BC Atmosphere

[ChicosBailBonds]

Nope it's still not the second most successful stretch because you don't want it to be?

Sigh.

You said "So your answer to almost 1,000 person drop in attendance is that some people don't like squirmy? You just had to put some pointless shot at Buzz in there?"

And I said...nope.   Because that's not what I said, because you aren't reading properly...again.  The word SOME means something.  Thus, the 1000 person drop is not solely attached to that.  I said SOME is.  I also said the economy.  There are other factors as well.

Use that education

[Galway Eagle]

Sigh.

You said "So your answer to almost 1,000 person drop in attendance is that some people don't like squirmy? You just had to put some pointless shot at Buzz in there?"

And I said...nope.   Because that's not what I said, because you aren't reading properly...again.  The word SOME means something.  Thus, the 1000 person drop is not solely attached to that.  I said SOME is.  I also said the economy.  There are other factors as well.

Use that education

And my point was that there's no reason to bring that "some" in there when it's an unbelievably small portion of people. Thus you just wanted to take a shot at Buzz that wasn't necessary. You've also continued to ignore the other part of this disagreement that you were wrong on.

[mu03eng]

Wait .. the BC has added wi-fi?   I swear I checked the networks a month ago .. must have missed it.  In the bowl?

Yep, it's been pretty good so far, but the BC hasn't been packed when I'm there to really test it.

[mu_hilltopper]

As a protest, 13,000 people should take out their phones and stream Fox Sports1 so we can watch freaking replays.

[Warrior of Law]

The new arena should solve any issues. 10K in the lower level. Basically open the upper deck for big games.  All season ticket holders will have great seats.

[warriorchick]

Don't confuse revenue generation with having what Al called a snake pit. Because I think we lost our home court advantage by moving to the cavernous BC.

And for what it is worth I have been in Milwaukee on and off over the years. My wife was from there and she was involved with the basketball program so I have been to games at the BC. Unfortunately, I spent most of the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan so I wasn't able to make any games.

Keefe, I truly appreciate and am sincerely grateful for your service to the country. If I have not mentioned that previously, shame on me.  But a wise man such as yourself would have to agree that it is not really fair for you to judge the current game day atmosphere when you have never experienced it.  Some of the best parts never make it onto the TV broadcasts.

[ChicosBailBonds]

And my point was that there's no reason to bring that "some" in there when it's an unbelievably small portion of people. Thus you just wanted to take a shot at Buzz that wasn't necessary. You've also continued to ignore the other part of this disagreement that you were wrong on.

You ignored the SOME part, and for SOME that was the reason.  I gave the other reasons.  You chose to ignore them. 

[bradley center bat]

The one thing missing that started the topic is, Gonzaga is a WCC school that plays in a 6,000 seat gym, that gets to host mighty UCLA. Of course the gym will be nuts.

[Cooby Snacks]

Yep, it's been pretty good so far, but the BC hasn't been packed when I'm there to really test it.

Tried it at the Bucks-Warriors game last night, wasn't great.

[ChuckyChip]

You are obviously too young to remember that for years and years, the attendance figure for Marquette games was exactly 10,783.

Incorrect.  The number was 10,938.  Then they bumped up the capacity and it was 11,052.

[Benny B]

Ummm. The new arena will be smaller and designed for basketball, which the bc is not. That alone will make the new arena a lot better with better angle and double the fans on the lower level. Add in better amenities and lighting design and we will be playing in an awesome arena. Especially if wojo gets us going where we draw 15k plus again.

Ummmmm... there's a dig difference between an arena that's "designed for basketball" and a basketball arena.  The Joyce is a basketball arena.  Hinkle is a basketball arena.  Cameron is a basketball arena. 

The new Bucks arena is simply "designed for basketball," which would otherwise be great if not for the fact that it is not designed for basketball exclusively.

[martyconlonontherun]

Ummmmm... there's a dig difference between an arena that's "designed for basketball" and a basketball arena.  The Joyce is a basketball arena.  Hinkle is a basketball arena.  Cameron is a basketball arena. 

The new Bucks arena is simply "designed for basketball," which would otherwise be great if not for the fact that it is not designed for basketball exclusively.

My point is the design will be so much better than the bc. Is that wrong? Could it be better? Yes. But the original quote said there won't be much improvement at the new arena, which I find to be a false statement.

Only time we should ever go back to the arena is if we do a big alumni event where we play Loyola or some other school we used to play a ton as a buy game, market it as such, bring in former players and hope alumni are willing to pay a huge face value. Could be a cool scene but we also over estimated the demand for a game at the Al, which wasn't exactly a snake pit..

[keefe]

  But a wise man such as yourself would have to agree that it is not really fair for you to judge the current game day atmosphere when you have never experienced it.  Some of the best parts never make it onto the TV broadcasts.

My whole point was to say that the BC is not able to be as much fun as a game at a place like Gonzaga's MAC. We did some winter survival training over at Fairchild AFB and on our way out of town we scored some Zag tix against Pepperdine. I was genuinely impressed with how alive that building is. 

This was never intended to be a criticism of Marquette's game management. All I was saying is that, compared with the Arena, the BC is just not that great a venue for college basketball.

My only elaboration is that I find it disappointing that the stands are empty for so many games. When we were at MU it didn't matter who we played; what mattered was that Marquette was playing and we turned out for every game on the schedule.

[Nukem2]

Incorrect.  The number was 10,938.  Then they bumped up the capacity and it was 11,052.

Yup.

[Lennys Tap]

Where did "some people" turn into "massive protest"?  I never said it, don't pretend I did or insert words I didn't say.  There are SOME people on this very board that said they were shying away more from the team...SOME...not Massive...SOME.

Total BS. How many people do you know (on this board or anywhere else) who dropped their season tickets because of your made up "squirmy"? Names please. My guess is zero. I do know one guy who dropped them do to the "squirmy" of TC. He picked them up again after watching Buzz for a year. That would be me.

[martyconlonontherun]

My whole point was to say that the BC is not able to be as much fun as a game at a place like Gonzaga's MAC. We did some winter survival training over at Fairchild AFB and on our way out of town we scored some Zag tix against Pepperdine. I was genuinely impressed with how alive that building is. 

This was never intended to be a criticism of Marquette's game management. All I was saying is that, compared with the Arena, the BC is just not that great a venue for college basketball.

My only elaboration is that I find it disappointing that the stands are empty for so many games. When we were at MU it didn't matter who we played; what mattered was that Marquette was playing and we turned out for every game on the schedule.

I don't think anyone disagree that for a big game it would be awesome to have the intimate intense environment. That said, I don't think there are many people who would want to give up the perks of the bc. Availability of tickets (I think it's awesome all student have access to tickets instead of a select few in Madison), revenue to provide the program with cash for coaches salaries and luxuries for the players, food options, cross pollination with NBA players, etc.

[keefe]

I don't think anyone disagree that for a big game it would be awesome to have the intimate intense environment. That said, I don't think there are many people who would want to give up the perks of the bc. Availability of tickets (I think it's awesome all student have access to tickets instead of a select few in Madison), revenue to provide the program with cash for coaches salaries and luxuries for the players, food options, cross pollination with NBA players, etc.

Another great band box home court was Depaul's Alumni Hall. A group of us went there for a Marquette game and it was a tremendous atmosphere. Problem was that they got good and needed more than 6,000 seats so they moved to the Rosemont which was an absolutely terrible place to play basketball.

[Benny B]

My point is the design will be so much better than the bc. Is that wrong? Could it be better? Yes. But the original quote said there won't be much improvement at the new arena, which I find to be a false statement.

Only time we should ever go back to the arena is if we do a big alumni event where we play Loyola or some other school we used to play a ton as a buy game, market it as such, bring in former players and hope alumni are willing to pay a huge face value. Could be a cool scene but we also over estimated the demand for a game at the Al, which wasn't exactly a snake pit..

I agree that the new arena will be better, but so too is emptying a diaper pail better than having to clean grandma's bedpan.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a church converted into a gym and places like the Joyce and Cameron are 10's... if the BC is currently about a 2 or 3, the new arena is going to be a 4 or 5.  Sure, that's twice as good if you want to look at it that way, but it's still only half as good as a true basketball arena.

My point is that the second you design an arena with additional utility other than basketball (e.g. concerts, indoor soccer, hockey, Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con, etc.), you drastically diminish the ability to create a "home court" atmosphere the likes of those 10's... sure, the right amount of noise can rock the BC, but 9,000 people at Cameron can make that place twice as unfriendly (to the opposition) as 18,000 people at the BC.  I hope I'm proven wrong, but it doesn't matter what the sight lines or capacity of the new Bucks arena is going to be, as long as it's also designed for Elmo On Ice, it's still going to be a bedpan relative to what a basketball arena should be.

[mu03eng]

I agree that the new arena will be better, but so too is emptying a diaper pail better than having to clean grandma's bedpan.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a church converted into a gym and places like the Joyce and Cameron are 10's... if the BC is currently about a 2 or 3, the new arena is going to be a 4 or 5.  Sure, that's twice as good if you want to look at it that way, but it's still only half as good as a true basketball arena.

My point is that the second you design an arena with additional utility other than basketball (e.g. concerts, indoor soccer, hockey, Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con, etc.), you drastically diminish the ability to create a "home court" atmosphere the likes of those 10's... sure, the right amount of noise can rock the BC, but 9,000 people at Cameron can make that place twice as unfriendly (to the opposition) as 18,000 people at the BC.  I hope I'm proven wrong, but it doesn't matter what the sight lines or capacity of the new Bucks arena is going to be, as long as it's also designed for Elmo On Ice, it's still going to be a bedpan relative to what a basketball arena should be.

Completely disagree, look no further than where the Seahawks play in Seattle.  Place was designed as a multi-purpose venue but also to generate one of, if not the best home field advantages.

Also, we also see Duke on all the big nationally televised games with a team that matters as an opponent, I don't think Cameron is jumping quite as hard when Midwestern Directional State University comes to town

[Benny B]

Completely disagree, look no further than where the Seahawks play in Seattle.  Place was designed as a multi-purpose venue but also to generate one of, if not the best home field advantages.

Also, we also see Duke on all the big nationally televised games with a team that matters as an opponent, I don't think Cameron is jumping quite as hard when Midwestern Directional State University comes to town

Football is a completely different animal.  Not to mention that the detriment to the home field/court advantage only arises when you build an arena/stadium for something larger than what it's intended for, e.g. building a basketball arena with hockey capabilities.  Nothing is larger than football, so a football stadium that's designed for multi-purpose isn't a bad thing.  Nothing is smaller than basketball (when it comes to the major sports)... therein lies the problem.

[mu03eng]

Football is a completely different animal.  Not to mention that the detriment to the home field/court advantage only arises when you build an arena/stadium for something larger than what it's intended for, e.g. building a basketball arena with hockey capabilities.  Nothing is larger than football, so a football stadium that's designed for multi-purpose isn't a bad thing.  Nothing is smaller than basketball (when it comes to the major sports)... therein lies the problem.

So what makes a basketball arena (assuming for that purpose only) so intimidating, is it the small size?  Kohl Center isn't small and is multi-purpose and seems to do just fine.  Same with Assembly Hall and the Carrier Dome.  I'm trying to understand stand why a multi-purpose facility automatically can't be intimidating.

[brewcity77]

I agree that the new arena will be better, but so too is emptying a diaper pail better than having to clean grandma's bedpan.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a church converted into a gym and places like the Joyce and Cameron are 10's... if the BC is currently about a 2 or 3, the new arena is going to be a 4 or 5.  Sure, that's twice as good if you want to look at it that way, but it's still only half as good as a true basketball arena.

My point is that the second you design an arena with additional utility other than basketball (e.g. concerts, indoor soccer, hockey, Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con, etc.), you drastically diminish the ability to create a "home court" atmosphere the likes of those 10's... sure, the right amount of noise can rock the BC, but 9,000 people at Cameron can make that place twice as unfriendly (to the opposition) as 18,000 people at the BC.  I hope I'm proven wrong, but it doesn't matter what the sight lines or capacity of the new Bucks arena is going to be, as long as it's also designed for Elmo On Ice, it's still going to be a bedpan relative to what a basketball arena should be.

The first thing I'd say is that I have heard nothing about the new arena having ice. It's already been pretty publicly announced that the Admirals won't be playing there and I highly doubt the new owners will be going out of their way to design a basketball facility that accommodates a NHL team.

Every indication is that this will be a basketball first venue. The other events that happen at the BC, such as your Monster Trucks, Icecapades, that stuff will probably go to the Cell. I can't imagine they're filling up 17,000 seats for those anyway.

At the least, I think this deserves the benefit of the doubt. My expectation is for this to be basketball first with the ability to host concerts, WWE, and other events that fit inside the confines. The goal of the Bucks owners is to create the best basketball atmosphere to showcase a team they hope to be making money off of for a long time to come.

Put 10,000 in the lower bowl and darken the upper bowl when games aren't sold out, get the fans on top of the court, and set up the student section to maximize their ability to raise a ruckus and I think we'll be fine.

As mu03eng notes, the Kohl, Assembly Hall, and the Carrier Dome have great atmosphere, as does the Phog, Dean Dome, and Yum! Center, all of which seat over 16,000. It will be down to the design and the crowd. I have confidence in the design, and as long as we're winning, the crowd will be there.

[Galway Eagle]

Football is a completely different animal.  Not to mention that the detriment to the home field/court advantage only arises when you build an arena/stadium for something larger than what it's intended for, e.g. building a basketball arena with hockey capabilities.  Nothing is larger than football, so a football stadium that's designed for multi-purpose isn't a bad thing.  Nothing is smaller than basketball (when it comes to the major sports)... therein lies the problem.

Actually Hockey is smaller capacity than Basketball.   

[martyconlonontherun]

I agree that the new arena will be better, but so too is emptying a diaper pail better than having to clean grandma's bedpan.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a church converted into a gym and places like the Joyce and Cameron are 10's... if the BC is currently about a 2 or 3, the new arena is going to be a 4 or 5.  Sure, that's twice as good if you want to look at it that way, but it's still only half as good as a true basketball arena.

My point is that the second you design an arena with additional utility other than basketball (e.g. concerts, indoor soccer, hockey, Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con, etc.), you drastically diminish the ability to create a "home court" atmosphere the likes of those 10's... sure, the right amount of noise can rock the BC, but 9,000 people at Cameron can make that place twice as unfriendly (to the opposition) as 18,000 people at the BC.  I hope I'm proven wrong, but it doesn't matter what the sight lines or capacity of the new Bucks arena is going to be, as long as it's also designed for Elmo On Ice, it's still going to be a bedpan relative to what a basketball arena should be.

I may also be lost on the point on this conversation. Are we arguing what is best for the program or just completely ignoring all other factors and debating which creates the best basketball atmosphere strictly from a noise/visual aspect? An on-campus basketball arena is not realistic. Sure, the MECCA as mentioned as an idea would be amazing for the final minutes of the game when all you care about is the game, but do you really think alumni and student would be happy at there? First, thousands of people would lose an opportunity at tickets, there would be crappy food and beer options, amenities would be crappy as hell for the players and coaches, and many other disadvantages.

So unless you have $100M to put towards a stadium on campus that is bball only around 12K, I don't really understand you saying the new arena won't help or is a blessing. If that stadium didn't get built and the BC eventually got torn down without the Bucks making improvements, it would absolutely kill the program playing in the arena again.

[Litehouse]

If anyone hasn't looked at how the Barclays Center and Bankers Life Fieldhouse handle an ice rink, you should.  I assume the new arena will be similar to that.