The XL Center looks awful on TV

[CL82]

"Like anyone would pay money to set foot in the Boston Garden..."

The Garden was head and shoulders a better place to watch a game than the Fleet/TDgarden whatever.

As for the rest, hilarious! Don't go in the concourse without a police escort!! Unreal.

Guess what? The Bills stadium still has bleachers, and it's a fantastic place to see a game. Stadium was built over a half century ago.

Pansies.

Loved the Garden. The 8 foot long lichen hanging from the ceiling just added to the charm of the place.

 

[Ts5034]

Remember games at the HCC when the edging of the court was red with the word "Hartford" in white written on the ends.???

Yes i do, and I think that was the color scheme of the arena because that was when the HCC had red seats throughout the entire place.

 

[superjohn]

The Civic Center is a dump but the same people b^tching about it would be the loudest b^tching about a new one being built using any taxpayer $.

Bathrooms? Who gives a shart???

Wrigley charges the highest prices in baseball, sells out every game and you pee in a trough that spits up back at you.

 

[Dooley]

I'm surprised Lamont hasn't commissioned his own sparkling new 5-year study to test the XL Center's viability. Connecticut goes goo-goo ga-ga over 2 things: 1) free t-shirts; 2) XL Center studies.

 

[Dove]

people dont like dumpy stadiums = im a pansy

solid conclusion

when you are on the highway do you scratch you head at why people don’t drive fords and pontiacs from 1988 too?

I don't frequent other arenas but as for HArtford...

I was at Arizona game. I moved freely through the corridors. I deftly timed my bathroom break to where my wait was 1 minute. The complaint I have id the urinals without a damned partition in between.

 

[CL82]

Bathrooms? Who gives a shart???

Chuckle.

 

[UConn Dan]

Here's my take:

1) XL Center looks better on TV than in person.
2) It's mostly a turd, that's been polished over the years, but still a turd. But I can deal with it.
3) More of our games should be played at Gampel and note I'm in lower fairfield county.
4) Expand concourse at Gampel per master plan and sell alcohol.
5) Not sure what to do about the future of XL, but Hartford should not rely on UConn sports to keep it afloat. A few games a year in my opinion.

 

[FartMan69]

I don't really have a huge problem with the Civic Center. I was there last night. Little slow getting out, had absolutely zero problem moving around the concourse other than that. Bathrooms aren't very intuitive, but the lines aren't any better there then they were at the Barclay's Center when I was down there in early December.

I dunno maybe it's just a social expectation of mine, but I expect lines, having to navigate through crowd and people being at games, generally - when I go to see live sports. Maybe Fenway Park has just warped my perception.

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.

 

[whaler11]

I don't frequent other arenas but as for HArtford...

I was at Arizona game. I moved freely through the corridors. I deftly timed my bathroom break to where my wait was 1 minute. The complaint I have id the urinals without a damned partition in between.

sure if you dont try to move at halftime or leave after the game its a lot easier to move around. ni kidding

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Knock down the XL Center and build a new arena in New Haven, a real city.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I don't frequent other arenas but as for HArtford...

I was at Arizona game. I moved freely through the corridors. I deftly timed my bathroom break to where my wait was 1 minute. The complaint I have id the urinals without a damned partition in between.

Great opportunity to check out trends in male wristwatch fashion.

 

[jdb50]

I saw nothing on TV that to me said the XL looked bad. We all know the issues with the place. Until the State gets it's act together and re prioritizes things we are going to have to deal with it. I was surprised the attendance was under 12,000. With a winning team I think the XL is a better place to see a big game.

 

[uconnell]

today you braindead maroon. forty years ago people put up with dumps - today they dont.

people love old dumpy stadiums. thats why the oakland colisium and tropicana dome are huge hits and pretty much every professional team but two soaks the government for a new facility about as soon as the paint dries on the last one.

do you think minor league baseball took off in popularity because they were playing at places like yale field and beehive park.

even the spring training facilities are ridiculous. i went to both new stadiums in fort myers last season and they are nicer than the major league parks of 3 decades ago.

someone should tell the people building all these stadiums that people in buffalo love their dump of a stadium - everyone else can stop getting ripped off.

now the people who arent here and dont go to games are going to claim the FRIGGING XL CENTER IS A SUITABLE VENUE. Good lord.

Good Lordit is a suitable venue. We were at the game last nite and I don’t know what everyone is complaining about. Stop serving beer and there wouldn’t be long lines at the rest rooms. If you can’t hold it till after halftime don’t drink.
I do admit the concourses do need widening as they do get crowded with everyone going every which way and the food vendors lines take up a lot of space.
We had good seats very comfortable,decent food and enjoyed the game.
The state is In a budget crisis, there are more important things that need to be taken care of than a newXL center. So stop complaining and go to the games and enjoy.

 

[whaler11]

Good Lordit is a suitable venue. We were at the game last nite and I don’t know what everyone is complaining about. Stop serving beer and there wouldn’t be long lines at the rest rooms. If you can’t hold it till after halftime don’t drink.
I do admit the concourses do need widening as they do get crowded with everyone going every which way and the food vendors lines take up a lot of space.
We had good seats very comfortable,decent food and enjoyed the game.
The state is In a budget crisis, there are more important things that need to be taken care of than a newXL center. So stop complaining and go to the games and enjoy.

stop noticing that every other city in america has a suitable arena and enjoy this dump that should be condemned.

solid marketing plan.

 

[zls44]

stop noticing that every other city in america has a suitable arena and enjoy this dump that should be condemned.

solid marketing plan.

Omaha has built, like, four arenas since Hartford built the XL Center

GFTO out of here with this deficit nonsense, plenty of other equally economically derelict areas have figured this out.

And spare me trying to spin Omaha, nobody cares.

 

[deedougie]

The XL center is a great place to watch a basketball game. And when its full its rocking. Don't know why there is so much hate for the place.

 

[CL82]

stop noticing that every other city in america has a suitable arena and enjoy this dump that should be condemned.

solid marketing plan.

Whaler given the consistent losses it generates, would you recommend dumping more cash into it or building a new one, if you evaluating the investment for your employer?

 

[uconnell]

stop noticing that every other city in america has a suitable arena and enjoy this dump that should be condemned.

solid marketing plan.

Stop trying to keep up with the Jones! An old saying that still applies to today. Be happy with what you have, until finances are improved.

 

[whaler11]

Stop trying to keep up with the Jones! An old saying that still applies to today. Be happy with what you have, until finances are improved.

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

 

[whaler11]

Whaler given the consistent losses it generates, would you recommend dumping more cash into it or building a new one, if you evaluating the investment for your employer?

i dont think they have an option other than what they are doing and thats running out the clock until it finally gets shuttered. dumping more money into it is a horrible idea.

 

[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.