on the main concourse as well. But the true event that keeps the atmosphere high (and I’ll discuss it more in the Extras section) and makes this a spectacle is the player commitments – on a stage outside the north end zone, players stand in front of an array of hats with their prospective colleges’ logos. After a brief exchange, an uncommitted player will make his choice of where he will spend the next three to four years of his academic and playing career. It’s a lot of fun and just shows the caliber of players involved in the game. Neighborhood 5 I’ve written about the Alamodome in numerous reviews, and in particular why this section ranks as high as it does. There is a reason that big-time events still make their way to a facility that is now 30 years old, and it is primarily due to location. The dome is right in the heart of the Alamo City’s vibrant downtown – home to some of the area’s best hotels, restaurants, and attractions, downtown San Antonio is where most people want to be when they visit the city. The Alamodome is within walking distance of most of the mentioned best of the best sites and attractions. These include the fabled – and eponymous – Alamo shrine; the Cradle of Texas Liberty is one of the most visited sites in the country, and is currently undergoing an historic renovation and expansion. If you’re visiting the city for the game, it is a must to see the Alamo. Another site that should be high on visitors to do list is taking a stroll on the San Antonio River Walk. Built along the banks of the river that bears its name, the River Walk extends the length of downtown and beyond. Visitors can dine at top-tier restaurants, do some shopping, or stop in at dozens of spots for some libations. You should also make a point to hop a ride on one of the River Walk barges. When it comes to dining, there are numerous chains to take in, but you really need to make a point to try something local. In that vein, it doesn’t get more local than Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia. For over 75 years, the Cortez family – owners of Mi Tierra – have been the godfathers of Tex-Mex cuisine in San Antonio – this is the gold standard. Another newer spot to visit is one of my all-time favorites in the city, Schilo’s. This old-world German delicatessen is also the oldest restaurant in the city. Known for house-made root beer, made-from-scratch deli sandwiches, and the best cup/bowl of split pea soup in all of South Texas, Schilo’s will fill you up! For hotels, downtown San Antonio has scores that run the entire gamut of price ranges. However, if you want to be able to walk to the game at the Alamodome, there are several that are less than five minutes away – these include Staybridge Suites San Antonio Downtown Convention Center and City View Inn & Suites. Again, depending on what your budget is, you’ll find something suitable for you that is not too far from the stadium if you stay downtown. Fans 3 All Star games are always a little tricky to gauge, in terms of fans. As mentioned above in the Atmosphere section, the vast majority of the fans in attendance are relatives and/or friends of the 100-plus players on the two rosters, and not of any particular team. That being said, it’s still a football game, and big plays still bring the fans out of their seats. The most recent game had an announced crowd of over 23,000 and that seems accurate; it was a good crowd that stayed around for the entirety of the game, and even well afterwards to have a meet-and-greet with the players. Access 4 Fans heading to the All-American Bowl at the Alamodome won’t have a hard time getting there; it is easily one of the most recognizable landmarks across the San Antonio skyline. The dome is a 10-minute drive from the San Antonio International Airport, which offers scores of flights in and out of the city on an hourly basis. If you’re driving to the Alamodome it is located at a virtual crossroads of three major highways that ribbon the city: Interstates 10 and 35 and state highway 37/281. These are the major thoroughfares in the city and once you hop on, you can be anywhere in San Antonio in less than 30 minutes. Once on site, parking in the dome’s two open lots starts at $20 per car; however, the neighborhood surrounding the Alamodome has built a cottage industry on selling parking to events for often much less. Or, if you choose not to drive or utilize a ride-sharing service, San Antonio’s public transportation service, VIA Metropolitan Transit, offers bus service to and from the Alamodome throughout the day. Return on Investment 4 Tickets for the All-American Bowl started at $25 per person. When you couple that with $20 for parking and relatively affordable concessions, this turns out to be a bargain. To get a chance to see the next Trevor Lawrence, or Reggie Bush, or Patrick Peterson at what is essentially the start of their careers, the cost to attend the All-American Bowl is truly a bargain. Extras 3 As mentioned above, the extras for the game are mainly the draw of the player commitments – this is really something to see and it truly fires up the crowd, especially when a player selects the school of fans in attendance. The other draws are the local high school marching bands and cheer squads. At the most recent game, an added attraction was the play of some flag football squads from the area during halftime; it’s fun seeing youngsters getting to enjoy a game in a venue like the Alamodome. Final Thoughts The All-American Bowl is a game unlike any other and for fans of football, it’s a treat to get the chance to see it in person. The Alamodome truly comes into its own for high school games – with basically only the sideline seats open for viewing, fans get the best sightlines of the whole field. Adding the bands and cheerleaders make it even more like a typical high school game, albeit one that is broadcast live on network television. I would definitely add this game to your bucket list if you haven’t already. Follow Eric Moreno's Stadium Journey on Twitter at @EricMoreno6477.

Photo Courtesy of Google Some ballparks don’t die; many are just distant memory. Many have been torn down and replaced with other structures that bear little connection to the former baseball home. However, there is one ballpark still standing and posing a striking resemblance to its past glory. That former ballpark is Coble Grimes Stadium in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania. The site is now home to the D.E. Richard Garage. It is also home to the Speedway Mart gas station, a car wash, and a truck bay on its premises. It also provides 24-hour towing and PA safety and emission testing. If you need a new tire, this is the place to be; if you are looking for a baseball game down the road to either Harrisburg or Reading. A walk around its premises, and you can see the outfield walls, the old covered grandstand, the backstop, and the general shape of the ballpark. The right field is gone, and a sea of cars now occupies the outfield, but to a trained ballpark hunter, this was once home to a baseball team. It is one that had a meteoric rise and fall right after World War II. Charlie and Coble Grimes were founders of College Hill Poultry; they were baseball fans, most notably Coble, who supplied the financial backing for the semi-professional College Hill Chix baseball club. They operated at the Lebanon High School baseball field for their first season in 1945, attracting an impressive audience. A crowd of 3,000 witnessed the first game, File Photo Lebanon Daily News The Chix averaged around 500 fans per game and revived interest in semi-professional baseball in Lebanon County. It was important enough that the two brothers decided to build their ballpark the following year. One that would be big enough to satisfy the baseball-hungry crowds proceeding the war. They found a parcel of land at the intersection of the recently constructed Route 22 and Main Street, 10 miles north of town in Fredericksburg.  The new highway merged with the old Rt. 22, creating a natural triangle. Foul balls could land on the new route and home runs over the center field, or left-field walls could land on the old Rt. 22. The privately financed stadium housed 3,500 fans and would be ready by June of 1946. The grandstand itself would be able to accommodate close to 2,000 fans. It included a press box, an announcer's booth, light towers, and concession stands underneath selling refreshments.  The local newspapers called it the “finest in the east” upon its completion. A crowd of 3,000 packed the stadium to witness a 2-0 12-inning loss to Cornwall. “Coble was a real ball nut, and he could afford it,” former site owner Dale Richard, Sr. told the Lebanon Daily News in 1990. “He built the baseball diamond out of his pocket. The Chix got players from all over the area, Lebanon, Fredericksburg, and Meckville. I’d say maybe 100 guys played here over the years.” The stadium hosted various ball games from semi-pro games to exhibition games against the House of David clubs, local area high school and college teams, and Negro League teams passing through the area to delighted fans. The first-ever Keystone Semi-State Baseball tournament was held, in which the Chix won. Opening night for the Chix in 1949, File Photo Lebanon Daily News. In 1949, the Chix joined the Class D Mid-Atlantic League and was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Grimes added box seating closer to the field level, along with infield grass for the first time. The newly named Lebanon Chix featured an 18-year-old Ken Boyer beginning his professional career. He would win the NL MVP with the Cards in 1964. The first-ever game produced a crowd of 1,800, and the following year they were champions of the league. Unfortunately, the Chix would never play again after its championship series victory. The club announced it was withdrawing from the league in January 1951 due to military involvement in Korea and disappointing attendance during the season. The death of Coble in October was a devastating hit on the ball club – due to his financial backer of the team. Without his support, College Hill Poultry got out of the baseball business, but would still allow local clubs to play free of charge from time to time. The ballpark would become home to the Fredericksburg High School baseball team, along with a series of events that included another semi-state baseball tournament, local twilight games, Little League baseball, Lebanon Valley College baseball, and Negro League games. Wrestling, boxing, and donkey baseball would find an audience at Grimes Stadium. After the high school built a new campus and athletic field in 1958, they moved off the premises. By this time, the ballpark was renamed Norelco Stadium and is still housing local baseball leagues. That would change in 1965 when Dale E. Richards, Sr. purchased the 10-acre site and converted the baseball facility into a race track. It resulted in a few cosmetic changes that would alter the baseball pattern. The right-field wall was demolished to extend the track into the area once used as the parking lot for baseball games. The oval featured two turns, one of them where home plate once stood in front of the grandstand. Additional bleacher seating was added where the left field once stood to increase the venue’s capacity to 3,800. The ballpark when it was the Fredericksburg Speedway, File Photo Lebanon Daily News. “I guess you got to be a little bit crazy to buy something like this,” said Richard to the Lebanon Daily-News in 1990. “But the main reason I bought it is that I had property adjacent to it. I was thinking I’m going to have to live next to it the rest of my life anyways.” Richards operated the now-named Fredericksburg Speedway until 1972, before closing it down due to the track not making any money for him, despite his time and effort into renovating the building. It reopened in 1975 under new promoters but closed for good after the following racing season. The D.E. Richard Garage opened its doors in 1977, but the old grandstand would remain standing, but no longer a home for racing, but a haven for used cars and spare automobile parts. In the 1990s, a 4-bay truck and car wash and Speedy Mart grocery store opened on the site. Richards passed away in 2010, and his son Richard, Jr. would take over the business that he continues to operate today. “I’ve got people stopping quite a bit, people who went to the races, people who like baseball,” said Richard to the Lebanon Sports Buzz in 2013. “But when the younger people drive by, they have no idea what it was. I’d bet money on that.” The grandstand seats are visible and old cars line the infield, Photo from Lebanon Daily Buzz. If you visit the site you can see the 70-plus-year grandstand with new siding, but still with its concession and ticket windows intact. The first and third base sides of the building have had garage doors installed, but a look inside its interiors tells a much different story. A birdseye view of what the former ballpark looks like today. The grandstand is warped with splintered pieces of wood that are filled with used auto parts, most notably car rims. There is now tall grass and trees sprouting up through parts of the concourse, and the original protective screen is tattered, but still hanging from the ceiling of the structure. A look towards the old playing field will result in a strewn of used automobiles rusting in the sun. A new building was constructed in left field, and the old track is visible where motorcycles and stock cars once zipped at fast speeds. What is left of the outfield wall has been painted white with blue and red striping, a nice look for the old baseball palace. The lights were removed a long time ago, and only memories of baseball and racing remain at the site, but the station does offer a collection of photos from its days as a speedway. The exterior of the grandstand, Note the original concession windows, Google Docs Image The site is an anomaly since most former minor league stadiums from this era were knocked down decades ago. The Schenectady, New York, grandstand stood until 2002 as the golf course storage unit, but that might be the only other structure of its kind that existed after being used for baseball. It is an example of baseball fever that took place soon after the war in Europe and Japan ended. Many cities and towns across the country built new stadiums or renovated existing ones for the minor leagues. The College Hill Chix lasted six seasons and only used the stadium for five years; built at a unique time in the country where almost every town, large and small, built or renovated a stadium for a baseball club. Many have faded into history, but the former Grimes Stadium is a quiet history lesson to ballpark fans in the 21st century. I wish I had known about this place a little bit earlier; I definitely would have visited. Then again, what fun would that be? Harrisburg isn’t far off the beaten path, and it is just another reason to hop in the car to make a future ballpark trip. --- Follow all of Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel. Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com

The mecca for any hockey fan is a journey to Toronto, Ontario to take in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The question is, with the other major sport halls of fame, where does the Hockey Hall of Fame stack up? Grab a beer and join Paul and Dave as they head out to discuss the home of Lord Stanley and the Hockey Hall of Fame. 🏒🏒

Photos by Marc Viquez and Fans of Valley Field If you are heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan, this summer to see a Whitecaps game, there is another ballpark to visit. Valley Field, AKA Sullivan Field, is receiving a $4.2 million project that will restore the WPA ballpark close to its original design of 1937. The non-profit group Fans of Valley Field raised $3.7 million, including $1 million from the city of Grand Rapids. The restoration will be completed in several phases, with the first phase completed by the spring or summer of 2024. Its mission is to preserve the heritage and promote the usage of the ballpark. The ballpark has a new roof, a refurbished grandstand, a new main entrance, and a museum that chronicles its history. The visitor's dugout has been removed and lowered to prevent blocking views from the first rows of seating down the third base side. During a recent visit, the group's vice president, Paul Soltysiak, took me on a tour of the battered structure. He shared memories growing up on the field, from when he was a bat boy to when he played on the diamond as an adult. His efforts, along with many others of the volunteer group, have made an effort to restore the old ballpark to its former glory. “The grandstand was made of very strong and very dense timber. It was built to last; only 10 percent of the structure needs replacement, and the rest needs refurbishment.” We walked through a storage area and an old umpire room that was full of moments, which included a squalid groundskeeper jacket, an old wooden seat back, an outdated chalker for the baseball lines, a rusted can of Stroh’s beer, and the old lamps that once lit the stadium for ice skating. The ballpark opened in 1937 between the Dutch Kraft Paint team and the American Seaters. A newspaper ad promised 1,000 bags of peanuts to fans. Since that game, there have been several teams who have called the ballpark home. The Grand Rapids Black Sox of the Negro Leagues, Union High School, and the Grand Rapids Sullivans were the most prominent tenants. The Sullivans, managed by local businessman Bob Sullivan, led his club to four NBC World Series in Wichita and five tournament titles in Haarlem, Netherlands. The ballpark was renamed Sullivan Field in 1996 and is known by both depending on the fanbase. Interestingly, the ballpark was never fitted with lights. Lighting was used only during ice skating in the winter months. Other tidbits include that vendors were once forbidden to sell during games due to city compliances, and the ballpark never housed a minor league team during its history. There was more than enough talent that came through the gates of the ballpark. It includes over 70 men who would find themselves in the major leagues. Kirk Gibson, Mickey Stanely, Willie Horton, and Stubby Overmire all went on to play for the Detroit Tigers. Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Satchel Paige played games during visits. Soltysiak shows me various photos of the makeshift museum/concession stand/ restroom building. The walls include newspaper clippings, old team photos, scorecards, and images dating back almost 90 years. The photographs were donated from private collections. The photograph of the ice skating rink is the only known picture of the stadium suited for the winter tradition. Soltysiak added that there would be two to three full-time guys who would manage the ice. The right side was for skating, and the left side was for hockey. We walk towards the grandstand from the first base side and see what needs to be repaired. It will include replacing the wood seatings with synthetic dark green bleachers, pushing out the concourse three feet, and adding proper netting around the front of the grandstand. A majority of the wood in the grandstand will be sandblasted and repainted. The volunteer group is focused on keeping the diamond functioning. In the past few years, the stadium has hosted a Wiffle Ball tournament, an Easter Egg hunt, Blues Festivals, block parties, a Chili Cook-Off, and amateur and high school baseball games. There was a game that offered its version of Banana Ball played with a Halloween theme. “The upcoming phases will be funded by public and private money that we have raised,” Soltysiak added. “We are at about 91 percent of our $4.25 million goal. Over the winter, we need to figure out how the cash flow will affect the rest of the renovations and additions and if they will be done in two or three phases.” The ballpark will continue to host events during the renovations next year, and Soltysiak hopes to see all aspects of the phases completed in 2025. What was once a deteriorating ballpark is slowly coming to life again in Grand Rapids, a place where baseball and the community can enjoy for several more decades. ---- Follow all of Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel . Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com

This week, the podcast crew airs their grievances and talks about what grinds their gears in the sports world. Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern at danlaw.tv.

The crew discusses the arms race between cities for bigger, better, and more luxurious stadiums. Will the common fan get priced out? Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern at danlaw.tv.

Food, Family, and Football….Oh My! The Thanksgiving holidays are just around the corner. It is a time to get together with our families, count our blessings, and share in a feast of turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. It is also a time to tear those same families apart, as it is college football’s rivalry weekend. The games scheduled for this hallowed holiday decide bragging rights for the next year between husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, your family, and the in-laws. Even though many of these teams will be moving to different conferences in the New Year, these rivalries figure to survive the chaos of conference realignments and NILs. Here's the lineup of Thanksgiving weekend’s top matchups and this year’s game site:

Lloyd Brown joins us this week to talk about the FCS stadium experiences. Audio versions of the Stadium Journey podcast can be found by searching HIAC Talk Radio wherever you look for your favorite podcasts. Video simulcasts of all the Stadium Journey podcasts can be found on Stadium Journey's YouTube page. Join us live as we record every other Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern at danlaw.tv.

Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43 Hank McCamish Pavilion 965 Fowler St Atlanta, GA 30332 Atlanta Dream website Hank McCamish Pavilion website Year Opened: 1956 Capacity: 8,600 The Dream is Still Alive in Atlanta Atlanta continues to be a city where dreams are made, as its sports community continues to thrive. Two new stadiums have been built in the last two years, and Philips Arena is undergoing a massive renovation. The Atlanta United soccer franchise draws more than 72,000 per game and the Super Bowl heads to the city for the 2019 game. As the name of Atlanta’s WNBA entry attests, the dream is also alive for the women of Atlanta. The team is the only Atlanta professional sports franchise totally owned by women. The team has relocated to Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion arena for the 2016-2018 seasons as their permanent home, Philips Arena, undergoes a $143 million renovation. The Dream will return to Phillips Arena following the 2018 season. McCamish Pavilion was renovated in 2012 and has received excellent reviews for its state of the art design and technology. The capacity of the arena is 8,600 and it features two tiered levels of seats with 6,935 lower level seats and 1,665 balcony level seats. The facility is high tech in a number of ways. It features a lighting system which spotlights the playing court while dimming the lighting in the seating areas, providing a theatre-like effect focus on the game. The McCamish Pavilion also has a 360-degree ribbon board encircling the arena and an enhanced scoreboard with HD graphics. Food & Beverage 3 McCamish Pavilion has six concession stands, with four located on the lower concourse and two located on the balcony level. The facility has an open concourse with more than 50 TV’s, so you will not miss any game action while getting your food and beverages. In addition to the six generic concession stands, the arena also features a Sonny’s BBQ stand and a Smash Burger outlet. A quick review of the menu and prices you can expect at a Dream game: hot dogs ($6), sausages ($7), pretzels ($5), popcorn ($5), peanuts ($5), and nachos ($7). Sonny’s BBQ sandwiches are $7 and Smash Burgers are $8. All beverages are Coca-Cola products (the World HQ is just three blocks from the arena) and sodas are $4, bottled water is $4 and frozen lemonade is $5. Alcoholic beverages may only be purchased and consumed within the private Callaway Club in the arena. This is due to the arena belonging to the Georgia University System. Atmosphere 4 The Georgia Tech basketball arena long ago adopted the moniker of “The Thrillerdome” after two magical Final Four runs, when the team won several games in buzzer-beater fashion. It is a name that has stuck with the McCamish Pavilion. The Dream is doing its best to carry the Thrillerdome aura into the WNBA with its up-tempo brand of basketball. The move to a smaller arena has only increased the intimidation factor as nearly every game is a full house. Also, the acoustics of the facility is designed to hold in the noise and the Dream fans, the Shooting Stars cheer squad, team mascot Star and longtime PA announcer Vince “The Voice” Bailey are doing their best to drive up the energy level during an offensive run or a good defensive stand. The dramatic lighting now used at the McCamish Pavilion makes it clear that the action on the court is the star here. It truly feels more like a professional arena than a college arena. Neighborhood 4 There are really three distinct neighborhoods surrounding the McCamish Pavilion. It is located at the very north end of the Georgia Tech campus. Basically, its neighbors in this regard are athletic facilities, including the Byers Tennis Complex, the Georgia Tech football practice facility and Russ Chandler Stadium, home of the Yellow Jacket baseball program. Across the downtown, Connector is the Midtown neighborhood. The Georgia Tech campus has expanded into this area in recent years, but it is primarily an area filled with trendy restaurants such as South City Kitchen, Ecco, and STK Atlanta. One longtime Tech favorite is the Varsity, the world’s largest drive-in. Though not the healthiest food in the world, presidents, world leaders and sports icons have stopped in to enjoy its greasy fare. The last neighborhood bordering the arena is the West Atlanta / Atlantic Station area. Atlantic Station has transformed a former brownfield site into a very successful mixed use development filled with parks, apartments, movie theatres and even Atlanta’s only IKEA store. Adjoining Atlantic Station is the West Atlanta neighborhood, a former industrial corridor that is very popular with millennials. It includes a number of Atlanta’s hottest restaurants, such as Miller Union, JCT. Kitchen and Bar and the West Egg Café. Fans 4 The Dream has established a very loyal following over their first decade in the WNBA. You will notice a very high percentage of the crowds at the games are women. Obviously, this is due in part to it being a women’s basketball team. The Dream goes way beyond that in focusing its marketing and community involvement efforts on women of achievement and women’s issues. Each game honors women and women’s organizations that are improving their community. The team is also very involved in such issues as breast cancer awareness and treatment, LGBTQ rights and encouraging the inclusion of more girls’ sports teams in the schools. As a result of these efforts, the community has become the “sixth woman” for the team. They bring an energy and enthusiasm to the arena that picks up the team during a tough game and also makes it hard for the opposition to concentrate due to the volume of cheers coming from the stands. Access 3 McCamish Pavilion is located conveniently right off Interstates I-75/I-85 (also known to locals at the Downtown Connector) as they pass through the center of Atlanta. You would take either the 14th Street or North Avenue exits to reach the arena. The parking directly adjacent to the arena on campus is reserved for season ticket holders, but there are a number of commercial lots located on the east side of the Downtown Connector within an easy walking distance of the McCamish Pavilion. A second less costly alternative to getting to a game is the MARTA rapid rail system to the Midtown MARTA station, then walk four short blocks up 10th Street to McCamish Pavilion. Entry into the McCamish Pavilion is through one of three main portals, with a very good flow and adequate ticket takers. Once inside you will find the concourses to be very wide, so you should not encounter any gridlock. The concessions are built into the sides of the building so they do not cause any congestion. The number of restrooms is more than adequate. You will find the seating at McCamish to be quite comfortable as it features chair backs with wider than normal space. Return on Investment 3 Dream basketball tickets are sold at prices ranging from $36 for end zone seats to $60 for sideline seats. Parking close to McCamish runs $10-$15, but by using MARTA to the game you can bring that cost down to $5 per person roundtrip. Concessions at McCamish Pavilion are reasonably priced. Atlanta is a convention city, so downtown area hotels can run in excess of $250/per night. It is a good idea to stay in a suburban location hotel and then take MARTA or drive into the game. Extras 3 A majority of Atlanta’s main tourist attractions are less than three miles from McCamish Pavilion. The following are located in a cluster around Centennial Olympic Park: the College Football Hall of Fame, the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, the Center for Civil and Human Rights and CNN Center. Simply go three stations past the Midtown MARTA station and get off at the Peachtree Center Station, then walk two blocks west. This marks the second time that a Georgia Tech basketball arena has substituted for another team’s home court. In 2008, a tornado struck the Georgia Dome during the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. This forced the tournament to be moved to the then Alexander Memorial Coliseum for the remainder of the tournament. Ironically that tournament was won by a huge underdog….. the University of Georgia Bulldogs….. Georgia Tech’s most bitter athletic rival. The Atlanta Dream team name was inspired by one of its best-known citizens. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an Atlanta native and a civil rights icon. His “I have a dream” speech is one of defining moments in the civil rights movement. Final Thoughts While most people would think a temporary relocation would adversely affect a team, the move to McCamish Pavilion has been a positive one for the Atlanta Dream. Its more intimate setting, the dramatic lighting of the playing floor, and a Midtown location that is in the backyard of its most ardent fans have added up to a very successful move.

Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.86 JMU Convocation Center 895 University Blvd Harrisonburg, VA 22807 James Madison Dukes website JMU Convocation Center website Year Opened: 1982 Capacity: 6,426 Hail to the Dukes! From JMU Sports website: The Convo, as it's known around campus, previously housed the department's men's and women's basketball programs since 1982 before those programs moved to the Atlantic Union Bank Center in 2020. Renovations were announced in March of 2022 and completed late summer of 2023. ---- JMU Convocation Center was built in 1982, and has been home to James Madison University’s men’s and women’s basketball programs since that time. The facility has a capacity of 6,426, and is used for numerous other gatherings besides basketball, including concerts, conventions, and JMU’s winter commencement ceremony. The venue is also one of the rotating host venues for the CAA women’s basketball tournament, and has hosted that tournament six times since 1987; it has also hosted the CAA men’s basketball tournament once. JMU is currently fundraising for a new convocation center that will replace the current facility. The new basketball venue will include box seats and other amenities that are expected to boost attendance at games, and will also include training and workout facilities, locker rooms, offices, and practice space, as well as improved technology, sightlines, media space, and concessions. However, no timeline for the project will be announced until the university’s fundraising goals are met. Food & Beverage 3 JMU Convocation Center offers a decent selection from several cookie cutter stands near the main entrance. Main dishes include barbecue sandwiches, Papa John’s pizza, and hot dogs or veggie dogs for around $3 to $5, and gluten free buns are available for all items. Snack items include nachos, soft pretzels, popcorn, kettle chips, king-sized candy, or blow pops at prices ranging from 50 cents up to $5. There is also a kid’s meal for $6, which includes a hot dog, chips, apple slices, and a prize. The drink selection at JMU Convocation Center is a little more sparse, but includes the basics such as fountain soda, bottled water, coffee, and hot cocoa, priced at $2.50 and up depending on size. Atmosphere 2 JMU Convocation Center provides a typical atmosphere for college basketball. The band is particularly active, with lots of singing and dancing around during the game. Unfortunately, attendance is such that often the band is making more noise than the rest of the crowd. In terms of set-up, JMU Convocation Center has most of its seating along the sidelines, with only a small section behind and above each backboard; one of these is reserved for the band, while the other is general admission. There are actually several different types of seats, though, in case you have a preference; reserved seats are hard plastic with chair backs, while general admission seating is mostly on wooden bleachers without chair backs, except for the aforementioned section behind the backboard, which consists of thick, padded benches. JMU’s staff provides the typical entertainment during breaks in the action, including contests that feature fans wearing flippers trying to shoot lay-ups, or fans bowling using basketballs and giant inflatable pins. JMU’s mascot, Duke Dog, also does a great job keeping the fans entertained, including playing one-on-one with kids before the game, and there are also cheerleaders on hand to help rev up the crowd, including a halftime show featuring junior cheerleaders from area clubs. Neighborhood 3 JMU Convocation Center was the first building at JMU to be built on the other side of I-81 from main campus, and therefore feels a little isolated, with only parking lots, other athletic facilities, and a few dorms in the immediate vicinity. However, there are a couple of great restaurants in town if you are looking for a bite to eat, and there are several attractions in the area if you are here for the weekend. Harrisonburg is not a metropolis by any means, but it does have several of the typical small-town attractions you have come to expect in places like this, for example the Virginia Quilt Museum. Alternatively, if you are a history buff (or aspire to be one), you can visit the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, which is located in Staunton (about half an hour southwest of Harrisonburg). The closest hotel to JMU Convocation Center is the Days Inn, but there are many more choices one exit further north on I-81, for example Candlewood Suites. In addition, if you are looking for a bite to eat, Anthony’s Campus Pizza and Corgans’ Publick House are both worth a visit; Anthony’s is very popular with the students, while Corgans’ serves Irish and American fare, and features live music. Fans 2 Due to the small crowd size it sometimes seems as if the band is making more noise than the fans. While the official average attendance at JMU basketball games is around 2,900, in reality it is a lot less, and the fans tend to be fairly spread out, so it is hard to feel a lot of camaraderie with your fellow Dukes fans. On the plus side, a lot of fans do wear team gear, so you will see lots of purple. In addition, many fans wave towels or cards emblazoned with the number “3” after exciting plays, so you can expect at least some occasional bursts of energy. Check out the video below to get a look inside JMU Convocation Center during a game: Access 5 Getting to JMU Convocation Center is a piece of cake, given that the venue is a literal stone’s throw from I-81. Also, there is free parking available in the lot right next to the arena on the south side; parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but given the crowd size there should always be enough room. Getting in and out of, and around JMU Convocation Center is similarly easy; there are entrances in all four corners, though most fans use the main entrances on the south side, next to the parking. In addition, there are plenty of bathrooms inside to accommodate the crowd, and no lines at the concessions. Getting to and from your seat is also easy, since the aisles are fairly wide, and there are ramps if you need them. Return on Investment 3 Despite the small crowd, the only tickets usually available are the $10 general admission seats, since the reserved seats are only given out to donors. You can’t really move down into the closer seats, either, since the venue has staff members stationed at the bottom of the general admission section. Nevertheless, with free parking and reasonable concessions, attending a JMU basketball game is a fairly cheap date, and a good way to see some college hoops, as long as you don’t mind the lack of fans or relatively low level of energy. Extras 2 JMU Convocation Center has some great décor in the concourse, with lots of Dukes-themed signage and images. Take a stroll past the concessions stands and you will find trophies on display, and above the court you will see banners hanging to commemorate past championships and tournament appearances, as well as plenty of purple. Final Thoughts The James Madison Dukes currently compete in the Colonial Athletic Association, and have had some ups and down in recent years in terms of on-court performance. However, the school is serious about improving the athletics programs here, as evidenced by their sizeable planned investment in a new basketball arena, so things should start looking up for JMU basketball in the coming years.