New football stadium or basketball arena?

[Green Cookie Monster]

You decide:

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/11/5252038/leading-off-same-sad-song-still.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bee has an open poll asking which would you rather have built first?

My vote: football stadium

 

[SJHornet]

Easy one for me: basketball. Football stadium is fugly, but works. Seats 20+k, has the Broad Center, room for plenty of vendors and the bare minimum amenities. The Nest is simply not suitable in its current state for a successful D1 program.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

Yes, we really direly need both, but I chose football, as a new permanent facility is visible from the outside (Hwy 50) and has more of a wow factor. An arena is just a big boxy building. A big boxy building that is woefully needed though.

Oh well. as I have said, I will believe it when I see it. There was no mention of this at the upcoming CSU regents meeting, so the next available date for this to be discussed by the regents is late May.

Once it is discussed by the regents it will be another 2-3 years before any dirt is turned. :roll:

 

[superhornet]

I HATE the erector set stadium, but I agree with SJ that if we have to go with one first, it's GOT to be the arena. We don't just have MBB to worry about; there is ALSO WBB/WVB/Gym, and perhaps some others that can move in there. A decent arena can also host other events that would not be appropriate for the stadium, like graduation (currently at Sleep Train) and concerts. We could also potentially lure other teams to a new 5-15K arena.

 

[SDHornet]

I voted events center. Obviously I would like to have both but I think an events center it is needed more than a stadium. The events center would be used by the entire university and can be sold as such (i.e. it gives Gonzo a way to politically sell it to the academics as not just being an athletics facility).

I think we are still a year or two away from seeing movement on it again. Right now (based on Gonzo's spring address and the athletics 5 year strategic plan) the focus seems to be getting the master plan revised and updated for its unveiling in 2014. If the time is used wisely, Gonzo can hit the ground running towards whatever campus improvements he wants to champion. This will also give the AD time to organize some kind of effort as well.

 

[Green Laser]

I voted for the arena. The football stadium may not be fancy but it is serviceable for the foreseeable future, it has the second highest capacity in the BSC. Upgrades such as restrooms, press box, permanent seating could be made in stages similar to what was done at Nevada. Both stadiums started out as twins when Nevada and the Hornets were in the Far Western Conference. For you guys that want the track removed, get real. Many FBS teams still have a track in the football stadium, Nevada even Washington before they opened their new stadium.
A better solution would be to have temp seating covering the track and behind the end zones during football season if necessary. If the track was removed a new track stadium seating 6,000-8,000 would have to built maybe where the south parking lot is. This would be a set up similar to Stanford where Angel Track Stadium is across the street from Stanford Stadium. The current track practice track area is no longer suitable since the Well ate up so much of the area. Lets face it we have a very good track and field program, we need to support it.

The Nest on the other hand is an embarrassment, clearly not suited for Division 1. A new arena needs to be our top priority.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

How many people attend a collegiate track event at Sac State? Other than the Olympic Trials and NCAA championships, do we need a 22,000 Track stadium? Those national track events will never return to Sac State as Nike has bankrolled upgrading the Oregon facility to be the defacto NCAA venue.

The current stadium could be dismantled and re-adjusted quite easily and repurposed as a stadium around the practice track. Maybe use 3,-5,000 of the seats and place them along the RR side of the track, use the pressbox too. You could even use the new arrangement for the soccer teams.

Make Hornet stadium a football only facility.

 

[SactoHornetAlum]

The track meets won't return because of the FieldTurf, not just because of Uncle Phil bankrolling Oregon.
Green Laser is right in that the physical footprint where the practice track is cannot be enlarged to a full 8-lane track around anymore because of The Well.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

The track meets won't return because of the FieldTurf, not just because of Uncle Phil bankrolling Oregon.
Green Laser is right in that the physical footprint where the practice track is cannot be enlarged to a full 8-lane track around anymore because of The Well.

Ok, I thought the practice track was 8 lane. Guess we are stuck with poor sitelines for any future stadium redo.

 

[SactoHornetAlum]

The track meets won't return because of the FieldTurf, not just because of Uncle Phil bankrolling Oregon.
Green Laser is right in that the physical footprint where the practice track is cannot be enlarged to a full 8-lane track around anymore because of The Well.

Ok, I thought the practice track was 8 lane. Guess we are stuck with poor sitelines for any future stadium redo.

The practice track has 6 lanes on the front straight and it's 2 lanes around the rest of it.

 

[SJHornet]

I think, if the stadium is ever renovated, they should rebuild it so the lower deck/section slides over the track for football. Some schools have similar set ups, I just unfortunately can't remember any at the moment (possibly South Dakota?). A few schools back east have indoor tracks that they put bleachers over for basketball. Same basic deal. There isn't too much room, or money, to build a new track complex. Might as well utilize our resources best we can.

 

[Green Laser]

I doubt that we would ever get the Olympic Trials back. Nike bankrolled the Eugene effort once Sacramento set the attendance standards. Sac State also hurt our chances once the throws were taken out of the stadium, the Olympic Trials wants as many events as possible in the main stadium. And then the turf was installed. The practice track area is simply no longer large enough since the Well was built. It is not a full track and there is no area to warm up, not to mention the 8,000-10,000 needed to continue hosting major meets. The existing practice track area barely has enough room for practice. While we may not get the Trials back but there are major meets such as NCAA Division 1 Championships, which we successfully hosted several times, BSC Championships and other major meets. There is even been talk of placing a bid for the CIF High School State Meet. That would be great to expose the campus to the greatest athletes in the state, many of which play football, basketball etc. If we went for a new football stadium maybe they could build one from scratch in the south parking lot. They could then reduce seating, remove the turf, reinstall the throws area and once again have a world class track and field facility. I am a big fan of Hornet Football, I haven't missed a home game in years. My game day experience was never affected by having a track in the stadium, I don't know what the big deal is. I don't follow basketball as closely but every time I
go to the Nest it's embarrassing. it looks even worse on TV. It's a wonder that the coaches can recruit as much talent as they have. We seriously need to make a major upgrade of the Nest or a new arena our top priority.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

Not to mention the 8,000-10,000 needed to continue hosting major meets.

Wow, I had no idea that many people attend a Hornet track event.

In hindsight, It does make economical sense to combine the track/football stadium together.

 

[Chi-Town Hornet Fan]

Being a football fan first and foremost it pains me to say I agree with others that say that an arena needs to be built first. As much as I would like to see an improved or new football stadium the football stadium is at least adequate for the level or football that is played at Sac State at this time. On the other hand the Nest is woefully inadequate as a Division 1 basketball facility. I have seen better basketball facilities at some high schools. I believe this does affect basketball recruiting to some extent. What high caliber basketball player is going to want to play at university that has worse facilities than some high schools. Also as others have said the arena could be used for more than just basketball which is also a plus in favor of building the arena first.

 

[just a sac state fan]

Being a football fan first and foremost it pains me to say I agree with others that say that an arena needs to be built first. As much as I would like to see an improved or new football stadium the football stadium is at least adequate for the level or football that is played at Sac State at this time. On the other hand the Nest is woefully inadequate as a Division 1 basketball facility. I have seen better basketball facilities at some high schools. I believe this does affect basketball recruiting to some extent. What high caliber basketball player is going to want to play at university that has worse facilities than some high schools. Also as others have said the arena could be used for more than just basketball which is also a plus in favor of building the arena first.

This idea gets my vote.

 

[OldHornet]

I'm not sure why there is so much debate on this topic, it's a very clear decision - NEITHER WILL HAPPEN ANYTIME SOON!!! hno:

 

[Hornet25]

Arena, for all the reasons previously stated. It's the one venue we have that is substandard in terms of capacity. I don't think lack of an adequate facility has a slight affect on recruiting. I think it has a major affect on recruiting. We're not drafting players. We're selling. Good players have options. When they have options, facility comparisons come into play. Sac State loses that battle 9/10 times, if not more.