– We all saw last night at the Super Bowl that Miami’s football stadium changed names for the 53rd time. It is now Sun Life Stadium. Another name change that caught my eye was Brooklyn’s Keyspan Park (now MCU Park). The ridiculousness continues. Out of the 78 stadiums I’ve been to, 12 of them have changed their names since I’ve attended, which comes out to 15%….ugh
– On a sadder note, this is the last year for Oregon’s MacArthur Court. The Pit was built in 1926 and was one of my favorite places in the PAC-10 when watching hoops on TV from there. I love the design with the theatre-like upper balconies and the those yellow-orange lights that illuminate the ceiling (I think Michigan State’s Breslin Center has that too). The noise here was awesome and I’m sure will not be replicated at their new place. (at least they still have Autzen!) Luckily we still have some wonderful, splendid old barns in Minnesota with Williams Arena and Vanderbilt ‘s Memorial Arena that should be around for a little while.
– With the Vancouver Winter Olympics arriving at the end of the week hockey will be hosted at the Canucks’s GM Place (for now called Canada Hockey Place) and UBC Thunderbird Arena. I for one am extremely excited for the Olympic Hockey Tournament as it is so intense and means so much for the players. Obviously Canada and Russia are the favorites, but probably another 4 or 5 teams could make a run. I love the direction the US is going with youth and can’t wait to see them play. It would be great if Miller could put them on their shoulders (ala Hasek with the Czech team in ’98) and make a deep run.
– While the hockey is going on, you will see figure skating return to a venue that has not been in the spotlight since the ’94 Stanley Cup Finals……Welcome back, Pacific Coliseum!
Stadium and Arena Visits 