Dome Sweet Dome

[RF2044]

Could at least paint all the concrete orange...looks like crap

They've made some of those types of cosmetic improvements, and the Dome looks a lot better. Between the orange paint and the new ribbon boards, it looks a ton better than before.

Not perfect--far from it--but definitely improved.

 

[BlueCurtain]

they need a sizable video board behind the pullout section. then they need to bring the curtain back behind the video board. as a recruiting tool, kids love to see themselves on the big screen.

 

[bballbeadle]

This recent sell out got me thinking. Would people be for building a basketball only stadium for basketball, or do people love the massive crowds too much to change? My recent visit to Pitt, watching the Michigan State game, the Missouri game, and the Maryland game against Duke really got me thinking about this. These were hostile crowds, and I don't always see that at Syracuse games. I don't know if its just the culture of the Dome, or because the Students are so far away from the court. The students bring the most energy, this is especially evident when they are home on break; the dome seems dead. I went to the Peterson Events Center a couple weeks ago and loved how the Students were right on top of the floor. I have been seeing that a lot more recently. I love the dome for basketball but I was wondering if anyone thinks its time to build a basketball only stadium and put the students around the court? Sometimes it feels like everyone is so far away. Im not complaining at all, just wondering what everyone else seems to think about this. And yes, Im fully aware that we currently have the longest active winning streak at home.

This is a great question, especially regarding making the Dome more intimidating. I understand completely your feeling that the students on the sides jack up the atmosphere. It does! Our student section is great, when they come. Why they're not coming is a subject for another thread. But I don't think our student section is as intimidating as MSU's or Indiana's because of placement.

I have a different slant on whether the big crowds intimidate. Sometimes I have wondered if they don't intimidate our own players! I have heard them often talk how much they love to go into an away venue and quiet the crowd. But here you have a game coming up on Saturday. Gtown has nothing to lose. We have everything to lose. That huge crowd expects our guys to win. Some of the fans can get ugly quickly. (Not our board, of course! We are fabulous fans all the time.) I think sometimes that makes our players tight. But of course, it's only a guess. I am sure our players would say it juices them to the max.

As to the question du jour, for me it's gotta be DOME.

 

[Quazzum69]

It's going to happen. Maybe not right away but by 2030, let's say, there will be a new arena on the hill. She's not getting any younger and maintenance on a fifty-year-old building will be ridiculous. I imagine it cannot be too energy efficient, either. The question should be who will be the corporate sponsor for the new stadium?

 

[cto]

The biggest and cheapest change that could be made would be to just stand up and cheer. I understand their are a lot of elderly folks who pay top dollar for their seats and they have the right to sit but when you're in a section like that, no one wants to be that guy to stand up so everyone just sits. This won't be as big a problem versus Georgetown of course but in general, fans could make a bigger difference. It is what it is though, I love the Dome.

I will say it one more time. Fans in the three rows of court side seats are not allowed to stand... because there are no risers there. That rule is explicitly printed in all the material regarding those seats. Don't bitch at those folks for not standing. They can't.

 

[Jaka]

People misread the OP's question, IF the university had the funds why wouldn't you want a new arena with better food options, bars, and better seating? To reword it, if someone donated $300 mil to the university for a basketball only arena, would you take it?

 

[thebigeast44]

I almost never agree with BlueCurtain but I have always wanted the Blue Curtain to come back. I could care less about the videoboard which is pretty far down the field from the bball court. Tough to make the Dome feel intimate but the curtain helped.

 

[tptcuse]

Saturday's atmosphere will be unique to any place in the country. It seems to me that some of the other concerns can be addressed by more cosmetic improvements and improvements to the vending options. In the long term (15+ years from now), that is an entirely different matter which will play out as time and priorities change. Who would have thought 15 years ago that people would complain about the quality and viewing angles of video boards?

 

[Cusejuicy]

We have the longest winning streak in college bball going in the Dome. Why kill a good thing. It will change long before a new facility could be a reality but speaks volumes for the venue

 

[Hoov50]

Saturday's atmosphere will be unique to any place in the country. It seems to me that some of the other concerns can be addressed by more cosmetic improvements and improvements to the vending options. In the long term (15+ years from now), that is an entirely different matter which will play out as time and priorities change. Who would have thought 15 years ago that people would complain about the quality and viewing angles of video boards?

I remember the UConn game when I was at SU and it was a big deal when they brought in a portable video screen and hung it from a crane. Still can't imagine it was very safe to just hang it like that but it was kind of a big deal at the time.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I will say it one more time. Fans in the three rows of court side seats are not allowed to stand... because there are no risers there. That rule is explicitly printed in all the material regarding those seats. Don't bitch at those folks for not standing. They can't.

They should go Rosa Parks and break the unjust rules.

 

[Townie72]

It's going to happen. Maybe not right away but by 2030, let's say, there will be a new arena on the hill. She's not getting any younger and maintenance on a fifty-year-old building will be ridiculous. I imagine it cannot be too energy efficient, either. The question should be who will be the corporate sponsor for the new stadium?

What are the maintenance costs on concrete anyway?

C'mon. The Dome is a very simple structure. Maintenance can't be all that big an expense except for replacing the roof. What else do you have ... the motors for the fans? Lights? Plumbing fixtures?

 

[solvaycuse44]

Eh, it's just become too much a part of the teams identity at this point. IMO it would take either a massive, prolonged slump in SU bball prominence (at which point they probably wouldn't be able to afford nor justify a new arena), or a few more decades of outdated discomfort before the fans are ready to pop the dome.

Well this is a good question and a tough one for me. Well I would miss the huge crowds if they could construct the stands right where the student sections would be all around the court similar to the Oakland zoo and right on top on the court YES I would be all in and of course there would have to be least 15k! But most importantly to me it's the students in ya house cause that's whAt creates the great atmosphere IMO

 

[Chip]

The Dome has to be the most unappreciated treasure in all of college sports. It's a one of its kind on-campus facility that gives SU national recognition in the sports world.

Love that place. We're so lucky to have it.

 

[longtimefan]

Judged purely on its own merits the Dome is horrendous. Everyone too far from the court, uncomfortable overcrowded metal or concrete benches, terrible sound system, mostly disgusting food, too few bathrooms. That said, you can go anywhere in this country and even many places overseas and mention Syracuse and the one thing even casual sports fans know is the Carrier Dome. It's unique, the enormous crowds bring us lots of attention and it seems to be a great recruiting tool. I'm willing to put up with the discomfort to maintain those advantages.

I object to "horrendous". It has advantages, as well as disadvantages. I would guess that if you polled the hard-care fans at the perennial Top 25 programs as to whether they would swap home facilities with SU, more than half of those programs would say "yes".

And remember--the Dome was built as a football facility. Hoops was an after-thought. The architects originally dubbed it "Demi Dome". Athletic administration expected (hoped?) to average 15,000.

 

[Marsh01]

I enjoyed my dome dog tonight and the warm flat cheap beer that I consumed. I was in heaven.

 

[rrlbees]

I enjoyed my dome dog tonight and the warm flat cheap beer that I consumed. I was in heaven.

I enjoyed my TWO dome dogs and mountain dew.

Sent using my Commodore 64

 

[Marsh01]

I enjoyed my TWO dome dogs and mountain dew.

Sent using my Commodore 64

You are such a rebel

 

[MiniCuse]

How horrible it must be for our players to ride a 38 game home winning streak into the most attended game in the country on Saturday. It's practically the MCI Center for the Hoyas to play in front of a non-intimidating crowd of 35,000+. The Dome is arguably the best home court in all of college basketball. Yeah, let's replace it with the Yum Center. Or the Peterson Event Center. Absurd.

 

[Ragman2000]

I enjoyed my TWO dome dogs and mountain dew.

Sent using my Commodore 64

You look like you enjoyed at least 3 or 4.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

 

[PoppyHart]

What are the maintenance costs on concrete anyway?

C'mon. The Dome is a very simple structure. Maintenance can't be all that big an expense except for replacing the roof. What else do you have ... the motors for the fans? Lights? Plumbing fixtures?

The Silverdome sold for about $600K a couple of years ago. Annual maintenance was about 1.5 to 2 million.

 

[JLine]

I will say it one more time. Fans in the three rows of court side seats are not allowed to stand... because there are no risers there. That rule is explicitly printed in all the material regarding those seats. Don't bitch at those folks for not standing. They can't.

I know that, I'm talking about the people behind the benches and the pull out bleachers and everyone in general even the 300's. I understand you guys aren't allowed to stand, which is completely reasonable but for the rest it's basically make the first shot sit down until halftime, make the shot after halftime sit down, get up for a good play then sit right back down.

 

[Townie72]

The Silverdome sold for about $600K a couple of years ago. Annual maintenance was about 1.5 to 2 million.

Of which $1.9M was the bill for heating and air conditioning.

 

[gmoney44]

Dome or death. For football & basketball. No need to reinvent the wheel. Just continue improving what we have that is already paid for.

 

[AluminNV]

I almost never agree with BlueCurtain but I have always wanted the Blue Curtain to come back. I could care less about the videoboard which is pretty far down the field from the bball court. Tough to make the Dome feel intimate but the curtain helped.

It needs to return for all but the 30k+ games. Take it down for the big occasions when we fill the uppers to the other goal line like Georgetown.

Dr Gross is a smart guy and needs to realize this. Noone is impressed because we have a video board on the other side of the stadium.