The XL Center looks awful on TV

[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.

 

[Guapo]

Hartford doesn’t need an XL Center.

Medium is a better fit.









Try the veal.

 

[Guapo]

Hartford doesn’t need an XL Center.

Medium is a better fit.









Try the veal.

Take the XL Center...please!

 

[John]

I love spending $10 for a hot dog and soda

 

[FartMan69]

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.

If you get a nice usher around the SRO area behind the grandstands sometimes you can snag a handicap folding chair if any are open. That’s my fav move if I can’t get loge or club

 

[Hurleyman216]

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 argument when it get trotted out?

It’s like when town governments tell you that bringing new businesses to town will lower your mil rate. It never happens in reality. The more business and infrastructure the higher the mil rate. Lamont literally came out yesterday with an open letter to CT saying that the fixed costs CT has are “like a mortgage” and nothing can be done about it.
That’s pure BS. At the end of the day state employee pensions and other benefits need to be cut back to on par with industry. This state needs to stop kicking the can down the road. You can’t convince me that building a new arena in Hartford is going to make money for the city, but if you think you can then show me the numbers to prove it.

 

[husky8273]

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

how will they handle weekday parking better than the last time XL hosted?

 

[Ha Who]

how will they handle weekday parking better than the last time XL hosted?

It is Hartford.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

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

Most of us can; perhaps not so true for Monday night’s fans, AAC Guru, and a few old guys at men’s games.

 

[HuskyHawk]

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?

I don't have a dog in this fight really, as a non resident. But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena. Either you are attempting to be a real city or you aren't. There should be something there for the Wolf Pack, the UConn hockey and basketball teams, concerts, Ice capades, circuses etc.

Not having a building of that type would be the death of Hartford. We can't fix what is really plaguing Hartford, namely that it needed to annex Wethersfield, Bloomfield, West Hartford and Newington 120 years ago. East Hartford too ideally.

 

[CL82]

I don't have a dog in this fight really, as a non resident. But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena. Either you are attempting to be a real city or you aren't. There should be something there for the Wolf Pack, the UConn hockey and basketball teams, concerts, Ice capades, circuses etc.

Not having a building of that type would be the death of Hartford. We can't fix what is really plaguing Hartford, namely that it needed to annex Wethersfield, Bloomfield, West Hartford and Newington 120 years ago. East Hartford too ideally.

It either generates a positive cash flow or it doesn't. If this thing is operating at a muti-million dollar loss, and that masked by the $3.5M that UConn pays it annually, you have decide how much having the Ice Capades play a fews date to a less than half full arena really matters to Hartford.

 

[TJT]

I don't have a dog in this fight really, as a non resident. But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena.

I was recently in the DCU Center in Worcester. It is looking rather tired these days. With all the money being spent on their new AAA baseball ballpark (100M+ in public funds), I have doubts the city will have money any time soon for a major arena rehab.

 

[John]

I was recently in the DCU Center in Worcester. It is looking rather tired these days. With all the money being spent on their new AAA baseball ballpark (100M+ in public funds), I have doubts the city will have money any time soon for a major arena rehab.

that's the old Centrum? or did they build something newer - the Centrum is about the same age as the XL

 

[Waquoit]

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

It's probably as spiffed up now as it's ever been. Why is it a dump now?

 

[CL82]

It's probably as spiffed up now as it's ever been. Why is it a dump now?

Off the top of my head? It's dirty, worn, loose seats, inadequate concourse. As I noted earlier, it still looks good on TV though.

 

[Waquoit]

But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena.

The reality is that you are talking out of your tookus. The XL is in much better condition than Worcester and they just lost their hockey team.