Is the arena dead?

[JackHornet]

Since it looks like an arena is so far away from being built, I would like to see improvements made to the team's lockerrooms and coach's offices. I know Katz got a few people together to make the lockerroom a bit nicer, but maybe a full renovation of the lockerrooms can be made, maybe even expanding the lockerroom.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

I have heard that the schools is thinking about asking students to step up again and pay for the arena. But that will only go on the ballot when the rec center is completed.

http://www.thewell.csus.edu/construction.php

http://www.fm.csus.edu/Construction_Projects_Project_Web_Cams.htm

It is coming along nicely. I think asking the students to pony up for an arena will go over like a lead weight. The rub is that the students voted for a new arena when the RWEC was campaigned and sold to the students. In their eyes they have already voted and are paying for this.

R=recreational
W=wellness
E=events
C=center

Now it is only called the Well, which is what it will be a wellness center with everything but an arena.

 

[JackHornet]

In other words the students were lied to by the President.

But really that is the only way an arena is going to be built. The school can find a private donor to fund the arena. Though they could look at what SDSU did and get an Indian casino to pony up the money.

 

[JackHornet]

Looks as though former Big Sky member CSUN is also building a rec center but no arena. They just broke ground Dec 2nd and will open in 2011.

http://usu.csun.edu/rec/index.php

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

Lie, mislead, misrepresent, deny
It's all there.

Yes, northridge is building a wellness center and also a $100m performing arts center, cal poly is close to building an arena. Nridge will have a 100,000sqft building, Sac will have a 150,000sqft building. Sac also voted to add new health center facilities including a pharmacy, urgent care, eye center, etc. hence the extra 50,000sqft.

There has been rumors that a developer will invest ~$500m into Sac State with housing, retail, etc. I highly doubt any of this money will go towards an arena. And generally when something like this has a chance it has info published frequently, there hasn't been anyword on this in ages.

Were are stuck with 1,200 seat Hornet hell, what a destination campus!

Whats really discouraging is that construction materials and labor are at the cheapest it has been in years. And with the purported conference alignment taking place soon, the WAC is going to be looking for additional members, Sac State will be left out in the cold while UC farm extension gets the nod.

 

[SJHornet]

What about configuring a temporary basketball arena where the rec courts are supposed to be in the well while the schools attempts to secure a permanent structure? use the current nest as a rec basketball facility.

 

[SDHornet]

GCM, I agree that there will be a conference realignment when Boise State and Nevada leaves the WAC for the MWC, but I disagree about who fills the void. In a perfect world, Sac State, CP, and “the farm extension” makes the move, but any state funded school in CA will probably not make the move until this budget issue is resolved (if ever). Also if administration at “the farm extension” and CP were open to ponying up the money to fund the additional scholarships and much higher travel budgets (among many other expenses a move to FBS will require) they wouldn’t have hesitated to pull the trigger on leaving the Big West for the Big Sky.

If I get bored enough, I might start a thread comparing a move to FBS and the WAC for Sac State. There are a lot of pros and cons when discussing this topic. I honestly feel the only thing holding back Sac State from making a move is the lack of quality facilities for basketball. The other major issue is all the additional expenses that come with going FBS. Either way you slice is, it will be a monetary decision.

 

[SJHornet]

GCM, I agree that there will be a conference realignment when Boise State and Nevada leaves the WAC for the MWC, but I disagree about who fills the void. In a perfect world, Sac State, CP, and “the farm extension” makes the move, but any state funded school in CA will probably not make the move until this budget issue is resolved (if ever). Also if administration at “the farm extension” and CP were open to ponying up the money to fund the additional scholarships and much higher travel budgets (among many other expenses a move to FBS will require) they wouldn’t have hesitated to pull the trigger on leaving the Big West for the Big Sky.

If I get bored enough, I might start a thread comparing a move to FBS and the WAC for Sac State. There are a lot of pros and cons when discussing this topic. I honestly feel the only thing holding back Sac State from making a move is the lack of quality facilities for basketball. The other major issue is all the additional expenses that come with going FBS. Either way you slice is, it will be a monetary decision.

I can also see Fresno State leaving for the MWC and Louisiana Tech aligning with CUSA leaving the WAC with five schools. Perfect time for Sac St, Cal Poly, Montana, possibly Montana State and the Farm extension to join. Indeed our biggest hurdle is the arena, but we could always rent out Arco. I have to agree with you though SDH, until California's budget woes are fixed, no California public school will be making a jump to the FBS. In fact I see schools such as San Diego and San Jose State moving down to FCS.

Renovating the gym wouldbe a colossal waste in my opinion. It only re-inforces Sac States small-time identity. Wheather we move up in the world or not, an arena has to be this athletic department's top priority at this point. The stadium isn't pretty, but still large enough, the baseball/softtball stadiums are class, the only missing piece is the arena.

 

[JackHornet]

Lie, mislead, misrepresent, deny
It's all there.

Yes, northridge is building a wellness center and also a $100m performing arts center, cal poly is close to building an arena. Nridge will have a 100,000sqft building, Sac will have a 150,000sqft building. Sac also voted to add new health center facilities including a pharmacy, urgent care, eye center, etc. hence the extra 50,000sqft.

Whats really discouraging is that construction materials and labor are at the cheapest it has been in years. And with the purported conference alignment taking place soon, the WAC is going to be looking for additional members, Sac State will be left out in the cold while UC farm extension gets the nod.

CSUN must have passed their funding for their rec center, later than we did.

Where is your source that Cal Poly is getting a new arena? Cal Poly won't be moving to the WAC anytime soon. They would need major increase in funding. Most of their other programs suck.

The first domino has to fall before any conference movement happens. The first domino? Big 11 becoming the Great Midwest by adding one other team. Depending on who that team is, it won't be ND, then the shift in conferences will start.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

We need a brick press /concessions and bathrooms then baseball would be sweet. And lights, attendance would zoom if we played home games on a regular time schedule. What alumni or casual fan can attend a 4pm day game? Push all home games to 6 or 7:05pm.

Yes, there are additional expenses in moving FBS. But more of that cost is offset by receiving larger commissions from the conference itself. And tv/sponsor money. We already offer all varsity sports full allotment of schollies. And our Crew facility is rated best in the country.

With the Broad and Well closing in the stadium and soon to be new crisp Sprinturf, the stadium is actually not bad. We need to do something like CP, build oneside very nice and leave the 'visitors' side like it is. Replace it when attendance and more $$ provide. Take some recently replaced aluminum bleachers and put 2,500 around the soccer stadium. And a few more arround the softball stadium.

SJH that's not a bad idea, but again, I don't think the students will allow turning their new Rec center into the new arena and getting misplaced to Colberg Court. Arco/Maloof charges too much for rental. Plus parking, plus skyhigh concession fees will keep the required masses away. Shuttle venues would be a logistic nightmare.

This is a classic case of the school needs a new arena/mass events center. Even the smallest podunk colleges have a crown jewel arena on their campus. Not that Gonzaga is podunk, but look what that new arena has done for their program and overall status of the university.

This arena should be available to any trade show, conference, concert, paying speaker, HS games and use, bridal dress blowout to maximize use and return.


It will definately need to be private financed and probably be privately owned. Which is fine by me.

The question is whether Gonzalez is willing to accept a private deal and/or fulfill the campaign rhetoric that got the RWEC vote passed. Hopefully not too many of the students who voted on the referendum are still around. And if a vote is held, complete transparency or timeline be established upfront.

Read this article for facts: http://media.www.statehornet.com/media/storage/paper1146/news/2004/04/14/Opinion/Athletics.Can.Progress.No.Further.In.Outdated.Hornet.Gym-2422959.shtml

 

[superhornet]

Why should we be surprised at this? The bait-and-switch has been the administration's modus operandi since The Fat Man was in charge and perhaps even before then. We're just lucky that our coaches aren't getting the shaft like Mike Leach did.

 

[JackHornet]

It will definately need to be private financed and probably be privately owned. Which is fine by me.

The question is whether Gonzalez is willing to accept a private deal and/or fulfill the campaign rhetoric that got the RWEC vote passed. Hopefully not too many of the students who voted on the referendum are still around. And if a vote is held, complete transparency or timeline be established upfront.

Read this article for facts: http://media.www.statehornet.com/media/storage/paper1146/news/2004/04/14/Opinion/Athletics.Can.Progress.No.Further.In.Outdated.Hornet.Gym-2422959.shtml

It isn't a matter of Gonzo accepting a private deal. It is Gonzo finding somebody with the money to get this deal done.

It would be a private/public deal anyways. Sac St donates the land for the arena. Somebody puts up the money to build the arena.

It is a matter of finding the money to get this done.

 

[SDHornet]

SJH, I thought Fresno State would be a lock for the MWC too, but lately their football program has been mediocre at best and given the budget issues of CA, I doubt the MWC would want another CA funded school in the conference (SDSU being the current member). Also SDSU is currently trying to stem the “anti-football” tide that is coming from some outspoken professors who have seen enough money squandered on a pathetic football program. If Brady Hoke can’t turn SDSU’s football program around, there will be a legitimate chance they might drop it. I can easily see Fresno State having this same issue if the program up there continues to falter. The only advantage Fresno has is that the community actually cares about Fresno State athletics; that is definitely not the case for SDSU.

GCM, I like your idea about the facility improvements for Sac State. The baseball stadium not having lights is crucial, I’d have to put light’s as the top facility priority for baseball.

I also agree with not using the WELL for the new place where Hornet hoops is hosted. As a student that voted in favor of the new events center, it’s discouraging to see the administration fail to follow through. It didn’t help that Gonzo tried to use that vote as a way to funnel student fees to pay for the Broad. The construction of the Broad was clearly not identified in the amendment that students passed. Kudos to the ASI President at the time to slap Gonzo’s hand and make him find other funding avenues. Gonzo and the rest of the admin need to nut up and find a way to follow through with the arena. With that said, Gonzo has done an excellent job in leading the way of constructing multiple new buildings on campus. He definitely has the vision that Sac State desperately needs. He just needs to finish what he started.

 

[SDHornet]

There weren't a lot of people bidding for the naming rights to Cox. SDSU got most of that money up front, I believe 80%, so they are spending it on athletics.

You also should have read further to this:

"Cox paid $4.8 million for 12 years when the arena opened in 1997. It was built for more than $30 million at the site of the Aztec Bowl football stadium. Cox decided not to renew the deal."

So SDSU went from $400,000 a year to almost $700,000 a year for naming rights. Not a bad deal.

They didn’t get many bids because the economy is down. SDSU should have toughed it out and they could have landed a more lucrative deal. If anything, they should have pushed for a short term deal to weather this economic storm so they could renegotiate a better deal sooner rather than latter. Plus the long term deal the casino signed is definitely in their advantage as their name will be on the arena for the next decade. If SDSU did take most of the money upfront, the will most likely squander it and will need to find more money elsewhere.

 

[JackHornet]

Last year I saw the team at UC Riverside. UC Riverside's "arena" is in their rec center. When I was walking to the game, I saw students in work out clothes walking with me. I thought it was a strange thing to wear for a basketball game. But they went into the rec center and the game was in the rec center gym.

I don't think Sac St's rec center will have a gym with seats. Maybe students revenge at Gonzo's bait and switch?

So that won't be an issue.

 

[SJHornet]

I think the big donors should start pressing Gonzo to complete his 2010 vision and make the event center a reality. The program won't progress any further until its built.

 

[JackHornet]

There weren't a lot of people bidding for the naming rights to Cox. SDSU got most of that money up front, I believe 80%, so they are spending it on athletics.

You also should have read further to this:

"Cox paid $4.8 million for 12 years when the arena opened in 1997. It was built for more than $30 million at the site of the Aztec Bowl football stadium. Cox decided not to renew the deal."

So SDSU went from $400,000 a year to almost $700,000 a year for naming rights. Not a bad deal.

They didn’t get many bids because the economy is down. SDSU should have toughed it out and they could have landed a more lucrative deal. If anything, they should have pushed for a short term deal to weather this economic storm so they could renegotiate a better deal sooner rather than latter. Plus the long term deal the casino signed is definitely in their advantage as their name will be on the arena for the next decade. If SDSU did take most of the money upfront, the will most likely squander it and will need to find more money elsewhere.

Do you know anything about business and marketing? So you're saying that a school should wait until this recession is over until signing a deal for naming rights? Or they should have a 2-3 year deal and hope that it will mean more money. Please do not run a business.

If Sac St had the same decision to make, they would have done exactly the samething as SDSU.

 

[SDHornet]

There weren't a lot of people bidding for the naming rights to Cox. SDSU got most of that money up front, I believe 80%, so they are spending it on athletics.

You also should have read further to this:

"Cox paid $4.8 million for 12 years when the arena opened in 1997. It was built for more than $30 million at the site of the Aztec Bowl football stadium. Cox decided not to renew the deal."

So SDSU went from $400,000 a year to almost $700,000 a year for naming rights. Not a bad deal.

They didn’t get many bids because the economy is down. SDSU should have toughed it out and they could have landed a more lucrative deal. If anything, they should have pushed for a short term deal to weather this economic storm so they could renegotiate a better deal sooner rather than latter. Plus the long term deal the casino signed is definitely in their advantage as their name will be on the arena for the next decade. If SDSU did take most of the money upfront, the will most likely squander it and will need to find more money elsewhere.

Do you know anything about business and marketing? So you're saying that a school should wait until this recession is over until signing a deal for naming rights? Or they should have a 2-3 year deal and hope that it will mean more money. Please do not run a business.

If Sac St had the same decision to make, they would have done exactly the samething as SDSU.

I understand the need for money, and I realize that is why they agreed to this deal. I am saying they undersold their facilities at a time when many businesses aren’t looking to drop a lot of money for some name recognition. Plus, you have to consider that they sold their naming rights to a casino which in high times probably has profits that easily clears the 700k mark every month. (They do, the firm I work for has designed many capital improvement projects at many of the Indian Reservations in SD County.)

And don’t get me started on the whole NCAA frowning upon gambling issues here and the irony of having a casino buy naming rights at a athletic venue on a college campus.

FYI, if I ever run a business, I wouldn’t do it without getting an MBA, nor would I give a damn about how you think it should be ran.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

If 8,900 student College of Charleston who beat UNC-Chapel Hill yesterday can build a $45M state of the art arena, why can't Sac State with over 180,000 grads find the money for an arena. Are all of our grads working at the Walmart return counter? Surely, there is somebody who has some seed money.

http://www.cofcsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14800&ATCLID=717604

Montana State just received a $500,000 donation, see the economy is not as bad as the press makes it out to be.

http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7890

 

[JackHornet]

There weren't a lot of people bidding for the naming rights to Cox. SDSU got most of that money up front, I believe 80%, so they are spending it on athletics.

You also should have read further to this:

"Cox paid $4.8 million for 12 years when the arena opened in 1997. It was built for more than $30 million at the site of the Aztec Bowl football stadium. Cox decided not to renew the deal."

So SDSU went from $400,000 a year to almost $700,000 a year for naming rights. Not a bad deal.

They didn’t get many bids because the economy is down. SDSU should have toughed it out and they could have landed a more lucrative deal. If anything, they should have pushed for a short term deal to weather this economic storm so they could renegotiate a better deal sooner rather than latter. Plus the long term deal the casino signed is definitely in their advantage as their name will be on the arena for the next decade. If SDSU did take most of the money upfront, the will most likely squander it and will need to find more money elsewhere.

Do you know anything about business and marketing? So you're saying that a school should wait until this recession is over until signing a deal for naming rights? Or they should have a 2-3 year deal and hope that it will mean more money. Please do not run a business.

If Sac St had the same decision to make, they would have done exactly the samething as SDSU.

I understand the need for money, and I realize that is why they agreed to this deal. I am saying they undersold their facilities at a time when many businesses aren’t looking to drop a lot of money for some name recognition. Plus, you have to consider that they sold their naming rights to a casino which in high times probably has profits that easily clears the 700k mark every month. (They do, the firm I work for has designed many capital improvement projects at many of the Indian Reservations in SD County.)

And don’t get me started on the whole NCAA frowning upon gambling issues here and the irony of having a casino buy naming rights at a athletic venue on a college campus.

FYI, if I ever run a business, I wouldn’t do it without getting an MBA, nor would I give a d@mn about how you think it should be ran.

You still don't get it. They didn't undersell the naming rights. In this economy they got a great deal.

When your business fails don't ask taxpayers for a bailout.