Seating at Rutgers

1970 John · Dec 24, 2021

I'm trying to get some input on Rutgers' RAC/Jersey Mike's Arena seating. I've been there before and wound up sitting on bleachers rather than chairback seats. I thought that was section 200 level but searching the internet, I've seen references to 200 level seats having chairbacks.

Does anyone know for sure? We're old--Class of '70, you do the math--and my wife in particular can't spend several hours on a bench. Climbing the steep stairs at the RAC/JMA with no handrail isn't a help. She's volunteered to sit in the car and listen to the game while I go inside, but I'm too much of a gentleman to do that. Tickets for the 200 level are in the $80 range, very reasonable, the 100 level $250 if you can find them, and I'm not doing that.

I'd rather go to the Bryce Jordan Center--Penn State--which is a much better venue, but Illinois isn't coming this year, and I'm in PA, so I do season tickets for football. The weinter weather on the prairie is just too iffy to commit to driving all that way.

Any help would help.

altgeld88 · Dec 24, 2021

1970 John said:
I'm trying to get some input on Rutgers' RAC/Jersey Mike's Arena seating. I've been there before and wound up sitting on bleachers rather than chairback seats. I thought that was section 200 level but searching the internet, I've seen references to 200 level seats having chairbacks.

Does anyone know for sure? We're old--Class of '70, you do the math--and my wife in particular can't spend several hours on a bench. Climbing the steep stairs at the RAC/JMA with no handrail isn't a help. She's volunteered to sit in the car and listen to the game while I go inside, but I'm too much of a gentleman to do that. Tickets for the 200 level are in the $80 range, very reasonable, the 100 level $250 if you can find them, and I'm not doing that.

I'd rather go to the Bryce Jordan Center--Penn State--which is a much better venue, but Illinois isn't coming this year, and I'm in PA, so I do season tickets for football. The weinter weather on the prairie is just too iffy to commit to driving all that way.

Any help would help.

This will sound completely random; however, the other evening I was browsing a great site (by an enthusiast named Bob Busser) I discovered several years ago, which features comprehensive photos of hundreds of U.S. sports stadiums and arenas over the decades ranging from minor league baseball, through college venues, to the pros. I warn you: if you enjoy this sort of thing, it's a complete rabbit hole, though sadly he didn't ever venture to Champaign.

Anyway, I noticed the other evening in passing that he has photos of the RAC from 2018:

Rutgers University, Louis Brown Athletic Center Pt.1 - Piscataway, New Jersey - Bob Busser

Photographed in September of 2018 using digital. Louis Brown Athletic Center seats 8,000. Louis Brown Athletic center opened in 1977 as the Rutgers Athletic Center (or RAC to the locals). It quickly became the new home for Rutgers basketball, replacing the antiquated and very small College...

ballparks.smugmug.com

(There's a link for a separate "Part 2" but his site is frustrating in that you can't do a search so have to scroll through everything alphabetically each time you want to find another venue. Accordingly, I'll let you find it.)

It's clear from the photos that Section 100 and 200 (on the long sides of the court) have chairbacks. Only the top rows of the arena are benches (I assume those are the 300s.) To be safe, of course, I'd just call the RAC ticket office and confirm.

1970 John · Dec 25, 2021

altgeld88 said:
This will sound completely random; however, the other evening I was browsing a great site (by an enthusiast named Bob Busser) I discovered several years ago, which features comprehensive photos of hundreds of U.S. sports stadiums and arenas over the decades ranging from minor league baseball, through college venues, to the pros. I warn you: if you enjoy this sort of thing, it's a complete rabbit hole, though sadly he didn't ever venture to Champaign.

Anyway, I noticed the other evening in passing that he has photos of the RAC from 2018:

Rutgers University, Louis Brown Athletic Center Pt.1 - Piscataway, New Jersey - Bob Busser

Photographed in September of 2018 using digital. Louis Brown Athletic Center seats 8,000. Louis Brown Athletic center opened in 1977 as the Rutgers Athletic Center (or RAC to the locals). It quickly became the new home for Rutgers basketball, replacing the antiquated and very small College...

ballparks.smugmug.com

(There's a link for a separate "Part 2" but his site is frustrating in that you can't do a search so have to scroll through everything alphabetically each time you want to find another venue. Accordingly, I'll let you find it.)

It's clear from the photos that Section 100 and 200 (on the long sides of the court) have chairbacks. Only the top rows of the arena are benches (I assume those are the 300s.) To be safe, of course, I'd just call the RAC ticket office and confirm.

Thank you. Yeah, that’s rsther conclusive. I must have bought 300 level seats, but usually I’m better than that at picking seats.

So we will be at the RAC.

Or Jersey Mike’s, ironically now so named because the concessions are so inadequate, though not nearly as much as the restrooms, or the narrow concourses.

Anyone else going?

SuperintendentChalmers · Dec 26, 2021

1970 John said:
Thank you. Yeah, that’s rsther conclusive. I must have bought 300 level seats, but usually I’m better than that at picking seats.

So we will be at the RAC.

Or Jersey Mike’s, ironically now so named because the concessions are so inadequate, though not nearly as much as the restrooms, or the narrow concourses.

Anyone else going?

I'm going! My Rutgers fan friend brought his young son to one of the first games at the rechristened Jersey Mike's Arena. When his son started getting restless, he left their seats to get something to eat only to learn that there were out of subs.

Illini92and96 · Dec 26, 2021

I just looked at the pictures of that place.

From the outside it looks like the sarcophagus they built over Chernobyl to keep the radiation contained. Given Rutgers basketball I guess that is appropriate. The inside looks like it hosts tractor pulls and rodeos when not in use for basketball. I usually think schools are too quick to replace functioning buildings but I’ll make an exception in this case.

1970 John · Dec 26, 2021

Illini92and96 said:
I just looked at the pictures of that place. From the outside it looks like the sarcophagus they built over Chernobyl to keep the radiation contained. Given Rutgers basketball I guess that is appropriate. The inside looks like it hosts tractor pulls and rodeos when not in use for basketball. I usually think schools are too quick to replace functioning buildings but I’ll make an exception in this case.

It's loud, I'll give them that. If you think, though, that it looks bad in pictures, you should see it in person. Great God, it's ugly. Only 8,000 capacity. Built in 1977. I thought it looked like a bunker, but sarcophagus is a better description. Nobody likes it.

SuperintendentChalmers · Dec 27, 2021

Illini92and96 said:
I just looked at the pictures of that place. From the outside it looks like the sarcophagus they built over Chernobyl to keep the radiation contained. Given Rutgers basketball I guess that is appropriate. The inside looks like it hosts tractor pulls and rodeos when not in use for basketball. I usually think schools are too quick to replace functioning buildings but I’ll make an exception in this case.

The "Trapezoid of Terror" was actually an NBA arena for a few years until the Meadowlands Arena opened in '81.

altgeld88 · Dec 27, 2021

SuperintendentChalmers said:
I'm going! My Rutgers fan friend brought his young son to one of the first games at the rechristened Jersey Mike's Arena. When his son started getting restless, he left their seats to get something to eat only to learn that there were out of subs.

lol. Metaphor alert.

1970 John · Dec 28, 2021

Well, I bought the tickets on StubHub Monday morning, just in time for the announcement about COVID doing whatever it's going to do to the season. Timing wonderful as usual.

I also bought the ticket insurance. At seven bucks a ticket it seemed worth it. Let's see of the game actually happens and if it doesn't, whether I actually get my money back.

zentrails · Dec 28, 2021

Illini92and96 said:
I just looked at the pictures of that place. From the outside it looks like the sarcophagus they built over Chernobyl to keep the radiation contained. Given Rutgers basketball I guess that is appropriate. The inside looks like it hosts tractor pulls and rodeos when not in use for basketball. I usually think schools are too quick to replace functioning buildings but I’ll make an exception in this case.

Yeah I was on the BB floor there during my daughter's freshman year at RU and it's pretty seedy. I think I'd prefer Huff if I were a BB player. Heck, my HS gym was more impressive and it's like 100 years old