Texas Stadium has been replaced by Cowboys Stadium which is a phenomenal venue. It’s always sad to see old sports venues be replaced as we lose a piece of sports history in the process. Locals told me when I was in Dallas on #sportsgeektrip that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was trying to sell the implosion of Texas Stadium to Hollywood to be used in a major action film to help offset the costs of demolishing the venue. He didn’t get any takers but we are lucky enough to see it captured in film in 3D no less. (Hat tip to @gizmodo & @aussiegoldy)
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Archive for the ‘Stadiums’ Category
05
May
2010
Goodbye Texas Stadium. KABOOM!
03
May
2010
AAMI Park signage misses mark
As I walked past construction workers putting the finishing touches on the “Bubble Dome” to be known as AAMI Park, I couldn’t help thinking the naming rights signage was a missed opportunity. AAMI recently won the naming rights for Melbourne’s newest sporting stadium but they must be disappointed on two points. Obviously the current problems at the Melbourne Storm would have given AAMI executives reason to pause with the Storm being one of 4 major tenants with A-Leagues Melbourne Victory, Melbourne Heart and new Super 15 team Melbourne Rebels.
The naming rights was a terrific opportunity as AAMI could be displayed to the sporting public on one side of the venue in full view of tennis & football fans. On the other side Melbourne’s commuters would not be able to ignore the signage as they entered the Burnley Tunnel every morning. Unfortunately, the stadium’s unique bubble structure would not support the weight of a naming rights sign. Interesting to note, that this is what it was supposed to look like via @austadiums.
One of the Signage posts outside AAMI Park
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16
Jan
2010
Cowboys Stadium… WOW!
Yesterday I toured
Cowboys Stadium, I know they say things are big in Texas but that was ridiculous.
The screen alone cost $40M weighs as much as a full Airbus. The roof sagged 5 inches when it was first attached.
I was lucky enough to take the tour while the Cowboys were preparing for their playoff encounter against Brett Favre’s Minnesota Vikings. To simulate the the noise expected by Vikings fans they pumped crowd noise throughout the stadium. While standing in the end zone I recorded this, have a listen.
Crowd Noise During Cowboys Practice
Unfortunately no video was allowed but check out the Cowboys Stadium photo gallery for some great shots.
I wouldn’t be Sports Geek if I wasn’t impressed with the full-on DataCenter that is the heart of the stadium. Standard stuff from an IT point of view but everyone seemed very impressed with the Mission-Impossible style description “6 seconds to get out if there’s a fire, as the oxygen is sucked out of the room”.
Additionally Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys spent $1.4B in conjunction with the City of Arlington on the stadium but only 90% suites have been sold so if you can help him out with the other 10% click here.
I jokingly referred to Cowboys Stadium as the “Death Star” which I think Jerry Jones would like. Little did I know that is one of the names the locals have given it. Tours have been extremely popular with 150,000 people touring the venue in it’s first 127 days. It has a staff of 6,200 on game day and will host the 2010 NBA All-Star game and the 2011 Super Bowl.
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Contact Sports Geek for more info on the Sports Geek Study Trip.
16
Jan
2010
Great night at the AAC
On Wednesday night I went to check out two of the NBA powerhouses Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers at the Mavs’ home court American Airlines Center.
One of the reasons that Dallas was picked for the #sportsgeektrip was to meet Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban who I consider a fellow Sports Geek. Unfortunately, he was unable to meet me during the season but he was kind enough to reply and wish me well on the #sportsgeektrip. Outside the AAC there was a definite buzz with the Lakers in town. The Mavs Street Team ran promotions with inflatable hoops keeping the young fans entertained as well as a DJ & host promoting the game and firing up the fans.
One promotion I liked was free tickets to fans who made the “extra” effort. Fans turned up in costumes, full body paint, wigs, etc and for that they received a standing room ticket at the end of the court.
I did a lap of the American Airlines Center concourse, it wasn’t as spacious as the Staple Center but it used every inch efficiently for concessions, promotions & merchandising. I was seated just above the visitor’s tunnel behind the Maverick’s bench. As luck would’ve have it Mark Cuban was sitting 30 feet in front of me. It was quite funny to seem him motion to the bench to turn the music up during the introductions to get the fans fired up.
The Mavs provide great entertainment value for the fan outside the great talent on the floor. With the Mavs Surround Sound Drumline & the ManiAACs providing plenty of energy during the game (check out video below). One nice touch was the fact the rims were miked up, if a shot clunked out you heard it likewise if Dirk swished a 3 -ball you caught that as well. The video production work on the scoreboards were both more entertaining (Ron Burgundy provided the security notices) and more informative with stats provided throughout the night than the Staples Center.
What happened next I can only explain in one word… awesome!
After a few tweets pre-game..
@seancallanan – G’day @mcuban, Sports Geek here… If you sitting near me in Section 115, Row H, Seat 7 stop by and say hi 
#sportsgeektrip #gomavs 3:52 PM Jan 13th from Tweetie
@seancallanan – G’day @bradmayne, I’ve arrived at your arena to see the Mavs hand the Lakers a lesson #sportsgeektrip #gomavs http://twitpic.com/xz8ka 3:40 PM Jan 13th from Tweetie
Brad Mayne, CEO of American Airline Center, stopped by seat and invited me back to his suite at the Platinum Club. At half-time I checked out the Platinum club level and met up with Brad at his suite. Great view of the game and in the second half Dirk Nowitzki scored his 20,000 NBA point. With a Foster’s in hand (apparently the Aussie reputation for liking beer precedes us) I was able to meet some great people who manage facilities around the globe for Global Spectrum as well as learn more about IAAM (International Association of Assembly Managers Foundation).
Great facility Brad, I highly recommend taking in a game at the AAC if you’re in Dallas. I’ll be back on Saturday to see some more NHL when the Dallas Stars take on the Detroit Red Wings. Tweet me @seancallanan if you want an impromptu #sportsgeektweetup, but it will take a but to beat that one
For more photos of #sportsgeektrip become a fan of Sports Geek on Facebook
Contact Sports Geek for more info on the Sports Geek Study Trip.
09
Jan
2010
Tailgating at BCS Championship game
After checking out the Clippers defeat the Lakers at Staples on Wednesday night (blog post to follow) I decided to check out the BCS Championship Game at the Rose Bowl.
The Rose Bowl web site didn’t provide that much information on tickets sales, as it was the BCS Championship Game I assumed it was sold out with so many Alabama and Texas fans in LA. Either way I thought I’d see what was on offer at the ESPN Tailgate Party.
I arrived in Pasadena and parked on the golf course next to the Rose Bowl (the greens keeper definitely earns his money after 90,000 people park, walk and tailgate all over the course). Several “traditional” tailgators were setup in the parking lot – no expense spared: big screen TVs, satellite dish, , BBQs and large eskys (or coolers as they are called in US). This was 7 hours before the game kickoff!
The ESPN Tailgate cost $25 to enter but with little else on offer it was the place to be. ESPN as presenting partner was everywhere, including the College Football team broadcasting the pre-game show. Other sponsors included Taco Bell, AT&T, XBox, All-State & Direct TV.
Getting fans active was a big success with most fans drawn to attractions where they got to throw, pass or kick. Giveaways were a close second no matter how small the freebie on offer was the fans were attracted like bees to honey. Taco Bell did will with the Couch Touchdown and the Obstacle course. AT& T tent was always full, fans lined up for hours to get autographs from former Alabama & Texas stars like Vince Yound and Ricky Williams
There was plenty of food stalls all doing a roaring trade, unfortunately the bar service was deplorable. I don’t know if it was by design or not but I did talk to a few fans who were more than annoyed at the slow service. Perhaps ID verified wristbands and more bar staff would have made an improvement.
Not expecting to attend the game I headed off to watch the game on TV, I avoided several people trying to sell tickets upwards of $350 (by people I mean scalpers at 150%+ of face value (side note: 15 arrests for scalping)). After talking to some Texas fans tailgating near my car I found out the game wasn’t sold out and single tickets were available. So with ticket in hand I entered the Rose Bowl. Other than it being a hard stadium to get navigate (then again 94,000 people do provide logistics problems) it was an awesome game. Unlucky for the Texas Longhorns to lose QB Colt McCoy in the first quarter, but congrats the Alabama on winning the game. Fans of college football love their teams, everybody I mean everybody was wearing team colors I have no doubt you could pick me out in the TV coverage as I was wearing a grey hoodie amongst a sea of orange and crimson. It’s easy to see the why the focus on pre-game activities as most fans stood, cheered, hollered ALL game never leaving their seats.
I have so much more to report but I’ve gotta go… more sport, never enough.
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