NCAA coming to Milwaukee

[MU/Panther]

2017!
https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/534394399174565888/photo/1

[MayorBeluga]

2017!
https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/534394399174565888/photo/1

Well hashed over before, but the only reason the BC sold out in 2014 was the placement of the government school here. Even that really did not do it as seats were available for basically face on game day. Unless said government school returns in 2017, look for lots of empty seats. Too many fans have come to the realization that it's not worth it to pay inflated prices to the corrupt NCAA, paying inflated food prices and being locked into watching only the game on the floor (no cutting away to other games during the TV-related longer timeouts) when you could stay at home or hit a sports bar, watch 4 games at once for a fraction of the price. [/rant].

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Seems expected, wish we could watch Marquette play here. I'll be more interested when we get a regional final and a chance to host our own team in that. Seriously, I wish Madison would actually bid on this. The d-bags just take advantage of us hosting to get a home crowd environment, it'd be nice if they returned that favor.

[CaribouJim]

Well hashed over before, but the only reason the BC sold out in 2014 was the placement of the government school here. Even that really did not do it as seats were available for basically face on game day. Unless said government school returns in 2017, look for lots of empty seats. Too many fans have come to the realization that it's not worth it to pay inflated prices to the corrupt NCAA, paying inflated food prices and being locked into watching only the game on the floor (no cutting away to other games during the TV-related longer timeouts) when you could stay at home or hit a sports bar, watch 4 games at once for a fraction of the price. [/rant].

Debbie Downer!

[MU/Panther]

Every year the Bradley Center has hosted, has sold-out.

[TheSultan]

Seems expected, wish we could watch Marquette play here. I'll be more interested when we get a regional final and a chance to host our own team in that. Seriously, I wish Madison would actually bid on this. The d-bags just take advantage of us hosting to get a home crowd environment, it'd be nice if they returned that favor.


I'm not sure Madison is considered large enough to host any longer.

[Nukem2]

Every year the Bradley center has hosted, has sold-out.Yep. Usually good crowds whether or not Bucky is around.

PS, it sold out at the Arena as well in the 80's prior to the BC.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

Yep. Usually good crowds whether or not Bucky is around.

Exactly, the NCAA doesn't care if the seats are full, they care if they are all paid for... Almost any site you go to has empty seats for most games. People buy the full packages and then pick and choose which games they want to go to.

[Litehouse]

I'm not sure Madison is considered large enough to host any longer.

Can't be that, all these places are hosting and are smaller than the Kohl Center.
Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence 12,400
Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines 16,110
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena 14,000
Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita 15,000
Taco Bell Arena in Boise 12,644
Viejas Arena in San Diego 12,414

I think Madison doesn't host because they're committed to either the HS tournaments or the new Big Ten hockey tournament at the Kohl Center now.

[unclejohn]

I have not attended in a long time, but when I did, it was worth the price of admission. Louisville played Tulsa in an overtime game to start it out, and since we were in C-USA with Louisville at the time, they had a fair amount of support (well, that and their smoking hot dance team.) Of course lots of people drifted out during the 2-14 and 3-13 games, which were predictably terrible. Time to break for dinner. But the whole thing is just exciting, and the fact that you can now watch all the games on your phone makes it easy enough to see them all if that is what you are inclined to do. The NCAA does set it up so that you are not missing your team's games by watching someone else's by scheduling them on different days.

[TheSultan]

Can't be that, all these places are hosting and are smaller than the Kohl Center.
Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence 12,400
Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines 16,110
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena 14,000
Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita 15,000
Taco Bell Arena in Boise 12,644
Viejas Arena in San Diego 12,414

I think Madison doesn't host because they're committed to either the HS tournaments or the new Big Ten hockey tournament at the Kohl Center now.


I'm sorry...not the arena. I have mentioned this before, but when they hosted the regional, I was told there were complaints from some of the teams and media about the hotels being distant from the KC and about overall accessibility via airlines.

[Litehouse]

I'm sorry...not the arena. I have mentioned this before, but when they hosted the regional, I was told there were complaints from some of the teams and media about the hotels being distant from the KC and about overall accessibility via airlines.

I can't imagine Des Moines, Wichita, Spokane and Boise fare much better than Madison in those departments. There's obviously a difference between the first weekend and the Regionals on the second weekend, which is what Madison hosted a few years ago, but I'm not sure why Madison doesn't try for the 1st weekend, other than the scheduling conflicts.

[TheSultan]

I can't imagine Des Moines, Wichita, Spokane and Boise fare much better than Madison in those departments. There's obviously a difference between the first weekend and the Regionals on the second weekend, which is what Madison hosted a few years ago, but I'm not sure why Madison doesn't try for the 1st weekend, other than the scheduling conflicts.


Actually the first weekend is worse because they have to find space for eight teams instead of four.

Look, I am just telling you what I was told by someone who would know. "It's hard for teams and media to get flights and be in a hotel close the Kohl Center" is almost a direct quote. I'm sure if it were important to them they would find a way, but since the KC gets so much use by UW and WIAA, it isn't a burning issue for them.

[IWB]

Madison has hockey to contend with, which makes it difficult. I don't know much about all of the cities, but Des Moines is a fit. They host the Drake Relays which is one of the largest track meets in the nation. They are prepared and equipped for events like this. People from Des Moines, Iowa State and Iowa would all buy tickets.

Boise on the other hand - why? They get the tourney almost every other year and you always see tons of empty seats.

[Goose85]

Maybe Boise is one of the few west coast cities that put in a bid to get the games.

[Goose85]

Here are the sites for 2016 - 2018.

I see the NCAA is now changing the early games in Dayton from First round games to First Four games.

I'd guess Milwaukee / MU must just put in for first / second round games, but once the new facility is built, I'd like to see Milwaukee / MU put in for the Regional Games.


2016 HOST ROUND SITE VENUE
March 15-16 Dayton First Four Dayton, Ohio UD Arena
March 17, 19 Providence First, Second Providence, R.I. Dunkin Donuts Center
March 17, 19 Iowa State First, Second Des Moines, Iowa Wells Fargo Arena
March 17, 19 NC State First, Second Raleigh, N.C. PNC Arena
March 17, 19 Mountain West First, Second Denver Pepsi Center
March 18, 20 Atlantic 10 First, Second Brooklyn, N.Y. Barclays Center
March 18, 20 Missouri Valley First, Second St. Louis Scottrade Center
March 18, 20 Big 12 First, Second Oklahoma City Chesapeake Energy Arena
March 18, 20 Idaho First, Second Spokane, Wash. Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
March 24, 26 Big West West Regional Anaheim, Calif. Honda Center
March 24, 26 Louisville South Regional Louisville, Ky. KFC YUM! Center
March 25, 27 Big Ten Midwest Regional Chicago United Center
March 25, 27 LaSalle East Regional Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center

2017 HOST ROUND SITE VENUE
March 14, 15 Dayton First Four Dayton, Ohio UD Arena
March 16, 18 MAAC First, Second Buffalo, N.Y. First Niagara Center
March 16, 18 Marquette First, Second Milwaukee BMO Harris Bradley Center
March 16, 18 UCF, Stetson First, Second Orlando, Fla. Amway Center
March 16, 18 Utah First, Second Salt Lake City EnergySolutions Arena
March 17, 19 ACC First, Second Greensboro, N.C. Greensboro Coliseum
March 17, 19 Horizon, IUPUI First, Second Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldhouse
March 17, 19 Tulsa First, Second Tulsa, Okla. BOK Center
March 17, 19 CSU Sacramento First, Second Sacramento, Calif. Entertainment and Sports Center
March 23, 25 Big 12 Midwest Regional Kansas City Sprint Center
March 23,25 Pac-12 West Regional San Jose, Calif. SAP Center
March 24, 26 Memphis South Regional Memphis, Tenn. FedExForum
March 24, 26 St. John’s, Big East East Regional New York Madison Square Garden

2018 HOST ROUND SITE VENUE
March 13-14 Dayton First Four Dayton, Ohio UD Arena
March 15, 17 Duquesne First, Second Pittsburgh CONSOL Energy Center
March 15, 17 Wichita State, MVC First, Second Wichita, Kan. Intrust Bank Arena
March 15, 17 Big 12 First, Second Dallas American Airlines Center
March 15, 17 Boise State First, Second Boise, Idaho Taco Bell Arena
March 16, 18 UNC Charlotte First, Second Charlotte, N.C. Time Warner Cable Arena
March 16, 18 Detroit, Mercy First, Second Detroit New Detroit Arena
March 16, 18 Ohio Valley First, Second Nashville, Tenn. Bridgestone Arena
March 16, 18 San Diego State First, Second San Diego Viejas Arena
March 22, 24 Georgia Tech South Regional Atlanta Philips Arena
March 22, 24 Pepperdine West Regional Los Angeles Staples Center
March 23, 25 Boston College East Regional Boston TD Garden
March 23, 25 Creighton Midwest Regional Omaha, Neb. CenturyLink Center

[MU/Panther]

Great to see Wichita host for the first time since the early 90's. I enjoy new cities that get the bid.

[MU/Panther]

I saw by Goodman, that the 1st and 2nd in "name" is coming back in 2016.

[IWB]

Goo - true, Boise may be one of the few west Coasters to put in for it, but as long as they are using the crap pod system, is it really necessary to play out West?

"Ok, in Boise we have seeds 2, 7, 10 & 15 from the East region and seeds 4, 5, 10 & 12 from the South Region." Whoo Hooo!!!! Wait, why the hell are we in Boise?

Bradley Center - New Arena - NCAA 1 & 2 vs 3 & 4.... We had Marotta on our show last night. He said they love the 1st & 2nd round because there are 8 teams, more games and more action. I think there is one reason for smaller crowds and it is pretty obvious. When Milwaukee started getting the 1st & 2nd rounds at the Arena and then the BC, Marquette was not exactly a mainstay in the Big Dance. Sure, people liked seeing MU play in the NIT, but when the NCAAs came to town, the host school/MU fans bought up all of the tickets. Now MU is a mainstay in the NCAAs and people would rather travel to see them play.

On to the new arena situation, specifically the opposition. Marotta says the BC directly or indirectly employs 1,200 people, and is used between 180-200 times per year. Now if they build a new facility it will be used more than 200 times per year. He said when it comes to concerts, the large acts schedule 2 dates in Chicago, a date in Detroit.... and then they circle around and do 1-2 more shows in the Midwest. Usually decide between Indy, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Omaha.... Milwaukee is often overlooked. With a new stadium, Milwaukee wiull not be overlooked and will draw some of the top touring acts.

Ok - 200+ events a year and employing 1,200 people, not including the workers at hotels, bars, restaurants etc? How is this not a no-brainer?

[TedBaxter]

Ok - 200+ events a year and employing 1,200 people, not including the workers at hotels, bars, restaurants etc? How is this not a no-brainer?

Some people are brain dead or are so cheap they don't want to part with any of their own taxed money for the good of the community.

[GOMU1104]

Goo - true, Boise may be one of the few west Coasters to put in for it, but as long as they are using the crap pod system, is it really necessary to play out West?

Ok - 200+ events a year and employing 1,200 people, not including the workers at hotels, bars, restaurants etc? How is this not a no-brainer?

It is a no-brainer, so long as a significant portion (if not all) is funded without the use of public money.

[IWB]

Why should there not be any public money used? It will not be the Bucks that own the stadium, it will be the state. Why should the state not help finance their own facility?

[MU/Panther]

Bradley Center - New Arena - NCAA 1 & 2 vs 3 & 4.... We had Marotta on our show last night. He said they love the 1st & 2nd round because there are 8 teams, more games and more action. I think there is one reason for smaller crowds and it is pretty obvious. When Milwaukee started getting the 1st & 2nd rounds at the Arena and then the BC, Marquette was not exactly a mainstay in the Big Dance. Sure, people liked seeing MU play in the NIT, but when the NCAAs came to town, the host school/MU fans bought up all of the tickets. Now MU is a mainstay in the NCAAs and people would rather travel to see them play.

?
Couple more things that are major factors. I went in 1992, 96, 99, 04, 10 and in 2014. I will also have tickets in 2017. Let's just say you have to take out a loan to get NCAA tourament tickets now a days as the NCAA charges way too much for tickets as we now live in a world of every game being on TV on CBS, TNT, TBS and Tru Tv on our 50 plus size HD TV's.

[GOMU1104]

That's exactly the point. It should be the Bucks' arena. If they want a new facility, their owners should pay for it. As should every other owner in professional sports.

From what it looks like, between theirs and Herb's investment, it seems like they are footing a significant portion of the bill. As they should.

There are endless studies on the inefficiency of taxes on publicly funded stadiums, the overstating of economic impact, etc.

I want a new arena for the city and for Marquette, but that doesn't mean it should be publicly financed.

[Goose85]

That's exactly the point. It should be the Bucks' arena. If they want a new facility, their owners should pay for it. As should every other owner in professional sports.

From what it looks like, between theirs and Herb's investment, it seems like they are footing a significant portion of the bill. As they should.

There are endless studies on the inefficiency of taxes on publicly funded stadiums, the overstating of economic impact, etc.

I want a new arena for the city and for Marquette, but that doesn't mean it should be publicly financed.

So is it wrong for the State of Wisconsin to give millions in tax credits to help Amazon build a facility in Kenosha? I would imagine it would provide less economic impact than a new facility that keeps an NBA team in the state. I don't see tax payers complaining about Amazon, and the many other companies benefiting from TIFs that are created every year in Wisconsin.

Amazon doesn't expect to create more jobs in Kenosha than those employed by the Bradley Center, and my guess is Amazon won't have employees in the Kenosha location that pay upwards of $11 million in state income tax annually (Bucks players and staff). Amazon has more money than the Bucks owners, so using that logic, why should the state and the city of Kenosha kick in at all?

No inefficiency of tax money on this new stadium, as all state bonding would be paid for directly by income taxes generated by the Bucks employees. This tax income will leave if the Bucks leave, so no real tax impact to Wisconsin.

Also consider we have 3 billionaires ready to invest their money in developing Milwaukee. These guys aren't just looking to make money off the Bucks, they are looking to develop the area around the stadium too. I'm sure their charitable giving to the community will be substantial. I'd bet those studies don't take that into consideration.

[TheSultan]

That's exactly the point. It should be the Bucks' arena. If they want a new facility, their owners should pay for it. As should every other owner in professional sports.

From what it looks like, between theirs and Herb's investment, it seems like they are footing a significant portion of the bill. As they should.

There are endless studies on the inefficiency of taxes on publicly funded stadiums, the overstating of economic impact, etc.

I want a new arena for the city and for Marquette, but that doesn't mean it should be publicly financed.


You can publicly finance a stadium without the economic impact justification. If the city, county, state, etc. want a stadium to keep the Bucks around...then they can build one.

Public investments to increase "quality of life" have been around for as long as governments have been around. Parks...zoos...museums, etc. Stadiums and arenas fit in that same category.

[MUMac]

Great to see Wichita host for the first time since the early 90's. I enjoy new cities that get the bid.

I was there when WSU hosted the last time. It was my first Regional, living in Wichita at the time. The Fab 5 - 1 were there. They had a sign on their bus that said "Just Passing through".

[TedBaxter]

There are two issue's to me with a new arena and none really are affected by my Marquette fandom.

1). Does Milwaukee and Wisconsin want to invest in something that will keep a professional sports franchise in the state, keep or increase jobs and help redefine downtown Milwaukee with new investors.

2). Can Milwaukee and Wisconsin afford the negative impact economically and to it's reputation by losing major league sport knowing it will never get another one?

[IWB]

Not to mention, as owners of a professional sports franchise they can move it to any city in the country. Cities with a larger population, cities with better weather, cities with more opportunity. They need a reason to be in Milwaukee. Saying screw you, build your own facility is not the way to do business. Do you have any idea how many companies/businesses in Wisconsin and Milwaukee do not own the building they are in? The Bucks are a tenant. The Admirals are tenants. Marquette is a tenant. Owning the building means the state makes money off of rental fees, concerts, concessions, parking etc. It is a good business move.

Who gets the parking fees in the three biggest lots associated with the BC? The state and the city of Milwaukee. Do you know how much they make off of that over the course of 200 events in a year? more than $25k per event. Let's see, that's $5,000,000 per year just in parking alone. Then add in facility rental fees, concessions etc, that is a huge money maker. Yep, why should they have to throw any money in?

Look, over the last several years the Bucks lost money. Nobody knows how much because Herb Kohl won't say, but they LOST MONEY. However, the Bradley Center (aka the STATE) did NOT lose money, THEY MADE MONEY! It is their facility - if the stadium isn't built, the Bucks leave, major concerts won't come and the state will have to pay a crap load to maintain the BC. It is in the city and state's best interest to pony up and help make sure the stadium gets built.

[GOMU1104]

Not to mention, as owners of a professional sports franchise they can move it to any city in the country. Cities with a larger population, cities with better weather, cities with more opportunity. They need a reason to be in Milwaukee. Saying screw you, build your own facility is not the way to do business.


Well, no, they cant just up and move to any city they want.

Either way...so you're OK with owners of professional sports teams holding cities/counties/states hostage and forcing them to build them $500 million facilities all on taxpayer money? That's ridiculous.

Again, as I said initially, Milwaukee is lucky in that they already have significant investments from Kohl and the new ownership group. Hopefully they can land a naming rights deal to add on top of that. If they don't, are you confident in a vote passing to approve public financing?

[IWB]

The only reason they can't move to any city they want is because Kohl put it in the agreement, but if the owners went to the NBA and said look, if the stadium isn't built you take owner ship. We tried, they won't do it, instead of taking ownership let us keep the team and move it.....the NBA will allow.

I never said the city should pay for 100%, I don't believe in that, but other cities have done it.

They don't need a vote, as stated above, there are other ways.

[GOMU1104]

The only reason they can't move to any city they want is because Kohl put it in the agreement, but if the owners went to the NBA and said look, if the stadium isn't built you take owner ship. We tried, they won't do it, instead of taking ownership let us keep the team and move it.....the NBA will allow.

I never said the city should pay for 100%, I don't believe in that, but other cities have done it.

They don't need a vote, as stated above, there are other ways.

Both the Jock Tax and the TIF have flaws, but regardless, a vote of some sort would be required...right?

[Goose85]

Well, no, they cant just up and move to any city they want.

Either way...so you're OK with owners of professional sports teams holding cities/counties/states hostage and forcing them to build them $500 million facilities all on taxpayer money? That's ridiculous.

Again, as I said initially, Milwaukee is lucky in that they already have significant investments from Kohl and the new ownership group. Hopefully they can land a naming rights deal to add on top of that. If they don't, are you confident in a vote passing to approve public financing?

For the most part, depending on lease agreements, etc, teams can move to any city they want. See Cleveland Browns to Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Supersonics to OKC, Raiders from Oakland to LA back to Oakland, etc.

I don't know of any stadium where the city / state was expected to pay the full $500 million. The Packers have spent $500 million over the last 10 years, but that was a combination of tax money and team money.

I am pretty confident that Walker will allow a shifting of Bucks related income tax proceeds to cover a $150 million bond to help with new facility related costs. Crazy to give taxpayer money to a number of businesses that don't generate the tax revenue the Bucks / arena do, and then not do the same for Milwaukee.

[GOMU1104]

I don't know of any stadium where the city / state was expected to pay the full $500 million. The Packers have spent $500 million over the last 10 years, but that was a combination of tax money and team money.

.

Miami Marlins