New ARENA as part of entertainment District

WichitaSooner said:
I think we have to incorporate the culture wall in the design. Maybe build the arena within the wall, kind of like the baseball stadiums in Baltimore and San Diego utilize existing structures to really capture the identity and feel of the area.
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Outdoor basketball. A court that can "roll" onto Owen Field.
 
StoopsBros said:
ON CAMPUS

Parking garage.

Statues of the GOAT Wayman, Buddy, & Griffin. Maybe Tubbs? A play on Heisman Park.
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I've never understood why the lack of recognition of the GOATs with OU basketball. A statue of Wayman should be a no-brainer.

But there isn't anything around the arena to properly honor Wayman or Billy as I put them above the rest. No statue, no name on the court, etc. Crap, it took 30 years for them to even recognize Billy with a banner in the rafters. Which, BTW, we still don't have Hollis up there for some stupid reason as he was a four-year player, Big XII POY, and All-American, and still is in the top 5-10 in several categories. No excuse. And it's been now a little over 8 seasons- time to get Buddy's number up there, too.

Only having one of the display cases with a couple of pictures and team photos in the upper concourse is an insult to some of these guys.

Of course, the cynic (or realist) in me just shows yet another way that the OU admin and athletic department doesn't give a crap about OU basketball.
 
We need that Headington guy to just build a new 8,000 seat arena on campus and quit messing around.
 
mict085 said:
We need that Headington guy to just build a new 8,000 seat arena on campus and quit messing around.
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BoulderSooner said:
Tim Headington

Timothy Headington - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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In addition to giving to the athletic dorms, didn't he basically fund the tennis facilities? IIRC, he played tennis at OU.

Great alum and welathy, but a big difference between naming rights on a dorm or funds for a tennis center vs. the funds needed to build/start a $200MM arena.
 
MJSooner said:
In addition to giving to the athletic dorms, didn't he basically fund the tennis facilities? IIRC, he played tennis at OU.

Great alum and welathy, but a big difference between naming rights on a dorm or funds for a tennis center vs. the funds needed to build/start a $200MM arena.
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Geez that guy is a beast
 
hoopsaustin said:
Geez that guy is a beast
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Billionaire. I'm sure he is doing some stuff behind the scenes (hopefully), but it would sure be nice to see him do something big. Wonder what OU sports he is a big fan of, if any? Not a ton of info out there about the guy in terms of his current relationship with OU.
 
I know some of you want a new arena, and you don't care what or where it is, but I just really hate the idea of an off-campus arena. I just don't like it. I think a small, off-campus arena is just going to create a different set of issues/problems.
 
WTSooner said:
I know some of you want a new arena, and you don't care what or where it is, but I just really hate the idea of an off-campus arena. I just don't like it. I think a small, off-campus arena is just going to create a different set of issues/problems.
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Agree 100%.

I only support it as it appears it is the only option. No plans, drive, discussions, or interest to upgrade or renovate LNC. Not enough funds or BMD interest to build a new on-campus arena through the University efforts. It seems like this is the only chance to upgrade facilities.

But it also appears Joe H, Joe C, and the University admin have all conveniently jumped on board quickly to an outside funded off-campus arena. A way to pass the buck (pardon the pun) to someone else.

As you stated, it creates different issues and doesn't really solve the long-term problem of University Support for the program or getting butts in the seats. It might temporarily solve the attendance problem, but I don't see it once the newness wears off, much like anything new in OK.

Just wish there was a more concerted effort to do something on campus.
 
WTSooner said:
I know some of you want a new arena, and you don't care what or where it is, but I just really hate the idea of an off-campus arena. I just don't like it. I think a small, off-campus arena is just going to create a different set of issues/problems.
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I think it's one of the dumbest things I've seen in my lifetime and I'm surprised to see a lot of OU fans support the idea.

But so many of them have become zombified IMO. All we'll hear is; "there is no money", "OU did a study and it can't be done", "the UNP will benefit everyone", etc. That's not a shot at anyone specific...so many say the same thing(s).

Meanwhile, here on planet Earth (reality)....

  • Others are building on-campus arenas. Texas, James Madison, Baylor (a tad off-campus but not really), Austin Peay, etc, etc. Do they have better ADs? Better donors? More imagination or desire? Or are they focused on the right things?
  • The majority of programs play on-campus. I don't have the stats in front of me but I'm guessing 95% of D1 teams play on their campus or within a mile of their campus.

This is what I truly think and I'm sure the pro-UNPers will disagree (I don't care)...

It's not about an inability to build on-campus, or to even renovate the LNC (yuck but still better than the UNP IMO), it's about a preference for the UNP. Not only because they get to push the majority of the cost(s) onto the city/citizens, and we know how fiscal some are at OU, but because they love the idea of an NBA-styled arena, and the stupid as* entertainment area. For me, it's in direct conflict of the way I view college basketball and what it's all about (being directly attached to the campus/heartbeat of a college).

And sadly, even though I know the majority doesn't truly want the UNP, no one will care enough to organize against it. We'll just sit back and take our chit sandwich because, "OU can't build on-campus".
 
StoopsBros said:
I think it's one of the dumbest things I've seen in my lifetime and I'm surprised to see a lot of OU fans support the idea.

But so many of them have become zombified IMO. All we'll hear is; "there is no money", "OU did a study and it can't be done", "the UNP will benefit everyone", etc. That's not a shot at anyone specific...so many say the same thing(s).

Meanwhile, here on planet Earth (reality)....

  • Others are building on-campus arenas. Texas, James Madison, Baylor (a tad off-campus but not really), Austin Peay, etc, etc. Do they have better ADs? Better donors? More imagination or desire? Or are they focused on the right things?
  • The majority of programs play on-campus. I don't have the stats in front of me but I'm guessing 95% of D1 teams play on their campus or within a mile of their campus.

This is what I truly think and I'm sure the pro-UNPers will disagree (I don't care)...

It's not about an inability to build on-campus, or to even renovate the LNC (yuck but still better than the UNP IMO), it's about a preference for the UNP. Not only because they get to push the majority of the cost(s) onto the city/citizens, and we know how fiscal some are at OU, but because they love the idea of an NBA-styled arena, and the stupid as* entertainment area. For me, it's in direct conflict of the way I view college basketball and what it's all about (being directly attached to the campus/heartbeat of a college).

And sadly, even though I know the majority doesn't truly want the UNP, no one will care enough to organize against it. We'll just sit back and take our chit sandwich because, "OU can't build on-campus".
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texas didn't pay for anything the Oak View Group paid for the entire building ..

it would be like if OU was where the health science center is ... (or norman had a 1 million population and okc was 2 hours away)

baylor got a 100mil gift and 70+ mil from the city of waco (not being paid back) ...



I would much rather a new arena be at the NW corner of jenkins and brooks ..

but OU needs a new arena and this is the only plan that has a chance of happening in the next decade + ...
 
BoulderSooner said:
texas didn't pay for anything the Oak View Group paid for the entire building ..

it would be like if OU was where the health science center is ... (or norman had a 1 million population and okc was 2 hours away)

baylor got a 100mil gift and 70+ mil from the city of waco (not being paid back) ...



I would much rather a new arena be at the NW corner of jenkins and brooks ..

but OU needs a new arena and this is the only plan that has a chance of happening in the next decade + ...
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And Joe C’s tweet about baseball upgrades today just further emphasizes your point. No one is stepping up to fund projects (and Joe C isn’t finding them…).
 
BoulderSooner said:
but OU needs a new arena and this is the only plan that has a chance of happening in the next decade + ...
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OU needs their own new arena. Playing in somebody's else's new arena isn't the same.

This won't help recruiting or attendance (long-term). It just won't. And if it won't, what's the point?
 
WTSooner said:
OU needs their own new arena. Playing in somebody's else's new arena isn't the same.

This won't help recruiting or attendance (long-term). It just won't. And if it won't, what's the point?
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They’d be the primary tenant at UNP so don’t really understand this initial point. I also don’t think any new stadium would necessarily help recruiting/attendance long-term, it’d be a short-term interest bump regardless.

Regardless of the financing (a no-brainer if OU can get Norman to pay for it) UNP seems like it would be marginally easier for OKC-area fans, that’s a more attractive opportunity to me than the students (just a different entertainment landscape than the 80s or even the 2000s).

I am shocked by OU’s lack of basketball donor enthusiasm given its program history but it seems pretty obvious that UNP is the only option OU MBB has to get a new stadium in the next few years.
 
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