Home
Forums
New Posts
Illini Basketball
Illini Football
Sports Talk
Log in
Register
What's new
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Sports
Illini Football
Big Ten Stadiums/Arenas (or Towns/Campuses) You Have Visited
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Fighter of the Nightman" data-source="post: 1803655" data-attributes="member: 590800"><p>Also, it is kind of interesting to look at what just some of our Big Ten peers have done in the past couple decades as far as getting rid of an old stadium/arena or renovating it significantly. In this age of "atmosphere" and a "throwback" style kind of being cool, I wonder if any ADs wish they would have taken a slightly different route:</p><p></p><p><strong>Indiana: Memorial Stadium renovation</strong></p><p><img src="https://www.insidethehall.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/memorialstadium.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.thedailyhoosier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Memorial-Stadium.png?resize=905%2C509&ssl=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 350px" /></p><p>Neither is a showstopper, but I would say this was an undeniable improvement by any objective measure.</p><p></p><p><strong>Iowa: Kinnick Stadium renovation</strong></p><p><img src="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/qctimes.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/c6/9c6fd490-fa15-51c1-a5ea-408dd503df52/9c6fd490-fa15-51c1-a5ea-408dd503df52.image.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/july-21-2019-iowa-city-260nw-1458959615.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 293px" /></p><p>Absolute homerun here, updated it while keeping the same feel and actually making it look better.</p><p></p><p><strong>Michigan: Big House renovation</strong></p><p><img src="https://www.mlive.com/resizer/ltnPCMTkx87IpCKrfe7dDyPaBBs=/1280x0/smart/advancelocal-adapter-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/image.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/width2048/img/wolverines_impact/photo/23282908-standard.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 392px" /> <img src="https://dalefishergalleries.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/umvspennstateatdusk.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 416px" /></p><p>Assuming they <em>wanted </em>to keep the soulless bowl look, this was another homerun!</p><p></p><p><strong>Michigan State: Switch to the Breslin Center</strong></p><p><img src="https://df5u1lzgdv707.cloudfront.net/images/2012/8/7/6408671.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 372px" /> <img src="http://a.espncdn.com//photo/2014/0112/ncb_u_breslin1x_576x324.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 483px" /></p><p>I'm sure the old one was loud, but that just couldn't host a modern Big Ten team - good witch, the Breslin Center seems to have WAY more character than most arenas with that basic of a layout.</p><p></p><p><strong>Minnesota: Switch to TCF Bank Stadium</strong></p><p><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Minnesota_Gophers.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 375px" /> <img src="https://www.gagebrothers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tcf-bank-stadium.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 416px" /></p><p>Lol, no explanation needed...</p><p></p><p><strong>Ohio State: Switch to Value City Arena</strong></p><p><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsuUHpNWsAU_ayV?format=jpg&name=small" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 408px" /> <img src="https://www.rateyourseats.com/shared/Schottenstein-Center--Basketball-Section-310-Row-A_on_1-18-2019_FL.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 407px" /></p><p>I'll again defer, but ... this has always struck me as one of the most unnecessarily lame arenas in the Big Ten.</p><p></p><p><strong>Penn State: Beaver Stadium renovation</strong></p><p><img src="http://onwardstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Beaver-Stadium-1991.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 405px" /> <img src="https://www.statecollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1471421_32282.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 336px" /></p><p>Personally, I think this stadium has always been so "thrown together" (it was smaller than Memorial Stadium until 1978 and only became significantly bigger in the 1980s...), so I think the new look keeps the quirky charm. Honestly, I can barely tell a difference, lol...</p><p></p><p><strong>Wisconsin: Switch to Kohl Center</strong></p><p><img src="https://i.etsystatic.com/10943691/r/il/4165fc/2123523108/il_fullxfull.2123523108_c8hr.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 397px" /> <img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/naf7Ni8Jhrw/maxresdefault.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 461px" /></p><p>Not a fan ... I know the picture on the left is for volleyball, but you can really imagine how Wisconsin could have spruced that up into one of the rowdiest environments in the country - pretty much what The Barn in Minneapolis <em>should</em> be. Also, could not find a good pic comparison for Camp Randall, but I think they did a good job there.</p><p></p><p>And finally ... Illinois. It's interesting to compare my thoughts on these <em>now </em>to when the ideas first came out.</p><p></p><p><strong>Memorial Stadium: Old</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><img src="https://www.lapayne.com/prodimages/SP_CFB_038_LG.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 815px" /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]20737[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><strong>Memorial Stadium: New</strong></p><p><img src="https://www.lapayne.com/prodimages/SP_CFB_084_LG.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 815px" /></p><p><img src="https://www.tarkett-group.com/app/uploads/2022/07/05140249/illinois-stadium-819x1024.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 450px" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><p>- While the students shouldn't be there, the NEZ seats look a lot better than ... literally nothing or those tiny bleachers we set up later.</p><p>- The pressbox was necessary, and it looks pretty nice.</p><p>- The new scoreboard is very nice.</p><p></p><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><p>- The loss of symmetry (especially apparent in those two endzone shots) kind of sucks ... I wish they could have found a way to better preserve that, but maybe the real answer is to renovate the east stands to better match the west?</p><p>- Absolutely no improvement of the Horseshoe problem whatsoever in DECADES of improvements, haha. In fact, it's only in the absolute oldest photos that we put up temporary bleachers to bring those down to the field, and it looks SO! MUCH! BETTER! Like, this could VERY easily be done tomorrow:</p><p><img src="http://fightingillini.com/images/2018/4/25/memorialstadium_1920x.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 620px" /></p><p></p><p>Alright, sorry, time-wasting IllinoisLoyalty exercise over. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite18" alt=":ROFLMAO:" title="ROFL :ROFLMAO:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":ROFLMAO:" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Fighter of the Nightman, post: 1803655, member: 590800"] Also, it is kind of interesting to look at what just some of our Big Ten peers have done in the past couple decades as far as getting rid of an old stadium/arena or renovating it significantly. In this age of "atmosphere" and a "throwback" style kind of being cool, I wonder if any ADs wish they would have taken a slightly different route: [B]Indiana: Memorial Stadium renovation[/B] [IMG]https://www.insidethehall.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/memorialstadium.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG width="350px"]https://i0.wp.com/www.thedailyhoosier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Memorial-Stadium.png?resize=905%2C509&ssl=1[/IMG] Neither is a showstopper, but I would say this was an undeniable improvement by any objective measure. [B]Iowa: Kinnick Stadium renovation[/B] [IMG]https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/qctimes.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/c6/9c6fd490-fa15-51c1-a5ea-408dd503df52/9c6fd490-fa15-51c1-a5ea-408dd503df52.image.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="293px"]https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/july-21-2019-iowa-city-260nw-1458959615.jpg[/IMG] Absolute homerun here, updated it while keeping the same feel and actually making it look better. [B]Michigan: Big House renovation[/B] [IMG width="392px"]https://www.mlive.com/resizer/ltnPCMTkx87IpCKrfe7dDyPaBBs=/1280x0/smart/advancelocal-adapter-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/image.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/width2048/img/wolverines_impact/photo/23282908-standard.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="416px"]https://dalefishergalleries.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/umvspennstateatdusk.jpg[/IMG] Assuming they [I]wanted [/I]to keep the soulless bowl look, this was another homerun! [B]Michigan State: Switch to the Breslin Center[/B] [IMG width="372px"]https://df5u1lzgdv707.cloudfront.net/images/2012/8/7/6408671.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG width="483px"]http://a.espncdn.com//photo/2014/0112/ncb_u_breslin1x_576x324.jpg[/IMG] I'm sure the old one was loud, but that just couldn't host a modern Big Ten team - good witch, the Breslin Center seems to have WAY more character than most arenas with that basic of a layout. [B]Minnesota: Switch to TCF Bank Stadium[/B] [IMG width="375px"]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Minnesota_Gophers.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="416px"]https://www.gagebrothers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tcf-bank-stadium.jpeg[/IMG] Lol, no explanation needed... [B]Ohio State: Switch to Value City Arena[/B] [IMG width="408px"]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsuUHpNWsAU_ayV?format=jpg&name=small[/IMG] [IMG width="407px"]https://www.rateyourseats.com/shared/Schottenstein-Center--Basketball-Section-310-Row-A_on_1-18-2019_FL.jpg[/IMG] I'll again defer, but ... this has always struck me as one of the most unnecessarily lame arenas in the Big Ten. [B]Penn State: Beaver Stadium renovation[/B] [IMG width="405px"]http://onwardstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Beaver-Stadium-1991.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="336px"]https://www.statecollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1471421_32282.jpg[/IMG] Personally, I think this stadium has always been so "thrown together" (it was smaller than Memorial Stadium until 1978 and only became significantly bigger in the 1980s...), so I think the new look keeps the quirky charm. Honestly, I can barely tell a difference, lol... [B]Wisconsin: Switch to Kohl Center[/B] [IMG width="397px"]https://i.etsystatic.com/10943691/r/il/4165fc/2123523108/il_fullxfull.2123523108_c8hr.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="461px"]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/naf7Ni8Jhrw/maxresdefault.jpg[/IMG] Not a fan ... I know the picture on the left is for volleyball, but you can really imagine how Wisconsin could have spruced that up into one of the rowdiest environments in the country - pretty much what The Barn in Minneapolis [I]should[/I] be. Also, could not find a good pic comparison for Camp Randall, but I think they did a good job there. And finally ... Illinois. It's interesting to compare my thoughts on these [I]now [/I]to when the ideas first came out. [B]Memorial Stadium: Old[/B] [IMG width="815px"]https://www.lapayne.com/prodimages/SP_CFB_038_LG.jpg[/IMG] [ATTACH type="full" alt="1666200032663.jpeg"]20737[/ATTACH] [B]Memorial Stadium: New[/B] [IMG width="815px"]https://www.lapayne.com/prodimages/SP_CFB_084_LG.jpg[/IMG] [IMG width="450px"]https://www.tarkett-group.com/app/uploads/2022/07/05140249/illinois-stadium-819x1024.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pros[/B] - While the students shouldn't be there, the NEZ seats look a lot better than ... literally nothing or those tiny bleachers we set up later. - The pressbox was necessary, and it looks pretty nice. - The new scoreboard is very nice. [B]Cons[/B] - The loss of symmetry (especially apparent in those two endzone shots) kind of sucks ... I wish they could have found a way to better preserve that, but maybe the real answer is to renovate the east stands to better match the west? - Absolutely no improvement of the Horseshoe problem whatsoever in DECADES of improvements, haha. In fact, it's only in the absolute oldest photos that we put up temporary bleachers to bring those down to the field, and it looks SO! MUCH! BETTER! Like, this could VERY easily be done tomorrow: [IMG width="620px"]http://fightingillini.com/images/2018/4/25/memorialstadium_1920x.jpg[/IMG] Alright, sorry, time-wasting IllinoisLoyalty exercise over. :ROFLMAO: [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Sports
Illini Football
Big Ten Stadiums/Arenas (or Towns/Campuses) You Have Visited
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…