Stadiums & Arenas

[yis2003yis]

Thats been my point..to say a city wont get a bowl game...is not true..... if u have the right venue ....a sponsor can decide if they wan't a bowl game here.. like say for instace Shaw ...this is just an example.....but if they wanted to host a bowl they could have a bowl called shaws baton rouge redstick bowl......just like shreveport has the independance bowl named after it's stadium......if your city has an extra venue ...it can be in the group of places to host things

[MobileLSUboy09]

Thats been my point..to say a city wont get a bowl game...is not true..... if u have the right venue ....a sponsor can decide if they wan't a bowl game here.. like say for instace Shaw ...this is just an example.....but if they wanted to host a bowl they could have a bowl called shaws baton rouge redstick bowl......just like shreveport has the independance bowl named after it's stadium......if your city has an extra venue ...it can be in the group of places to host things

[yis2003yis]

Exactly, they just need to figure out what size stadium and where to build it! Afterall, if you build it, they will come! I forgot to mention above, Mobile also built Hank Aaron Stadium (he's a Mobile native) which holds 49,000 people in 1997 to host the Mobile Baybears, a Minor League Baseball team, and Mobile loves it!....we tried the ice hockey thing, but it only lasted for a few years...

[BRPJ]

Hmm this is interesting info that I didn't know about mobile. Its so funny to me when smaller cities have way more than we do, and we think we can't do it. Maybe the Stadium is a good idea, as long as we can attract substantial business to it. Matter of fact, Memorial stadium is perfectly situated to be the location of a stadium. Its not exactly downtown, but sheesh, its like 2 blocks away, and virtually next to the state capitol. Its the perfect location. That be nice if they tore memorial stadium down, and built a one that could sit 80,000 people. Wow, i like this idea now

[twstdndmntd]

I dunno if I missed this or not but how many people does Memorial Stadium actually hold? I think for our hopes of getting a bigger venue/stadium it will take a private partner with private funds like Shaw to help foot the bill. I don't see the city or state footing that bill all alone.

[yis2003yis]

I dunno if I missed this or not but how many people does Memorial Stadium actually hold? I think for our hopes of getting a bigger venue/stadium it will take a private partner with private funds like Shaw to help foot the bill. I don't see the city or state footing that bill all alone.

[richyb83]

According to wikipedia it holds 21,395. I had that on post #9 Doubling the size would be nice!

Welcome to UP MobileLSUboy09! No doubt Mobile and BR are cities on the rise in the Gulf South. The new RSA Battlehouse Tower is taking Mobile to the next level! I heard it said by their Mayor refering all the new projects as the "string of pearls". Giant German steel co.Thyssen Krupp chose Mobile over Louisiana!

Wow Mobile has some nice variety. Doesn't Mobile have the U.S. 2nd Largest Mardi Gras behind NOLA??? That's great to see South Alabama maybe finally getting a Football Team!

Since BR is not on a bay it will never have a cruise terminal. Third Street' has an emerging Entertainment District. I rolled thru there last night and was impressed with the crowds and the vibe. It continues to grow week by week! The historic Capitol House on Lafayette Street was renovated into a Hilton creates a synergy just one street over.

While I agree BR has some catching up to do...the city does have....

LASM with Planetarium and Space Theatre(like an IMAX); new Louisiana State Museum; >Fest For All(arts & music);the South's Largest Earth Day; Main Street Market; and we also have the BR Symphony, Opera, Jazz Ensemble; Ballet, and Concert Band, etc. *National Balloon Festival Championships; Blue Bayou waterpark/Dixie Landing; and a X'treme Sports Park being built!

Downtown also has "Live After Five" on Fridays, a music series in the Fall & Spring and "Jazz in the Park" on Sunday's! A new amphitheatre is in the works at Capitol Park!!!

No Problem Raceway (south of BR); State Capitol Dragway(WBR); Lamar Dixon Expo Center is a decent venue(Ascension);

New Movie Studio's> Celtic Media Center(being built); and the proposed La Vie; and La.Studio City in WBR

Olympia Stadium(also BREC) is about 1/2 the size of Memorial; plays host to the new Baton Rouge Capitals soccer team in the United Developmental League. and Great 8 Bowl for area HS All-Stars

Also BR is becoming more "high tech"...the world renowned (for nutrition) expanding Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and La.Technology Park(largest of it's kind between Houston & Atlanta)

I drove inside of Perkins Rowe today and could hardly believe my eyes a REAL "urban village"! Wish I had brought the camera! BR is truly becoming a shopping mecca.

[MobileLSUboy09]

RichyB - yea baton rouge definately has lotsa stuff mobile won't get! haha

I actually work in Perkins Rowe, and im so impressed with the progress made there every day!

It was our past mayor, Mike Dow who coined the term "String of Pearls," and our current mayor Sam Jones is doing a good job at carrying it out! The RSA Battle House Tower and Hotel are doing wonders for the downtown area, bringing a lot of new buisnesses downtown which is contrary to what it was thought it would do - suck all the buisness out of the other buildings and into the tower...

Yea Mobile does have the 2nd largest Mardi Gras after NOLA and its the oldest in the country, starting in 1703, 15 years before NOLA was even founded - you can wikipedia the dates under the article titled, "Mardi Gras in Mobile"

As far as other venues, i forgot to mention, Mobile also has the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center which has a 100,000 sq ft exhibit hall, a 15,000 sq ft grand ballroom, and sixteen meeting rooms, and then the Mobile Civic Center which is like the BR River Center, and it has three facilities all in one. It is 400,000 sf and has an arena, a theater and an exposition hall.

there was talk several years ago of Mobile getting an amusement park, but it fell through because of our proximity to Gulf Shores (our curse, ---sounds like the same one BR has with NOLA)

Baton Rouge also has way more (and better) retail and dining than Mobile, but then again, they have 225,000 more people! haha I wish Mobile would get more High-tech industry, however. We have a lot of chemical industry too, and shipbuilding. Our newest industries are steel manufacturing, as you said with Tyssen-Krupp, and the Aerospace industry with EADS, ST Mobile Aerospace, and Teledyne

I'm so glad i came to LSU over Auburn! (but hey, who isnt!)

[dan326]

I drove inside of Perkins Rowe today and could hardly believe my eyes a REAL "urban village"! Wish I had brought the camera! BR is truly becoming a shopping mecca.

[twstdndmntd]

OMG!!!! the chandelier is awesome!!!!! I go to the village (Perkins Rowe) as often as possible. I'm addicted already and it's not completely finished yet. LOL I'm trying to convience my partner to sell the house and buy a condo in it. LOL I'd love to be able to go home after work and not have to get in the car again.... What a wonderful life it would be. LOL

[SUSAstudent]

I honestly think that Baton Rouge needs a stadium with about 50-60,000 capacity. Memorial Stadium is BR's best out right now, but its SOO outdated. I mean there's grass growing throught the cement where the seats are and the press box is ridiculous. I thing that by giving Memorial a major facelit, and possible adding decks on both sides of the stadium, BR will have a pretty nice stadium on direct axi with the State Capitol and not far from downtown. Currently i think the stadium seats about 22K. But also BR has really nice college sports facilities, with Tiger Stadium a few thousand shy of 100,000 and AW Mumford (Southern) seating roughly 25K, but with the addition of the endzone seating, i believe the stadium will have a 30,000 - 32,000 seat capacity.

[yis2003yis]

I honestly think that Baton Rouge needs a stadium with about 50-60,000 capacity. Memorial Stadium is BR's best out right now, but its SOO outdated. I mean there's grass growing throught the cement where the seats are and the press box is ridiculous. I thing that by giving Memorial a major facelit, and possible adding decks on both sides of the stadium, BR will have a pretty nice stadium on direct axi with the State Capitol and not far from downtown. Currently i think the stadium seats about 22K. But also BR has really nice college sports facilities, with Tiger Stadium a few thousand shy of 100,000 and AW Mumford (Southern) seating roughly 25K, but with the addition of the endzone seating, i believe the stadium will have a 30,000 - 32,000 seat capacity.

[byrde]

Who do you guys think should pay for an expanded Memorial Stadium? Also, what events are you planning to have there that can't happen in Mumford or Tiger Stadium? Who's going to play games in Memorial that would require 40,000 seats? We aren't going to get a Bowl Game needing that many seats. Hell, the N.O. Bowl can't attract 40,000 people. We'd be better off working with the administration and athletic department at SU to play a lower tier bowl at an expanded Mumford.

[yis2003yis]

Who do you guys think should pay for an expanded Memorial Stadium? Also, what events are you planning to have there that can't happen in Mumford or Tiger Stadium? Who's going to play games in Memorial that would require 40,000 seats? We aren't going to get a Bowl Game needing that many seats. Hell, the N.O. Bowl can't attract 40,000 people. We'd be better off working with the administration and athletic department at SU to play a lower tier bowl at an expanded Mumford.

[byrde]

The New Orleans Arena was built because they initially thought they'd get the Minnesota Timberwolves. Also, the city of N.O. needed an arena to fit in between the Dome and the Lakefront Arena for concerts, basketball and other events that are too small for the dome or to large for Lakefront Arena.

Many cities have relationships with their Universities for facilities. The great city of Houston uses Robertson Stadium on the campus of Univ. of Houston for Major League Soccer. Jackson MS allows J-State to use Memorial. Same thing in Memphis with the Liberty Bowl and Univ of Memphis.

I'll ask again, who should pay for a rebuilt or refurbished Memorial Stadium?

[buckett5425]

I still think everyone is missing the bigger picture. Baton Rouge dosnt need a staduim seating 40,000+, and if we happen to hold that big of an event, then im sure LSU and SU can pick up the slack. The only reason we would need a staduim that large is if we had some sort of major/minor league sports team, which i dont see happening anytime soon. But the bigger picture is, that Nola is only an hour away. When concert tours come through the area, the stop at major cities, DALLAS, HOUSTON, and guess what NEW ORLEANS. They arnt going to stop an hour up the road one night, and then go to nola the second. Im sure when they plan their tours in how many people will attend, they count Baton Rouge and Nola as one metro, and expect us to drive to nola. Which makes just makes sense, since NO is larger, and has better accomodations. While it is great to dream big, it just isnt feasible. I also understand that cities like Jackson and of similiar size have the nice facilities, but that is because they are the regional leaders in their part of the state, Baton Rouge is'nt, nola is, which is why it will continue to over shadow baton rouge. Im not trying to be johnny rain cloud here either, just logical. I want baton rouge to be the best city it can be too! lol

As for who should pay for it, im sure that rest on the tax payers, since it always does.

[richyb83]

I am with you on that buckett5425, I have basically been saying the same thing. How many cities have venues like Tiger Stadium with 92,000+...that equals two GMAC Bowls in Mobile; Ft. Worth; and so many others. Add the expanding Mumford Stadium(26,500) and Memorial Stadium (21,500) that's 140,000+ seats. How many cities close to BR in size can claim that??

NOLA's proximity has always played a part in BR missing out on many things.

Mumford expansion grows near

http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/13214692.html

After years of delays and criticism, Southern University officials said Friday that the expansion of A.W. Mumford Stadium is finally set to begin next month. The expansion will add 2,500 seats to the 26,500-seat stadium.

[SUSAstudent]

The New Orleans Arena was built because they initially thought they'd get the Minnesota Timberwolves. Also, the city of N.O. needed an arena to fit in between the Dome and the Lakefront Arena for concerts, basketball and other events that are too small for the dome or to large for Lakefront Arena.

Many cities have relationships with their Universities for facilities. The great city of Houston uses Robertson Stadium on the campus of Univ. of Houston for Major League Soccer. Jackson MS allows J-State to use Memorial. Same thing in Memphis with the Liberty Bowl and Univ of Memphis.

I'll ask again, who should pay for a rebuilt or refurbished Memorial Stadium?

[byrde]

Now I agree with a facelift for Memorial. An upgrade to the playing surface would be nice to. Especially for the weekends when they play a Thursday game and a Friday night game and it rains both nights.

[twstdndmntd]

Okay so this might be a long msg but I have to vent about this. The partner and I have just returned from Shreveport where we went see the Kelly Clarkson/Reba McIntire concert. Excellent concert if I do say so myself. LOL Anyway......the concert was at a venue called the Centrytel Center. I believe this arena may be as big or a little bit bigger than the RiverCenter. Now if a place like Shreveport can get a concert like this then there is NO reason we can't here in BR. We are continuously loosing great entertainers to cities like NOLA, Lafayette, and Shreveport. I think the biggest problem is the fact that the city and management of the RiverCenter are not marketing the arena portion. They are too busy trying to get conventions. Now don't get me wrong conventions are a great way to bring business into the RiverCenter but it also needs to be marketed as an entertainment venue as well. We need more big name entertainers to come to BR so that we can compete more with NOLA and Lafayette. I don't think a bigger arena is the answer I believe the answer is marketing what we already have. The RiverCenter is a big asset to downtown and in my mind it is semi going to waste. I think with the prospects of having an Entertainment District downtown we need to do more with the RiverCenter as far as entertainment is concerned. Just think how much business would go to the new Entertainment District on nites that the RiverCenter would have concerts...... Not to mention we have 2 hotels, 1 in the process and possibly 1 more in the works.. all within walking distance of the center. Not Lafayette, NOLA or Shreveport can say that.........

[yis2003yis]

Okay so this might be a long msg but I have to vent about this. The partner and I have just returned from Shreveport where we went see the Kelly Clarkson/Reba McIntire concert. Excellent concert if I do say so myself. LOL Anyway......the concert was at a venue called the Centrytel Center. I believe this arena may be as big or a little bit bigger than the RiverCenter. Now if a place like Shreveport can get a concert like this then there is NO reason we can't here in BR. We are continuously loosing great entertainers to cities like NOLA, Lafayette, and Shreveport. I think the biggest problem is the fact that the city and management of the RiverCenter are not marketing the arena portion. They are too busy trying to get conventions. Now don't get me wrong conventions are a great way to bring business into the RiverCenter but it also needs to be marketed as an entertainment venue as well. We need more big name entertainers to come to BR so that we can compete more with NOLA and Lafayette. I don't think a bigger arena is the answer I believe the answer is marketing what we already have. The RiverCenter is a big asset to downtown and in my mind it is semi going to waste. I think with the prospects of having an Entertainment District downtown we need to do more with the RiverCenter as far as entertainment is concerned. Just think how much business would go to the new Entertainment District on nites that the RiverCenter would have concerts...... Not to mention we have 2 hotels, 1 in the process and possibly 1 more in the works.. all within walking distance of the center. Not Lafayette, NOLA or Shreveport can say that.........

[brresident]

I agree:

The Centroplex isn't a bad place, but it's marketing sucks. All they care about is conventions when they should be going after more things like the bowling championship, Miss Teen USA, concerts, etc.

They are trying, but I think the Centroplex needs to be known as a convetion center and a destination for entertainment. It's a helluva faciliy, but there is no reason that there should be a concert held in Lafayette or Mobile that doesn't have a stop in Baton Rouge.

[richyb83]

The RiverCenter hosted the Bowling Championship not too long ago; and plans on having another one in a few years. When Miss Teen USA came a couple years ago it brought great exposure to the Capital City! They have to re-bid; you can't host that every year. It goes in cycle. The lack of good concerts does suck though.

The River Center is a nice facility; but like yall said the marketing does kinda stink.

Good to see you back again brresident.

[twstdndmntd]

Exactly guys, if they wanted to just host conventions then they should have made it a Convention Center and not have an arena with it. But they do have an arena so they should be marketing the hell out of it. It really is going to waste.