Ford Field "Basketbowl"

clonefan98 · 03-27-2008, 03:57 PM

Has anybody seen what Ford Field looks like for basketball? This to me doesn't look like a great place to watch a game.

Those seats down low don't look to have enough slope.

I guess they played a game there a couple years ago according to the article (www.kansascity.com | 03/26/2008 | Kansas will be center stage in ‘Basketbowl’) and had nearly 80,000 fans. Impressive, but I kind of miss the days where regionals were played in real arenas and not stadiums. We'll probably see this from now on.

tim_redd · 03-27-2008, 03:58 PM

I agree. Play these games in a real basketball arena.

cybsball20 · 03-27-2008, 04:00 PM

I have seen worse...

clonefan98 · 03-27-2008, 04:01 PM

Not like the NCAA needs money from ticket sales with the amount of money they get from TV rights!

gocubs2118 · 03-27-2008, 04:04 PM

Thats how it was like when I went up to the Metrodome for the sweet 16/elite 8 games a couple of years ago.

isuarch80 · 03-27-2008, 04:06 PM

I just left the firm that designed the additional seating to be brought in to large stadiums like Ford Field and Reliant Stadium (the two places that will initially test the portable seating this tournament) - the biggest reason for these designs is 1) there's still a site line for EVERYONE, even if not to your usual 15k seat college/NBA hoops arena set up; 2) NCAA was not getting the every day fan into the Final 4, where it's almost impossible to get tickets through the lottery. This is to help increase available tickets to everyone. 3) the floor seats are still the best - it's people that sit in the upper deck of these NFL monstrosities who i can't believe pay for a ticket - as the views may be direct, but you are literally 100's of feet from the floor...

Sorry, just my two cents as a sports architect, and I also have no loyalties, really, to my former employer :) Also, here's what that basketball game looked like a few years ago:
Architects aim to keep stadiums' Final Fours in plain sight - USATODAY.com

A-town Cy · 03-27-2008, 04:07 PM

That is a much better set-up then when they had the 80,000 seat Michigan State game a few years back, they just had folding chairs on the field. I like it when they play in the stadiums on an elevated court, it looks awesome on T.V.

cloneu · 03-27-2008, 04:11 PM

Why in the world would you wanna go to a basketball game and sit so far away?

clonefan98 · 03-27-2008, 04:13 PM

I was at the games at the Metrodome when ISU played their 1st and 2nd rounds in 2000. It was great in that it allowed for a ton of ISU fans to be there. The one thing that was missing was the intense noise you get from being in a traditional arena. It was just too big a space to get very loud.

A-town Cy · 03-27-2008, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by cloneu

Why in the world would you wanna go to a basketball and sit so far away?

Umm... maybe because it's the Sweet 16? and Kansas and Wisconsin are playing? Those would be good reasons.

akclone · 03-27-2008, 04:30 PM

I wonder if the players have problems shooting because of depth perception issues with the bigger space.

A-town Cy · 03-27-2008, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by akclone

I wonder if the players have problems shooting because of depth perception issues with the bigger space.

Someone asked A.J. Abrams this question during Texas press conference this morning about shooting in Reliant Stadium. He said as a shooter it's not a huge deal after you get out there and shoot around for a little bit.

cloneu · 03-27-2008, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by A-town Cy

Umm... maybe because it's the Sweet 16? and Kansas and Wisconsin are playing? Those would be good reasons.

Never in my life would I want to watch an NCAA basketball game from a couple hundred feet. The only way I might consider it is if ISU is in the final four and that is the only tickets I could get.