The XL Center looks awful on TV

[uconnell]

i am not asking for a new building i know there is no money but come spend money at this dump isnt really a strategy

It’s only a dump to those that complain it is a dump. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Ha Who]

i am not asking for a new building i know there is no money but come spend money at this dump isnt really a strategy

Kind of like my old car. There comes a time it is not worth throwing money at. The XL is too big for the tenants. A couple large crowds a year don’t justify the continued loses. With no P5 invite on the horizon, put it and the taxpayers out of their misery.

 

[CL82]

It’s only a dump to those that complain it is a dump. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Nah, it's a dump. I have a lot of great memories of games there, but it's pretty crappy these days.

 

[Towney007]

Fenway's my favorite place in the world. I've always loved it. Unfortunately I'm 6'5" so it's literally an abusive relationship if I have grandstands. I was a child when they knocked down the Garden but remember my dad needing to ice his knees after Celts games because he's also a giant clown man. So whenever i go to these modern parks/arenas It's like a day at the spa.

Same actually I’m 6’3 and I just stopped buying anything other than standing room. I just wander the park. There are so many good vantage points there that there’s no point in wasting the extra money on a seat I can’t fit into.

 

[Towney007]

It’s good enough for the NCAA to want a hunk of their tournament to be played there. The State is at defcon 3 financially and the athletic department is a fiscal black hole right now.

I’ll wait patiently.

 

[whaler11]

It’s only a dump to those that complain it is a dump. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

the only way to not know the xl center is a dump is to have never been in another arena.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

... the same cannot be said for the arena. We all know how it is inside, but the translation to television was worse than I thought. No more bandaids and lipstick; the state needs to build a new arena!

In direct contrast, my reaction's been the Civic XL Center looks a heckuva better than it has in decades. Paint is lipstick, but the blue and other paint colors appear better than boring concrete. Beauty's in the eyes of the beholder.

CT taxpayers including this non-resident nutmeg taxpayer have many subjective views on how to allocate tax revenues, but specifically why does Hartford need to build a new arena @AAC Guru ? What's the quantifiable benefit? Instead, perhaps UConn should play far more hoop games in Gampel with a few likely to draw full houses or during winter breaks played in Hartford.

 

[UConnDad]

I would like to see the stats with how we play at gampel vs how we play at the xl center. It almost seems like a road game with these guys. We need bigger games at Gampel. I recall playing #1 Texas at gampel and the crowd won us the game it was epic.

What we need is ticket revenue. Can we add a surcharge for Gampel tix?

 

[Marat]

Nah, it's a dump. I have a lot of great memories of games there, but it's pretty crappy these days.

It's clear that the complaining is directly related to not winning recently. Win games, and we complain much less about building, refs, etc ....

 

[whaler11]

It’s good enough for the NCAA to want a hunk of their tournament to be played there. The State is at defcon 3 financially and the athletic department is a fiscal black hole right now.

I’ll wait patiently.

it really is surprising they won a hosting gig. although the prov civic center did a few years ago too.

 

[superjohn]

It's clear that the complaining is directly related to not winning recently. Win games, and we complain much less about building, refs, etc ....

Bingo. I went to Fenway this summer and it's a total sh^thole. Our seats had no cupholders and were incredibly uncomfortable, much more so than Wrigley. The Red Sox win so nobody gives a . If we were winning nobody would care. You go for the basketball, not for the bathrooms.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I ordered a Yuengling draft at the ECU game and couldn’t even get one sip down. It was skunked to high heaven. Never buying draft beer there again. Especially after finding the Two Roads pounder fridge.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Bingo. I went to Fenway this summer and it's a total sh^thole. Our seats had no cupholders and were incredibly uncomfortable, much more so than Wrigley. The Red Sox win so nobody gives a . If we were winning nobody would care. You go for the basketball, not for the bathrooms.

Going to Fenway is a cultural phenomenon. Going to XL is not. Not to the extent of Fenway, but Gampel has its charms.

 

[wheelerdog]

it really is surprising they won a hosting gig. although the prov civic center did a few years ago too.

100% agree here. Especially after the nightmare that was the 2017 AAC tourney. The "fanfest" in the basement is an embarrassment.

 

[Hurleyman216]

yeah its crazy to not want to stand in line for 20 minutes for a toilet or be able to walk in the concourse without a police escort.

being able to go to the bathroom and expand your lungs are total amenities.

sure every other arena in the country allows it - but remote posters tell those of us who actually deal with it to not notice.

like anyone in 2019 would pay money to set foot in the 1980 boston garden.

i cant believe they built td bank or gillette - upstater is cool with the bleachers at foxboro stadium, these pansies and their patriots place

This is a hot take and also a little bit exaggerated. You can literally get up out of your seat during a time out and go to the bathroom and be back in your seat before play begins. If you don’t want to wait 20 minutes in line then don’t go at halftime. On a side note, I hope you aren’t as miserable in real life as you seem on this board. Not everything is as bad as it is in your head. You might want to just relax and enjoy life a little.

 

[CL82]

It's clear that the complaining is directly related to not winning recently. Win games, and we complain much less about building, refs, etc ....

True, but I think Whaler is spot on on this. It's nearing the end of it's useful life. Winning will change how much we complain, but won't fix the problems.

 

[whaler11]

This is a hot take and also a little bit exaggerated. You can literally get up out of your seat during a time out and go to the bathroom and be back in your seat before play begins. If you don’t want to wait 20 minutes in line then don’t go at halftime. On a side note, I hope you aren’t as miserable in real life as you seem on this board. Not everything is as bad as it is in your head. You might want to just relax and enjoy life a little.

lol got any friends you wanna sellout today.

people defending the xl center. cant make it up.

 

[superjohn]

True, but I think Whaler is spot on on this. It's nearing the end of it's useful life. Winning will change how much we complain, but won't fix the problems.

Spot on with what? Everyone knows it's a dump and ran out it's useful life 15 years ago. The people whining about how awful it is now would be whining the loudest if a beautiful new arena was built in Hartford. Some people just like being pissy.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[CL82]

Spot on with what? Everyone knows it's a dump and ran out it's useful life 15 years ago. The people whining about how awful it is now would be whining the loudest if a beautiful new arena was built in Hartford. Some people just like being pissy.

"Some people" sure do.

Anyway the point is that the XL isn't really economically viable anymore to the point that reinvestment in it or the building of "a beautiful new arena" in Hartford doesn't make sense. At this point you ring whatever cash you can out of the thing and then sell the property. It is what it is. The Civic Center/XL had a good run.

 

[whaler11]

Spot on with what? Everyone knows it's a dump and ran out it's useful life 15 years ago. The people whining about how awful it is now would be whining the loudest if a beautiful new arena was built in Hartford. Some people just like being pissy.

there are a whole bunch of posts here saying the exact opposite. its perfectly fine. cracks me up

 

[AAC Guru]

"Some people" sure do.

Anyway the point is that the XL isn't really economically viable anymore to the point that reinvestment in it or the building of "a beautiful new arena" in Hartford doesn't make sense. At this point you ring whatever cash you can out of the thing and then sell the property. It is what it is. The Civic Center/XL had a good run.

What makes you think there is a buyer for it?

 

[CL82]

There is also a strong case to be made for the arena contributing sales and other taxes to state coffers, Ritter said. The venue also is key to downtown Hartford’s revitalization, adding hotel bookings, restaurant business and parking revenue to the surrounding area, he said.

Ever notice that there never are any hard numbers associated with this argument when it gets trotted out?

 

[CL82]

What makes you think there is a buyer for it?

Fair point. I think the property value is, or soon will be, worth more that the going concern value.

 

[superjohn]

there are a whole bunch of posts here saying the exact opposite. its perfectly fine. cracks me up

What's the alternative? No putting anymore lipstick on the pig? Shut it down? Build a brand new building?

You've already made it clear UConn can't alienate the Hartford fanbase by having more games in Storrs, you can't dress up the dump any more, and the state is broke.