fifth third renovation

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That uconn traffic was nuts that's why I take the Springdale 78 rofl- driver gave up and let me walk through traffic!
 
JasonS said:
Actually, yes. I do think 13,000 will show up to a new arena. I can't take my 4 year old to the games now unless I get lower bowl seats because she can't see anything in the upper level. How many other parents face the same issue with young children? I bet it is quite a few.
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I ask this seriously: does your 4 year old need glasses? I take my kids to almost all the games and they are right around that same age. Took them last year as well. Not only can they see but they absolutely love it. Game times have 100x more to do with not bringing kids than not being able to see.

Maybe I'm misremembering, but I don't recall the Shoe having chair-backs with great sightlines in the upperdeck in the 90's but I sure do remember going to quite a few sell outs. Maybe the UC fanbase is aging and can no longer sit in bench seating??? And, why we're at it, let's take a look at some of those lower level seats that are actually very good seats. There were many games this year where those seats were empty. I probably don't need to explain why they were empty but it wasn't because they were bad seats or because 5/3 is outdated.
 
#BearcatNation said:
I agree that the product on the court is more vital to an antendance than the state of the arena, but without a doubt, if that UConn game was in a renovated arena, it would've sold out. A while ago too.

I don't really have high demands for a renovated Fifth Third, but I believe there are two things that NEED to be fixed:

1. The lower area needs to become a bowl. We are one of the only arenas that I know of that do not have a bowl. It looks really goofy and there's a lot of wasted space.

2. The uppers are awful, for a couple reasons. One is the backless benches. Wipe those out and either add seats, or backs to the bench at minimum. The rafters also hang way too low. When you're halfway up the nosebleeds, you can't even see straight across anymore. All you can see is the court. I wonder if there's a way to fix that. I personally never buy upper tickets it's that bad. I either buy lower levels (or chairbacks of the upper), or just watch at home or from a bar.
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To each it's own, but I only buy upper tickets because that's in my price range, but why would a complaint be that you can only see the court and not the other side of the upper deck? Really? The rafters are low but I have been seated at the absolute top and when I go there I look down to watch the game. Not sure why you'd want to look across. While 5/3 is far from perfect, it seems to me that people have gotten a bit spoiled. I haven't been to another arena that gets as loud as 5/3 in big games. I think this is a huge factor in the overall game experience.
 
TheLongHaul said:
To each it's own, but I only buy upper tickets because that's in my price range, but why would a complaint be that you can only see the court and not the other side of the upper deck? Really? The rafters are low but I have been seated at the absolute top and when I go there I look down to watch the game. Not sure why you'd want to look across. While 5/3 is far from perfect, it seems to me that people have gotten a bit spoiled. I haven't been to another arena that gets as loud as 5/3 in big games. I think this is a huge factor in the overall game experience.
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I wasn't aware that expecting a good concession set up is acting "spoiled."
 
TheLongHaul said:
To each it's own, but I only buy upper tickets because that's in my price range, but why would a complaint be that you can only see the court and not the other side of the upper deck? Really? The rafters are low but I have been seated at the absolute top and when I go there I look down to watch the game. Not sure why you'd want to look across. While 5/3 is far from perfect, it seems to me that people have gotten a bit spoiled. I haven't been to another arena that gets as loud as 5/3 in big games. I think this is a huge factor in the overall game experience.
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To me it gives the optical illusion that you're even higher up than you really are. You feel like you're above the roof. It's really just an eyesore to look straight ahead at. You can't see a whole lot of crowd reaction, other than the people around you. I like to see everyone in the arena erupt when something happens. Maybe I am just picky, but I don't know any other arenas where you're literally above the rafters like that.
 
#BearcatNation said:
To me it gives the optical illusion that you're even higher up than you really are. You feel like you're above the roof. It's really just an eyesore to look straight ahead at. You can't see a whole lot of crowd reaction, other than the people around you. I like to see everyone in the arena erupt when something happens. Maybe I am just picky, but I don't know any other arenas where you're literally above the rafters like that.
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Not just you. I was up there in student overflow once... never again. It does feel separated from the rest of the arena with the rafters straight out. The sound system up there is so blown out and tired (worse than Nippert) that when the dance team comes out, time to abort! Which is a shame since they really are great.
 
Looks like UC is looking to get feedback from the fans on what they think about their experiences at Fifth Third. That's a good sign. Let 'em know!

@GoBEARCATS 10m
Have you been to a #Bearcats basketball game recently? Let us know how it was http://www.collegesportssurvey.com/ pic.twitter.com/aTjufww2Cc

EDIT: Just kidding, that survey is not what I thought it'd be. I thought they wanted input on the arena, but apparently they just want to know what ads you saw while at the game. Nothing important.
 
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TheLongHaul said:
To each it's own, but I only buy upper tickets because that's in my price range, but why would a complaint be that you can only see the court and not the other side of the upper deck? Really? The rafters are low but I have been seated at the absolute top and when I go there I look down to watch the game. Not sure why you'd want to look across. While 5/3 is far from perfect, it seems to me that people have gotten a bit spoiled. I haven't been to another arena that gets as loud as 5/3 in big games. I think this is a huge factor in the overall game experience.
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Seating isn't my issue. Comfort and amenities would be my complaint. I've sat all over the arena and I see the court fine. The seats are bad and concessions and restrooms need work. They need to make it an event when you attend a game.
 
#BearcatNation said:
To me it gives the optical illusion that you're even higher up than you really are. You feel like you're above the roof. It's really just an eyesore to look straight ahead at. You can't see a whole lot of crowd reaction, other than the people around you. I like to see everyone in the arena erupt when something happens. Maybe I am just picky, but I don't know any other arenas where you're literally above the rafters like that.
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This is so very true.
 
JackBauer151 said:
It is nowhere near fine. It is outdated, lacks an experience, terrible parking options, bad sight lines, and most of all and I mean most of all it hinders recruiting. You cant out recruit a lot of other schools that have NBA like facilities. The reason Cronin prefers downtown. Two reasons. One is that it makes Cincinnati basketball bigger. They become Cincinnati's team. More casual fans, produces a younger crowd because it will be downtown, entertainment everywhere. They will be like the NBA team of Cincinnati. If they can maintain a top 15 standing year in and out it becomes a hot ticket again. Especially if its in a brand new arena in a super hot part of town that is continuing to grow. Two is that because it is the only option that is realistic in the next 5 years. 5/3 simply is not getting renovated. They dont have the money. A partnership with the city and US Bank is the most viable option. If cincy wants the Republican National Convention, Final 4's/ NCAA tournaments, major conventions, concerts, and other major events in Cincinnati then they need a big time facility. It's a major opportunity for the city to bring a ton of money to Cincinnati businesses. It just might be the stars aligning for Cincinnati basketball to take advantage of. If you can go downtown with an updated arena you do it.
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Folks, Jack has got this right. To me it's embarrassing that they haven't moved on this yet. To put it blunt 5th/3rd doesn't even stack up against the Arena's in the Atlantic Sun in Which NKU is a member. It's really quite amazing when you think of it what Mick has been able to accomplish. Can you imagine being on a recruiting trip that has you going to a game at Louisville in the Yum center and then coming to UC? What does Mick say to this Kid? Facilities are a huge huge draw for recruits and Mick sees this better than anybody. I'm telling you it's a major problem with Mick. This needs to get settled so the program can move forward. I believe the move downtown would be huge for all of the reasons listed above. On campus is overrated for basketball anyway IMO. For football I get it. I wonder if the powers that be (outside of Mick) really get it or not.
 
From a fans perspective I go to the games because I enjoy watching in person. You see much more of the action in person then on the tube even if you consider replay and slow motion. With that said, going to the Shoe and sitting in the upper deck is not a enjoyable experience for me and if I have to sit there I would rather stay home. The whole crowd was loud and into the game thing means very little to me. I also don't buy concessions. I eat out before the game usually at Martino's. I park for 10.00 bucks accross from the old Holy Grail and walk to the Shoe in ten minutes. I don't consider myself a rare breed. I'll give up my TV if the seat at the arena is better then the one I'm sitting in at home. The upper deck of the shoe doesn't accomplish that for me. The arena needs to be upgraded and many more premium seats need to be added. Really don't see how a remodeling project can get that done in the current structure. Potentially the US Bank facility can. If we want our program to be big time we need a good facility.

We have been lucky to hang on to our coach this long. Programs with much more to offer will come calling. If Mick feels like he can't win a title here he would be foolish to stay. His star is on the rise and after this it year may not get much higher especially considering the financial constraints he operates under. To win a title you must be able to sell your program to recruits. A big part of that sales pitch is the Facility.
 
WAITE HOYT 2 said:
This article hits the nail on the head:

http://www.newsrecord.org/sports/me...cle_cb0969fe-9462-11e3-b307-0017a43b2370.html
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It's exactly what a few of us have been saying now for a while. Money isn't going to be Mick's issue. This article is spot on. The AD can't do it alone. The board of trustees and alot of wealthy Alumni have very influential contacts. With the Corporate structure within this city I see no reason why this can't be done within a reasonable time frame.
 
If the top dogs at UC, president, AD, top Alumni/board members don't start making moves for the basketball program its a strong possibility that could happen. If that would happen and Cronin leaves, to say I would be fed up with the university would be an understatement. Every day that goes by and the university doesn't do anything to the basketball program its a complete insult.
 
Basketball has been good or relevant if not #1 in the country at times in the last 25 years. Football has 6-7 really good years and they get a renovation?! Never made sense to me.
 
the_one_32 said:
Basketball has been good or relevant if not #1 in the country at times in the last 25 years. Football has 6-7 really good years and they get a renovation?! Never made sense to me.
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This isn't a basketball versus football issue. Football has the ability to generate much more revenue. It is a economical decision. You could fill the Shoe up regualarily and it still can't out earn Football, even without winning a National title.
 
the_one_32 said:
Basketball has been good or relevant if not #1 in the country at times in the last 25 years. Football has 6-7 really good years and they get a renovation?! Never made sense to me.
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Football is guaranteed to pay dividends. They've already sold out every private suite. It's also the big money maker in general for college athletics. Renovating Nippert was essential to even be in consideration for moving to a better conference. To me, it makes a lot of sense to fix Nippert before FTA. Nippert was in far worse shape.

There are a lot of factors that go into why we don't have a new arena yet. One huge one is the lack of attendance since '06-ish. Even with the team improving, we've seen a nice climb in attendance, but it still needs to be a lot higher. I think at this point we're basically guaranteed to finish with a lower attendance than last year, which is unacceptable for how well we've played. Part of the problem is the bad opponents in our OOC schedule, but there's never an excuse for a program of ours to have only 5k there for multiple games. It's easy to simply fault the university, but there are just so many factors that go into it.
 
#BearcatNation said:
Football is guaranteed to pay dividends. They've already sold out every private suite. It's also the big money maker in general for college athletics. Renovating Nippert was essential to even be in consideration for moving to a better conference. To me, it makes a lot of sense to fix Nippert before FTA. Nippert was in far worse shape.

There are a lot of factors that go into why we don't have a new arena yet. One huge one is the lack of attendance since '06-ish. Even with the team improving, we've seen a nice climb in attendance, but it still needs to be a lot higher. I think at this point we're basically guaranteed to finish with a lower attendance than last year, which is unacceptable for how well we've played. Part of the problem is the bad opponents in our OOC schedule, but there's never an excuse for a program of ours to have only 5k there for multiple games. It's easy to simply fault the university, but there are just so many factors that go into it.
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I agree but what really gets me mad is the university doesn't do small upgrades that they can control. Concessions/ dated box TV's in the concourse. Its insulating to fans who pay money that we can't even get above average food/experience.
 

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