New $524M arena has Milwaukee Bucks angling for new fans — in Chicago
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...715-story.html
Hope there is no firewall on this one - back page of the Chicago Tribune sports section this morning. If there is, try going through the writer's, Teddy Greenstein, twitter account: https://twitter.com/TeddyGreenstein?...Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Here is some of it:
The Bucks, you see, long to do more than revitalize their home city of 600,000. They don't simply want to attract Badgers fans from Madison, Cheeseheads from Green Bay and ice fishers from Oshkosh.
"How do we let Illinois residents," Feigin wondered, "know we have a world-class arena?"
Yes, we love your fried cheese curds, your brats, your brewery tours, your Summerfest and your cheap, coin-operated, metered parking. Some of us have set sail in your (and our) lake, enjoyed the climate-controlled confines under your Miller Park roof, toured your Art Museum and ridden one of your Harley-Davidsons.
But how many of us have crossed the border to watch a Bucks game not involving the Bulls? Is such a thing conceivable?
Seems like a stretch until you consider:
Time: On a recent late afternoon, the trafficologists at Google Maps estimated that it would take 1 hour and 18 minutes to drive the 31.2 miles from Lake Forest to the United Center. The 63.4-mile jaunt to Milwaukee could be covered in 1:06. So if you live in Libertyville or Mundelein or Fox Lake or Waukegan ...
Cost: NBA arenas have numerous price points that vary based on location and season- versus single-game tickets, but suffice to say you'll pay less than you would at the United Center, which has the NBA's fifth-highest average ticket. Senior Vice President of Communications Barry Baum says that half of the Bucks' tickets will be $50 or less.
The 'tank' factor: After dealing Jimmy Butler, Bulls' fans are thinking about Ping-Pong balls. The Bucks are thinking big. They have a second-team All-NBA Greek god in Antetokounmpo, whose long-term, team-friendly deal points the team's arrow up. And Simeon alum Jabari Parker, on the mend after a second ACL tear, gives the Bucks as many native Chicagoans as the Bulls (Dwyane Wade).
"The Bulls have a rich history," Parker said by telephone. "It will take time (to lure their fans). But we finished on a high last season (16-7 before a playoff series loss to the Raptors). And with the new arena …"
The new home: The Bucks' yet-to-be-named $524 million arena, being constructed just north of the Bradley Center, will have a basketball capacity of 17,500 – with a whopping 10,000 seats in the lower bowl.
"Even at the top, it's an unbelievable seat because of the pitch," Feigin says. "At the Bradley Center, you're a mile from the court. Or the United Center, which is tremendously large. This will be an unbelievable showcase for basketball and even better for entertainment."
Food and furnishings will be top-notch, Feigin promises, with loft spaces for drinking, dining and socializing.
"It will feel like an open-air arena," Feigin says during the 40-minute tour. "When people leave their seat, they still want to watch and feel the game. We will have authentic food, great service. And anchor bars on every corner."
The exterior design is dramatic, featuring glass and a curved, sloping roof. The 30-acre parcel will contain a plaza for outdoor concerts and festivals, not unlike the new "Park at Wrigley Field."
'Issues to deal with'
In March the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported on "the remaking of downtown Milwaukee … an extraordinary building boom" with projects totaling $1.4 billion.
The teardown of the Bradley Center by early 2019 will clear more space. The MECCA, renamed the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in 2014, will remain – and host one 2017-18 game as the Bucks pay homage to their 50th season in the NBA.
The new $524 million arena will host the Bucks, Marquette hoops and a slew of concerts as part of Bucks management's goal to "re-invent an NBA team and re-build a city," as Feigin put it.
Last fall he spoke of Milwaukee in stark terms during a speech to the Rotary Club of Madison. As quoted by the Wisconsin State Journal, Feigin said: "Very bluntly, Milwaukee is the most segregated, racist place I've ever experienced in my life … It is antiquated. It is in desperate need of repair."