Stadium Crawl Weekend Reading

Some of America’s most renown sports franchises announced stadium and arena news this week. Here are a few stories of my own and links to others. Now grab a cold one, put your feet up and enjoy.

AT&T New Official Sponsor of Cowboys Stadium – ESPN 
The Dallas Cowboys and AT&T announced a multiyear deal to rename Cowboys Stadium, AT&T Stadium, effectively immediately.

Madison Square Garden Needs to Move – Stadium Crawl
The iconic Manhattan arena, home to the Rangers and Knicks, has a decade to find a new location.  Tick Tock.

Bankruptcy won’t halt new NHL Detroit Red Wings Arena – CNN Money
Although the City hit a rough patch, plans are moving ahead for a $444 million hockey arena for their beloved Red Wings.

MLS DC United Stadium receives mayor’s backing – Stadium Crawl
The MLS DC United unveiled renderings of their new stadium this week.  The good news – the mayor and City Council support it.

Wrigley Field $500 million renovation includes Jumbotron – USA Today
New construction at the 99-year young beauty will improve the clubhouses, training facilities and install a 5,700-square feet Jumbotron.   I’m all for modernization, but a Jumbotron, at Wrigley?  Really!

Madison Square Garden Must Relocate

It’s not personal. It’s just business.

The New York City Council voted Wednesday to force the relocation of Madison Square Garden by 2023 due to required renovations to Penn Station, a transportation hub that operates beneath the landmark arena. Half a million travelers pass through Penn Station every day – cha-ching! This was a business decision for the City with critical infrastructure and big time money ruling the day.

What’s Next?

Madison Square Garden officials have several options, with the most obvious being a search for a new site.  If they don’t find a location that makes business sense, they could reapply to extend the current permit once it expires. Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is another option. But the NBA Knicks and Nets and NHL Islanders and Rangers all sharing the same arena?  That seems like a recipe for war.

What’s the best location for a new Madison Square Garden?  Leave a comment

Poll: What West Coast stadium do you look forward to the most?

There’s no shortage of stadium and arena construction projects underway or in design along the West Coast.  Which project excites you the most?  Vote!

Barclays Center Time-Lapse Video

Here’s a great time-lapse construction video of the Barclays Center, home of the NBA Brooklyn Nets and future home of the NHL New York Islanders.

Opened under a year ago on September 12, 2012, the Barclays Center still has that new stadium smell to it.  The Nets had a solid showing in their first season at , finishing in second place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division behind their crosstown rivals, the New York Knicks.

Owned by Forest City Enterprises, Barclays Center hosted a number of concerts from musical artists ranging from Green Day, Barbara Streisand to the Rolling Stones. The Islanders will be a welcome addition to Barclays Center, joining the Nets as co-tenants starting in 2015.