February 10, 2012
Canton Memorial Civic Center (Capacity: 3,500)
Canton, OH
Canton Charge vs Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Final Score: 106 – 85
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A February weekend brought me to snowy Northeast Ohio for a three stadiums in two days trip. I started out in Canton, a city of 73,000 and most known for being the home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though there are several other attractions in and around the city. After a visit to the HOF, I headed downtown to check out the Canton Charge of the NBDL. In the ten-year existence of the franchise, three different cities have been home. This season, the Cleveland Cavaliers purchased the team and moved it to Canton, a great fit relatively nearby. The Charge play at the old Civic Center. Built in 1951, the arena retains many characteristics of a small city, old multi-purpose facility.
Prestige Ranking: 2 out of 5
Location
The Civic Center is located on the northern edge of downtown, on the main drag, Market Ave. In the city itself, about a mile away there are a couple attractions for both sexes: the National First Ladies’ Library and the Canton Classic Car Museum. There is also a Central Plaza in the center of town, with tables set up for people to sit and relax. Driving through at night, you’ll see the wonderfully lit up marquee of the Canton Palace Theatre. Closer to the arena is the Canton Art Museum, which actually sits right next door. Though the most visible “restaurant” nearby is the Wendy’s, there are a couple places to eat within walking distance, including Arabic/Greek Desert Inn. Otherwise, additional options are found more downtown. To check out the main attraction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, hop back on the highway (I-77) for a quick trip to the edge of the city.
Location Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Game-day parking is supplied by the Art Museum and there are several smaller lots surrounding the Civic Center that are also utilized, along with a small garage. Getting to this area is easy from I-77 as 12th St. NW will bring you right to Market St and the arena/parking. Traffic was non-existent.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 8 out of 8
Exterior
The rectangular building is brick and rather unassuming. With the exception of the “Canton Arts & Entertainment Complex” graphics sign out front, it almost just seems like a regular building along the street. The arena features a white overhang above the entrance doors and “Canton Memorial Civic Center” is written out in small letters.
Exterior Ranking: 2.5 out of 10
Concourse
Stepping inside the building is a bit of a time-warp as the decor and design makes it feel like you’re walking the halls of an older high school. After passing the small vestibule, the box office is on the left and this end part of the building has more room to move around then the others. Down the sides is much more hallway-like and really are only used to find a bathroom or get to a sideline seat. These hallways are tight too. Brown brick, tile designs and low ceilings are the vibe down here.
Concourse Ranking: 1.5 out of 5
Food
Expectedly, there were only a few food stands, but they had all the traditional options. What completely blew me away was to see one of the stands have an amazingly long list of items (22 to be exact). This was highlighted by the unexpected, but welcomed inclusion of Chicken & Waffles. Other items included Turkey Wraps, Coney Dogs, Yogurt Parfaits and Root Beer Floats. I was not expecting all that in this small, older arena and it was a nice surprise.
Food Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Interior
Inside the Civic Center is a design fit to accommodate several functions, not just sports. The one-level rectangle design is set up with seating on three sides (angled in the corners). One of the ends features a stage as opposed to traditional arena seating and it is used for concerts, graduations, etc. For basketball, there is a lot of open space before the court and some sections are distanced by a good amount. The Charge made use of the stage and the subsequent open end by turning it into a “VIP Club”, complete with tables and free pizza, popcorn and beverages to those that have tickets. Along with the VIP section, the team set up courtside seats and “boxes” (curtained off sections of individual chairs) to bring fans closer to the action. If you are near the court, sightlines aren’t too bad. The seats themselves are red and a bit on the skinny side. The ceiling features an odd, cage-like structure.
Interior Ranking: 5 out of 14
Scoreboard
There’s not much to the small, center scoreboard as it has four sides with basic game information on each one. Ads fill the corners and at the top it says “Canton Civic Center”.
Scoreboard Ranking: 1.5 out of 4
Displays
The lack of banners was understandable given that the Charge is a new team to Canton, however it was disappointing not to see any other character given to a building built in 1951. Maybe it’s because there was a lack of sports or events in the arena? The only thing I saw was a plaque on a wall near the box office for the “Board of Control” when the arena opened.
Displays Ranking: 0.5 out of 6
Cost
Tickets average about $15 with ranges extending between $7 and $25. Anything with a center view of the court is at least $19. The VIP-level premium seats courtside are $45 – $85. Parking was a bit much at $5 given everything involved. Meanwhile, concessions were priced fine with all drinks set at $3 (beer was $5). Hot dogs were $3 and pretzels $2.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support and Atmosphere
Attendance has tailed off after some relatively big crowds to start the season and the Friday Night game I attended featured a half-full Civic Center. The atmosphere was generally average as it was nothing special, but still nice to see attentive fans that were into the game. After each basket, most fans made the effort to clap and get just a touch louder after a big run or two. No special chants or cheers were heard.
Fan Support Ranking: 3.5 out of 8
Atmosphere Ranking: 6 out of 14
Other Stuff
Major props to the game day staff as everyone I encountered was pleasant and genuinely happy to be there. Even the security guys manning the court during timeouts were in a good mood….Uniform and team colors all mimic the parent Cavs as the Charge dressed in yellow and red…..The NBA influence was certainly felt here as music is constantly played during the game.
Game
Canton and Fort Wayne went back and forth through the first half and at intermission, Canton held the edge 54-47. In the third quarter, the Charge were cold from the field as they had five missed shots and five turnovers in a five-minute span. However, the Mad Ants couldn’t capitalize and only managed to cut the lead to two. In the fourth quarter, Canton blew the game open as Antoine Aguido led the Charge with 14 in the quarter (4 for 5 beyond the arc) and they went on to win by 21. Frank Hasell pulled down 16 rebounds.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
