T-Mobile Center: Difference between revisions

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stadium_name = Sprint Center |
stadium_name = Sprint Center |
nickname = "Giving Kansas City Reason to Cheer"|
nickname = "Giving Kansas City Reason to Cheer"|
image = [[Image:sprintcenterlogo2.jpg|150px]]
image = [[Image:sprintcenterlogo2.jpg|150px]]|
location = 1407 Grand Boulevard<br>[[Kansas City, MO]] 64106|
location = 1407 Grand Boulevard<br>[[Kansas City, MO]] 64106|
broke_ground = June 24, 2005 |
broke_ground = June 24, 2005 |

Revision as of 03:41, 11 January 2008

Sprint Center
"Giving Kansas City Reason to Cheer"
File:Sprintcenterlogo2.jpg
Map
Location1407 Grand Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64106
OwnerKansas City, Missouri
OperatorAEG
Capacity18,500 seats for Hockey, Basketball, Arena Football. 23,750 seats for Concerts
Construction
Broke groundJune 24, 2005
OpenedOctober 10, 2007
Construction cost$276 million
ArchitectDowntown Arena Design Team:
360 Architecture
Ellerbe Becket
HOK Sport
Rafael Architects
Tenants
Kansas City Brigade (AFL) (2008-future)

Sprint Center[1] is a large, multi-use indoor arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. [1] The building is located at 14th Street & Grand Boulevard, on the east side of the Power & Light District. The arena's title sponsor is the telecommunications company Sprint, whose operational headquarters are in nearby Overland Park, Kansas.

Sprint Center opened to the public on October 10, 2007, and a concert on October 13, 2007 by Elton John was the first event held at the arena. [2] [3] The arena is estimated to seat 18,500 people and have 72 suites. Sprint Center has effectively replaced Kemper Arena, which was built in 1974 just a few miles away in downtown Kansas City. Additionally, the College Basketball Experience, which includes the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame will be connected to and located directly north of Sprint Center.

It was announced that Sprint Center will host the 2008 Big 12 Conference men's basketball tournament, in addition to the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Men's Tournament and the regional rounds of the 2010 NCAA Women's Tournament.

Kansas City has also entered into discussions with the NHL and the NBA regarding possible expansion or relocation of a professional hockey and/or basketball franchise for the arena.

Details

Live at the Sprint Center January 2008.

Ground was broken for the arena on June 24, 2005, and construction completed on October 10, 2007. The final design, by the Downtown Arena Design Team (a collaboration of architectural firms 360 Architecture, Ellerbe Becket and HOK Sport), was selected in August 2005.

The Big 12 Conference men's basketball tournament will take place at the Sprint Center in 2008, marking the tournament's return to Kansas City after three years in Dallas and Oklahoma City. Women's basketball will take place at the nearby Municipal Auditorium.

The arena also houses the headquarters of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Which, is located at 1301 Grand Boulevard connected to the Sprint Center.

The outside of the arena is entirely glass. Inside it has state of the art technology with a 360 degree LCD video screen. This facility allows Kansas City to draw most concerts touring the United States. There has been speculation of an NBA or NHL team relocating to the Sprint Center, but as of yet no definitive plans have been announced. The city was given a NHL franchise in 1974, the Kansas City Scouts, but the Scouts moved in 1976 to Colorado, and eventually to New Jersey. [4] [5]. In 1972, the Cincinnati Royals moved to Kansas City to become the Kings. The NBA franchise left for Sacramento, California after the 1985 season.

Transportation

The District is served by four interstate highways:

and three U.S. Routes:

Kansas City International Airport, originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is located 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri.

The district also is served by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA)'s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line called "MAX" (Metro Area Express), which began service in July, 2005. MAX links the River Market, Downtown, Union Station, Crown Center, and the Country Club Plaza/Waldo area. By design, MAX operates and is marketed more like a rail system than a local bus line. A unique identity was created for MAX, including 13 modern diesel buses and easily identifiable “stations". MAX features state-of-the-art technology to deliver customers a high level of reliability, speed and comfort. Dedicated lanes during rush hour help give MAX a rapid, smooth ride, and special traffic signalization holds a green light longer, only if needed, to keep MAX on schedule. Limited stops resulted in reduced travel time between Downtown and the Plaza to about 10 minutes. MAX runs seven days a week from 5am to 1am. During rush hour periods, the buses make stops about every 10 minutes. The one-way fare is $1.25.

Grand Opening/Open House

Sprint Center grand opening, October 10, 2007 featuring the Met Life blimp.
File:Scenter7.jpg
Sprint Center open house, October 10, 2007.

Sprint Center opened on time and on budget on October 10th at 10:10 am. A tour lasted from 10:10 am - 10:10 pm for those who wanted to see it to grab a ticket at the box office. The tour consisted of the College Basketball Experience which opens on October 17, 2007, two open concession stands: "Taco Taco" and "Oak Street Pizza", a free drink from UMB Bank and other free items: a UMB Bank cup, a UMB Bank frisbee, and a UMB Bank ice scraper. UMB Bank is the only ATM in the new arena because it is a Sprint Center Founding Partner along with Farmland, The University of Kansas Hospital, QuikTrip, and Olevia. There are other Sprint Center Founding Partners: H&R Block, Toyota, American Century Investments, YRC Worldwide, and Time Warner Cable of Kansas City. The highest food price is around $9.00 and many visitors have found out that they can see every event from anywhere they sit.



Arena Tenants

The following will be a current running list of all events to have taken place at the Sprint Center:


Concerts

  • Elton John served as the Sprint Center's first act on October 13, 2007. This concert sold out in the first 90 minutes of the tickets being on sale. Elton played 26 straight songs as the first act of the Sprint Center.
  • Garth Brooks performed nine shows between November 5, 2007 to November 14, 2007 (except for November 13, 2007). The original show was scheduled for the last date of the nine day run, and the other eight were added in an effort to give all fans in the surrounding area a chance to see him live. Brooks' show on November 14 was broadcast live in movie theaters all around the world.
  • Hannah Montana performed at the Sprint Center on December 3, 2007. This concert was sold out in 9 minutes. It has become very controversial considering most believe that scalper ticket resale sites bought most of the tickets. Tickets on those sites have gone up as high as $2,000.
  • Doodlebops 3:00 and 6:00 pm shows on January 11, 2008.
  • Bon Jovi will perform on April 17, 2008 & April 22, 2008

Wrestling

Other Sporting Events

Arena Football League

The Kansas City Brigade announced that it will move from its current home at Kemper Arena to Sprint Center beginning with the 2008 season. The Sprint Center will be able to hold 17,297 people for Arena Football and will also have 72 sold out suites. [6]

National Hockey League

William "Boots" Del Biaggio, Jr. made an offer to purchase the Nashville Predators with the intention of bringing the team to the Sprint Center.[7] However, Del Biaggio has since joined a group of Nashville investors in an effort to keep the Predators in Nashville.[8]

National Basketball Association

On January 10, 2007, three NBA teams were reported to have taken an interest in relocating: the Los Angeles Clippers, and two as-yet-unnamed franchises. [9]

External links

References

  1. ^ The arena is officially known as Sprint Center without "the"
  2. ^ Elton John made Saturday night alright for a concert Kansas City Star, 13 October 2007.
  3. ^ Elton John to open Sprint Center Kansas City Star, 26 July 2007.
  4. ^ Covitz, Randy. Penguins owner says team will ‘explore relocation options’ Kansas City Star, 21 December 2006.
  5. ^ Conte, Andrew. Kansas City woos Penguins Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 15 December 2006.
  6. ^ Brigade plans move to Sprint Center Kansas City Star, 22 May 2007.
  7. ^ Duhatschek, Eric. Balsillie shouldn't overplay his hand Globe and Mail, 13 June 2007
  8. ^ ESPN.com news services. Bettman says board could vote on Predators bid by November ESPN.com, 20 September 2007
  9. ^ Other Teams Express Interest in Sprint Center KMBC Channel 9 Kansas City, 10 January 2007.
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