Crowd is small tonight - wonder

[Big Old Booger]

I understand that. I just know that KCK doesn't have the money to make this happen. They are taking a bath on the concessions made when all that was built.

And the job/company poaching has been going on for years. Kansas gets someone to move across State Line and then Missouri does the same thing. I saw a report one time that if you add up both sides over the years the actual net jobs gained by one over the other is less than 1500.

JOCO Convention Center? Is that the one on Metcalf or the one on College Blvd?

Well, some talk in recent years about JoCo and Wyandotte combining into one county so JoCo can get some of the tax money coming in for the legends/speedway/sporting park.

Also, remember, the owner of Cerner owns Sporting Park and he has deep pockets. I heard an interview with someone affiliated with sporting park when Missouri announced they were going to the SEC. That person said Sporting Park was built to eventually have a roof or retractable roof. If/when that happens, and Sporting KC is making money by the fistfuls now, then anything could happen with the big 12 and NCAA tourneys.

 

[slappy in OP]

As a Sporting KC season ticket holder, I can say the Sporting Park is an awesome place to watch a soccer match.

IF there is a thought of adding a retractable roof, then my only concern would be that they make sure it will not affect the grass. It would not be worth it (IMO) to do anything that affects the quality of soccer there all year just to host a Big 12 basketball tourney for 1 weekend. I am all for moving the tourney out of MO though.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

Exactly. The upper deck, and even the top level of suites is a long way from the court. The upper deck at Kemper didn't seem near as far away as at sprint center. The only saving grace for the suites is you can have beer and you have access to the founders club which also serves beer. In the upper deck, you just have bad seats. The seats in the upper deck behind the goals are way worse than the ones on the sides, too.

Well I'm going to sound like an old poop but I like Kemper. I thought it was a great place to see a game or a concert. Its problem was always its location. I've onlt been to the SC for Springsteen but I don't like it. IMO it almost seems as if they tried to cram as many seats as possible into the existing space. I'm not huge but not small either and I had to turn and work at getting up out of my seat. It was like at half court four rows up so it wasn't nosebleed. I was very disappointed in the overall appearance of the arena. It seems rather common in a time when cities are building facilities that stand out.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

As a Sporting KC season ticket holder, I can say the Sporting Park is an awesome place to watch a soccer match.

IF there is a thought of adding a retractable roof, then my only concern would be that they make sure it will not affect the grass. It would not be worth it (IMO) to do anything that affects the quality of soccer there all year just to host a Big 12 basketball tourney for 1 weekend. I am all for moving the tourney out of MO though.

I don't think it would change anything. The purpose of the roof would be foe during the event itself or in the time surrounding it should there be inclement weather. And although it is an awesome place to watch soccer I really wonder how that translates to basketball. I know when i went to the FF in New Orleans and Atlanta those were the worst sort of venues to watch basketball. In some of the seats you were better off watching the video boards than trying to follow the actual action. I know SP isn't as big as the domes. I'm just not a fan of holding an event somewhere that isn't suited for it. That was, and still is, the appeal of the Sports Complex. Those stadiums were built specifically for the sport and also with the fans in mind.

One thing about that area that although right off I 70/I 435 it's really in nowhere land(Much like the Sports Complex). There are a few hotels and some restaurants but not enough to handle that sort of traffic. Building more would solve the problem but then what would they do with them the rest of the year. 20 soccer dates and a handful of events at the Speedway aren't enough to sustain all of them. Just like Sandstone - or whatever it's called now. Great place to see a show but you need an ATV or a tractor to get there.