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Throughout the course of
time, I've had the opportunity to see how events are produced.
Below is a list of some of the events I've gone to and why or why not
I've enjoyed their production. |
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Pee Dee Pride, ECHL,
Florence City County Civic Center, Florence, SC |
October, 2000 |
A |
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This is the first ranking I
will file up here for the simple reason it was the best production I
have
ever seen. The music levels were perfect, the pre-game show was
excellent and the atmosphere was unbelievable. You know you're in
for a fun night when the place is packed and the teams have yet to take
the ice for pre-game warm-ups. The only down side was the
announcer who didn't have the best voice for PA. Update: The Pee Dee Pride changed their name to Florence Pride and eventually suspended operations while awaiting a new arena to be built in Myrtle Beach which, as of January 15, 2008, will not happen. We had a chance a couple years following this grade to catch the Pride again and the grades all fell greatly. They seemed to assume fans would just show up if they opened the gates and that's not the case for success in sports.
- Music: Great variety, every genre that fits a
southern area was played. A good mixture of country with
classic rock, modern rock, adult contemporary, oldies and
more. There was a lack of an organist but there were
instrumental fan-interaction bits that were played. Rarely
will you find an organist at a hockey game anymore so there isn't a
down grade for that. Additionally, the music was loud but not
too loud. You had trouble talking to the person next to you at
times but you don't go to a hockey game like Pee Dee's and talk. Music grade: A+
- Pre-Game production: It was an emotional
night because the hometown Pride were recognizing their playoff run
the season before and the fans were really into it. The use of
laser lights and smoke machines was done really well, so well that
it excited the fans and pumped them up for the game. Pre-game production grade: A+
- In-Game production: This includes promotions
that may be done and these were done ok. Good music and fan
interaction but again the PA announcer took away from this a little
bit with his high tweaked voice. The promotions were typical
but the fans seemed involved in the sling-shot promotions. In-Game
production: B+
- Public Address Announcer: Was the worst part
of the evening. He was a radio station DJ and has the typical
problem of talking too fast into a PA mic. He needed to slow
down most of his talking to make it understandable. He
screamed into the mic for the Pride and was quiet for the visitors
which detracts from fan enjoyment. When he hit sounds with
"s" or "c", it irritated the ears a little, they
really needed to take out some of the "highs" (less
treble) on the mixer to make his voice blend in better with the
system. Public Address Announcer grade: C
- Intangibles: This includes ushers, mascots,
staff, etc. Everyone I met with the Pride certainly took pride
in the job they did and were happy to help with anything. Fans
showed up early to tailgate and some of the workers joined the fans
prior to going to work. They were always smiling regardless of
the time. When all who were at the arena were tired after the
game, the employees all had sincere smiles on their faces. Intangibles
grade: A+
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Charlotte Checkers, ECHL,
Cricket Arena, Charlotte, NC |
March, 2004 |
B- |
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Hockey in the
south, who would’ve thought. But here in Charlotte, it’s been
around since the late 1950’s and the building they play in is from
around that time as well, but far advanced for it’s time. The
wooden seats have plenty of leg room for taller fans and aren’t cramped
like many of the stadiums built in the last 40 years. The
concourse is interesting to walk around as it goes up-and-down a few
times. The visiting team dresses in what looks like a storage room
from the outside and there isn’t much of a bad seat in the house.
Problem is, they have a protective screen behind the goals. This
ranking combines two visits which were almost identical except one had
chuck-a-puck.
- Music: When you’re in the south,
you’d expect to hear a little bit of country played during a visit.
Apparently, the fans aren’t into country much in Charlotte because staff
said it didn’t work before. Not much else was working during our
visits so maybe they should’ve tried some country. The music level
was good all throughout the games, not too loud or too quiet. The
person controlling the levels was different than that doing the music,
he did a good job of keeping everything the same except for the PA
announcer prior to the game. The pre-game ads were read fast and
with the volume level not being there, it was tough to understand.
The Checkers had different goal songs and once the music started, it was
the fans cue to sit. Having seen both styles of one song and many
songs used for celebration of goals/home runs, it’s recommended to find
one and stick to it. Fan interaction is better. Between
periods, the playing of YMCA got the small mid-week crowd going and they
were enjoying their time. The selection of music though just
didn’t seem to fit the fans. Mostly fans who enjoyed music from
’75-’90, a lot of this era was ignored and the songs from those 15 years
weren’t the type to get people moving. The whistle following an
exciting and crowd-energizing fight was the mellow “Mustang Sally”.
Not a bad song to have in the arsenal, but find something that’s a
little more rocking than this. “Shook Me All Night Long”, “Rock and Roll
All Night”, “Love Shack”, "Cum on Feel the Noize", or something in these
neighborhoods would’ve been a better choice. The crowd prompts
used during the game were good. Maybe a couple more different ones
should be thrown in here and there to keep it fresh. Music
grade: C
- Pre-Game production: Before the game,
not much to talk about. The lights went out for the introductions,
thanks to the video board operator for providing the names as the
screaming announcer was tough to understand, and the National Anthem
wasn’t much either. It was a basic pre-game with the light show and all,
done better than most but not memorable. Pre-game production
grade: C
- In-game Production: Chuck-A-Puck!!!
YAY!!! Ok, it’s obvious we enjoy Chuck-A-Puck and part of the
reason is it gives all those who want to participate in a contest the
chance to participate. There is always the chance of winning because
pucks roll. That in mind, it was cool to see the pucks come flying down
again. The blimp and chuck-a-puck were only there the second night
so the first night was ranked a little lower. The blimp dropped
coupons for prizes however they were to the same people who had T-shirts
thrown at them as one section received eight chances at T-shirt thrown
into the stands during the period breaks. They were also a lucky
section during the game and had coupons given to them as well.
Spread the wealth a little. The human sling-shot promotion seems
like a good promotion, just need to make sure you get people who want to
act in it. Can’t really control that but they do control who they
pick. Instead of picking names out of a hat and announcing the
names (so the PA announcer who is also the between-period host--big plus
here--can have the names), they go to the person’s seat. Well,
don’t go to the bathroom during the game or decide to sit with a friend
at the last minute or you could miss out on winning a car. This
goes in the category of lucky signatures in the programs, a nice idea,
but in the end gives fans the feeling of "never had a chance".
Another promotion that some other teams are doing that's always a good
idea is offering rides on the ice resurfacer between periods. As
anyone who has ever ridden on or driven one will tell you, it's fun!
The grade is as high as it is for two reasons, Chuck-A-Puck & the P. A.
announcer as host of the contests, but more really could’ve been done.
In-game production grade: B-
- Public Address Announcer: First
the positives. This announcer’s voice is a good voice to have over
a PA system in the south. Not too much of a drawl but enough twang
to remind you you’re in Dixie, nice voice. Someone once said,
“Don’t create potential problems.” This is something P. A.
announcers, especially in the south should take into consideration
before starting. You DON’T need to announce the period of
something happening because people can see the period on the scoreboard. Plus, when you announce, “…penalty comes at 4:23 of the second, third period,” it sounds bad. Eliminate the announcing of the period and you
eliminate a possible dumb mistake. Also, with the crowd tending to
want to make noise during the game, it’s a good idea to repeat goals
scored and penalties a second time to make sure the fans heard you
correctly, especially when there are several penalties all together.
In the area of, “I can see that already,” don’t announce which goal
number or announce how many goals in the game a player has until his
second goal. For example, “Checkers first goal, scoring his first
of the game…” Two things wrong here, I can see it’s the first goal of
the game, I’ve been watching the game. If you have several goals
back-to-back, then it’s ok to announce the goal number, but not when
they are spaced out. The second point, it’s obvious that on the
first goal scored of the game that the player will be recording his
first goal of the game. It’s not possible to score two goals for
yourself in a 1-0 game. Give the fans some credit and don’t state
the insanely obvious. Public Address announcer grade: B-
- Intangibles: There is just
something about watching a sporting event at a truly old arena.
The gym at University of San Francisco, San Jose’s Municipal Stadium and
Charlotte’s Cricket Arena (known also as Independence Arena) are all the
kinds of places that have seen a lot games. Whether you're upstairs
on the main concourse, walk down to the restaurant, or have rink-side
seats, there is always a restroom and a concession stand to serve you
(this goes in with the "far ahead of it's time" comment from earlier).
The ushers are very plentiful and willing to help, except for a couple
behind the goals who stood in the narrow walkways instead of in a
section. Souvenirs seemed typical but to have a Nathan’s hot dog
(the original Nathan’s can be found beyond left field at KeySpan Park in
Brooklyn, NY) at a hockey game in Charlotte was a nice surprise.
Add to that the wide variety of other concessions, the video board that
actually shows videos, replays and other live action, the side message
boards which provide information and the uniqueness of the building,
this is a nice place to visit. The second game we attended, there
was a bingo contest in which fans could win depending on what happened
in the game. A good idea to keep fans involved for the most part
and rooting for the good things. Intangibles grade: B
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University
of North Carolina, ACC
Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC |
August, 2003 |
B- |
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Beginning the
season at home against one of the toughest teams in college football and
with the history of a major upset the last time these two teams met in
Chapel Hill, fans from both teams were geared up for an exciting
contest. It was for about five minutes of playing time, then
Florida State ran away with the game. It was a sunny day, far from
being traditional football weather and the sea of Tarheel Blue for miles
around the stadium got you ready for a traditional Atlantic Coast
Conference football game.
- Music: Before the game was
fine, but during halftime, only a couple of songs were played.
The problem here was that the same two songs were played three times
each instead of throwing some mix in there like they had in the
pre-game. Looking around the stadium, about 25% of the fans
were students, 5% were Florida State fans and of the remaining 70%,
most were 20-40 years old. The pre-game music was tailored
right to them. A lot of classic rock from the 70's and 80's
mixed in with funk and some occasional reggae. It was
interesting to hear Bob Marley as the first song. Even more
interesting was the fact the music person waited 30 minutes after
the gates opened to start playing music. As the teams came out
on to the field for their warm-ups, "Desire" was playing
over the PA system. Not sure if it was meant for the players
or not, but it did sound good. The sound person did a good job
of increasing the music level as the crowd entered the stadium and
the din of the fans increased. Music
grade: B
- Pre-game production: Hearing
the Florida State University Marching Band play the fight song and
the "tomahawk chop" in person is amazing. There
isn't a CD that can cover the sound this group makes. But when
the North Carolina Tarheels band took the field to play the school's
alma mater, the place rose to their feet. The band spelled UNC
on the field, stood in a North Carolina state formation and really
had the crowd going. Once the players took the field, the
place went nuts. It was an amazing sound to hear all these
fans cheering for their team with the fans in the end zone above the
player's entrance shaking their pom-poms, a rush comes over
you. The highlights and videos played before the game really
got the crowd pumped, including the "Hells Bells" video
which showed highlights of North Carolina defeating Florida
State. The videos started about 15 minutes before the
game. The gates opened two hours before the game and the only
thing on the video board beside the UNC logo, was the occasional
football kicked by a place kicker. They really should've had
something up there, anything to keep the fans interested, to get
them going. Pre-game
production grade: B
- In-game production: Very
little done in-game by way of promotions or anything towards the
fans. There was a "find the football" video during
the game but that was pretty much it. Nothing in trivia
questions, did you know, etc. All they showed during TV
timeouts were commercials on a new video board in one of the end
zones. They didn't make good use of their new toy.
Half-time had a band performance, a ceremony to add eight new
members to the ring of fame on the stadium and a promotion by
Chik-Fil-A where contestants tried to put together a photo to win
prizes. The contestants names were unavailable to the person
on the field doing the play-by-play and the music was not conducive
to what was going on (should have been "Chicken
Dance"). When the band performed, the band's announcer,
like he had before the game, read the names of the people involved
with the band way too quickly and none of the names were really
caught. In-game production grade: D
- Public Address Announcer: Not
a bad announcer, but did have a consistent problem of not waiting
for the crowd noise to die down before making an announcement.
In the second half with most of the people gone, it wasn't a
problem. In the first half, it was like there wasn't an
announcer. He had a good voice for announcing, but should've
waited until the crowd got a little quieter. Public Address Announcer
grade: B
- Intangibles: The ushers and
other people who worked for the school were very friendly and
informative. They could tell you anything you needed to know
about the school, the team, and the stadium. One usher even
urged fans to pick up pom-poms even though they were wearing colors
of the opposing team. The concession stands were run by
various student organizations from campus which allowed those
organizations to make money that would then get reinvested back into
the school. This was something not yet seen in most college
settings. The only drawback was the message boards on the side
of the stadium. Nothing went on the message boards except for
"2003 Carolina Football". This would've been a good
place to put who ran the ball or even some statistics about the
game. It seemed like a waste of money to have them up there.
Intangibles
grade: A
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Fresno Falcons,
WCHL,
Selland Arena, Fresno, Ca. |
April, 2002 |
B |
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There is something about
playoff hockey that brings out the best in people and the Fresno fans
were no different. The show put on was excellent but something
seemed to be missing. Maybe it was the short but slow lines at the
souvenir stand, lack of ushers assisting fans, it's a tough call.
The production was excellent to watch overall. The Falcons know
how to get it done with in-game promotions and music, but maybe add more
to the game-day staff. That could also have to do with the arena
too.
- Music: The music was good. AC/DC's
"Thunderstruck" to introduce the Falcons was a perfect
volume, really loud! Pre-game and warm-ups were good. A
good mix of 80's, 90's and classic rock then switching over to
modern rock for the warm-ups was smooth. Good
transitions. In-game, songs were pretty typical and didn't
seem to energize the fans too much. The occasional
instrumental fan-interaction bit was thrown in there and the
over-play of the theme from "The People's Court" for
visiting penalties got old in the third period. Music
grade: B
- Pre-game production: Didn't have many
lighting effects but the team coming out through the fog looked
pretty good, even though it's something that's pretty much the norm
now. The music was simply thunderous and the players were
ready to go. They were pumped which made for an awesome first
period, exactly what you want your pre-game production to do. Pre-game
production grade: B+
- In-game production: Typical sling shot stuff
into the seats with a shootout, but Fresno added something a little
different from the norm. A broom ball game between periods
that pitted two car dealerships against each other.
Entertaining to watch as Californians who don't walk on ice much
were slipping and sliding their way around the rink. This was
funny. In-game production grade: B+
- Public Address Announcer: Was obviously
pumped up and it radiated to the fans. Smiles are excelled
through voice, excitement is as well, phoniness is too. This
guy though, was the first two and there wasn't any phoniness to his
voice. When announcing the visiting team's goals, you could
hear he was in the same frame of mind as the fans. When the
Falcons scored, he cheered through his voice. Professional all
the way and he was really into the game. If the announcer is
bored or fakes enthusiasm, it comes through on the mic, he definitely
wasn't. He was pumping it out but was talking too fast with
announcements at some points. Public Address Announcer
grade: B+
- Intangibles: Mascot, Freddy Falcon was
there. He was making sure the fans enjoyed the game but you
didn't see him in the stands much (if at all). There were kids
at the game but it seemed there was much more of a grown-up crowd
and not many families with young kids. I know hockey is a
physical sport but some places have a lot of kids at their
games. The lack of staff to ask questions of was tough as was
the 15-minute wait at the souvenir stand while the Falcon staff
members figured out how to use the cash register and credit card
machines. The Falcons did a good job working with an older
arena but the feel there was great! Intangibles
grade: C
- Notes: Following the
2002-03 season, the WCHL merged with the East Coast Hockey League to
become the ECHL. The Falcons are now a member of the ECHL.
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San Jose Giants, California League,
Municipal Stadium, San Jose, Ca. |
July, 2002 |
B |
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This place has a good sound
system for fans in certain areas but that doesn't detract from the
fan-excitement. There are plenty of audio horns placed throughout
the stadium but the good speakers behind home plate offer plenty of
thumptitude (I made this word up but it sounds good). The staff is
cheery and helpful although the ticket takers were getting ragged a
little. Having to get into two separate lines at the grill to get
my food was a little annoying but the walk to the grill was awesome as
the Giants have all the Minor League teams logos painted on walls and
gates (well, the teams and way they looked in 1993).
- Music: Great selection. Big band,
oldies, disco, funk, classic rock, 80's and adult contemporary offer
fans variety. The computerized organ and other sound effects add to
the overall atmosphere at the game. The thumptitude is felt in
your chest when a song with a good beat steps up. Fans are
always bouncing their feet and clapping their hands. Music
grade: A
- Pre-Game production: Not much pre-game wise
as in most Minor League parks. Kids took the field with the
players and the anthem singer was good. It's tough to get a
bad mark in pre-game in Minor League Baseball unless you do
something really bad. Pre-Game production: B
- In-Game production: Good promotions except
for the sandwich race. Doesn't seem to really even been
anything. The best promotion though is watching players throw
baseballs at the head lights of a bread truck that's had all of it's
windows removed so they can keep the promotion going all year
long. Dances are fun and that's what the fans came for. In-Game
production: B+
- Public Address Announcer: Good to listen to
during the game. You can understand every word he says on the
PA system and he keeps you informed. Talking too fast or
favoring the Giants over another team is not what this guy
does. The one set-back though, was that it took about 8
minutes (twice than normal) for the starting line-ups to be
read. This was good for fans writing the names in but there
seemed to be a lot of dead air to work with as well. You kept
saying to yourself, who's the next one. Other than that, he's
good. Public Address Announcer: B
- Intangibles: That walk way was cool to look
at with all of the other murals that are painted there. Bring
a camera and get some pictures of this. I'm not one to spend
too much time on the concourse at a game, but this was outright
amazing. I spent a good half-hour after the game looking at these
and taking pictures. The only draw-back that I saw that would
take away from enjoyment was the set-up of the barbeque area.
With the best Tri-tip in the California League, you want to get-in
quick and get-out quick so you don't miss the game. Problem
is, you have to wait in one line that can be long to get in another
line to hand a ticket to a person and wait for your order.
Then, orders aren't don't in order. I saw a fan that ordered
before I did get their sausage after I did because of all the
Tri-tip orders that came in. I might have gotten one more each
time I went there except for this. Also, it closed early which
meant there was no way I was going to get another late after I let
the first one digest. Intangibles: C+
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Brooklyn Cyclones, New
York-Penn League
KeySpan Park, Brooklyn, NY |
July, 2001 |
B |
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The Cyclones
brought baseball back to Brooklyn for the first time in over 40 years
when the likes of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson called Ebbets Field
home. Ebbets is now an apartment complex but this stadium sits
right up next to the other popular area of that time, Coney
Island. Plan to spend a while here and maybe even a second day to
completely experience the area and the beach along with the park.
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Music:
It was a good mix of everything but middle-of-the-road by way
of excitement. It
didn't seem to energize the fans much and there wasn't much in the
way of extra music to get the fans into it.
The lack of sound effects and crowd prompts wasn't really
noticed because of the 8,000+ fans that were in constant attendance.
The sound system at KeySpan Park was a good system giving out
good quality sound. Music grade: C
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Pre-Game
production: When a
gold-medallist throws out your first pitch, a color guard presents
colors and a good National Anthem singer, you are going to get a
high mark and the Cyclones did.
They use their video board well to go along with pre-game
PA's and even have Warner Fusselle reading the safety rules on the
video board. Pre-game
production grade: B
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In-Game
production: When you
pack them in after a 40+ year absence of baseball, not much is
needed to keep the fans into it.
Stuff is thrown into the stands and basic on-field contests
are done but nothing really stood out.
In-Game production grade:
C
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Public Address
announcer: It might be
New York tradition to have an older gentleman do the PA announcing
because that is what Brooklyn has.
He has a good voice with a hint of a Brooklyn accent to give
him that home town feel. Fans
can't identify who the announcer is because he is set so far from
everyone else. He'll
probably be there for years to come until he retires.
Public Address announcer grade:
C
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Intangibles:
How can you not like a park where there is the roller coaster
the team was named after behind the left field wall, the Atlantic
Ocean beyond the right-field wall and Coney Island all around you. Granted it's not the same Coney Island it was 30 years ago
but there is still plenty to do around the stadium. Spend a day at the beach then cross the board walk and enter
the stadium. Take a
look at the Parachute Jump ride that is still standing behind the
right field bullpen. Walk
down to Nathan's to have a hot dog (or four) with fries but be
prepared to wait, the staff there is really slow.
Then once you are in the park, stop by the two-story souvenir
store or walk around the concourse that gives you a carnival type
atmosphere. If you like
to shop for bargains, there are many little booths along Surf Ave.
where you'll find just about anything.
If you are staying in the city, the elevated subway runs
right near the stadium but make sure to ask someone which train to
take because you could end up somewhere else in New York City.
Intangibles grade: A
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Johnstown Chiefs, ECHL
Cambria County War Memorial, Johnstown, Pa. |
January, 2001 |
B |
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"Old
Time Hockey"! This is
where Slap Shot was primarily filmed including the downtown area which
is a short walk from the War Memorial.
The dog is still there but in a cage and re-located after vandals
destroyed the first one. The
park is still there and you can see what stores have changed and which
haven't. Stop by the candy
store just down the street from the arena but do it two hours before the
gates open because the store's owner has season tickets plus a lot of
great stories you wont want to miss.
The bar the players went to in the movie to watch soap operas is
still there but the prescription shoppe next door is no longer there.
The bus terminal was razed and a newer one put in its place.
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Music:
Is played pretty well in the land of "Old Time
Hockey". The fans
get into it and there is an electricity in the stands.
It's not just realizing that a very good portion of the
classic "Slap Shot" was filmed there.
The arena hasn't changed much except there isn't an organist
but the music does add to the effect.
Can't really pinpoint one song that stood out.
Music grade: B
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Pre-Game
production: The light
show, fireworks, loud music and such are amazing.
The only problem is that the fireworks melt into the ice and
it takes a while for the smoke to clear so don't sit behind the
Johnstown goal in the first period.
Plenty of announcements to keep fans informed as to what's
coming up, what's going on and where to sign up for stuff.
Pre-game production grade:
B
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In-Game
production: Chuck-a-puck
along with a couple of shoot-at-the-board promotions keep this one
average. But when those
pucks fly in the small arena, they fly fast and hard so watch out.
No secondary announcer is good.
Having one PA announcer is the best, using more than one in a
game will easily get a mark-down.
In-game production: B-
-
Public Address
announcer: Has only a
microphone and a pane of glass to protect him from everything else.
The fans, the game and the players in the penalty box.
This has to be a fun place especially when the players are
still jawing at each other. It
is unique to hear what the players say while the announcer is trying
to announce the penalties. Good
annunciation and not too much in the yelling category.
Problem was, there are dead spots by way of sound in the
arena. You could sit on
the glass and hear everything clearly.
Sit in the next two rows back and hear nothing.
From row four up, it was OK.
It was this way behind the goal, just kind of a weird place
to have that happen. Public Address announcer grade:
C
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Intangibles:
Inside the arena, you can see that the pressbox is still
hanging from the roof on one side, you can walk down the same
concourse area the actresses did at the end of the movie, walk up to
the same pressbox Jim Carr broadcast from in the movie, walk out the
same tunnel the team took the ice to and see the door of the office
used in the movie. That office is now storage as a new office area was built a
few years ago but standing in the same spot Paul Newman did is still
fun and interesting. The
people are great and love their Chiefs. Intangibles
grade: A
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University of San
Francisco Dons, WCC
War Memorial (Basketball), San Francisco, Cal. |
December, 2002 |
B |
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The
University of San Francisco is known for two quite famous basketball
players, K. C. Jones and Bill Russell. Those two helped the Dons
to an NCAA Championship in the mid-50's. The War Memorial has seen
its fair share of athletics over the years from top-quality basketball
to cheerleading practices and everything in between. This visit to
the War Memorial was for both business (rankings) and pleasure (helping
out with the music a little). The Lady Dons took on the Syracuse
University Orangewomen making SU the first team/school to have a home
and road game ranked in the rankings.
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Music:
Prior to entering the arena, I was told that the person doing the
music played music that was geared more to the players and not to
the fans who are a base of 40-60 year old graduates of the
school. A lot of the music during shoot-around was rap beats
and some new songs but definitely not geared toward the fans.
This atmosphere lasted into the game a little. After some
words and encouragement, the sound person started to watch the
crowd's reaction to the music and was pulling some sound tricks even
the most experienced sound techs wont try. He faded nicely out
of a song right at the final buzzer of a timeout and put up a crowd
effect. He dropped a couple of crowd prompts during dead balls
late in the game and even threw in an "Awesome Baby" after
two successful foul shots. The music and the production by far
got better in the second half. Music grade: B
-
Pre-Game
production: The music wasn't
much to listen to especially an extra 15 minutes of it because one
of the officials slated for the game didn't know about the
game! Another official was found and the game delayed.
The National Anthem singer did an excellent job with the Anthem by
keeping a good pace and getting the words right. The
cheerleaders helped to bring the players onto the court and the
music was good at pumping up the crowd a little. Not much by
way of lighting but in an old gym, it's tough to pull it off. Pre-Game production grade:
B
-
In-Game
production: Every media
timeout had something tied to it. Whether it was a couple of
PA announcements or the cheerleaders drowning the crowd with candy,
pizza, shirts or more, there was always something. After a big
second-half run by the Dons to get within nine points of the lead,
the place was rockin' to "We Will Rock You". The
crowd stayed pumped throughout the rest of the game even though the
Orange won easily. In-Game production:
B
-
Public
Address announcer: Had a very similar voice and
inflection to the announcer with George Mason University's men's
team but did a better job with it. He was up for the Dons and
gave the Orange the time of day when they made baskets. Just a
couple of "XX team foul of the first half" here and there
but it was an overall enjoyable game to listen to. Following
the game, he was very interested to know how to make his voice sound
better and was listening to advice that was given to him. A
lot of announcers are too full of themselves to even care,
especially those who've been doing it for a while. Public
Address announcer grade: B-
-
Intangibles:
The gym is old and it shows, but in only two places. The roof
is rowed with arches and has a cool feel to it and the concession
stand is underneath the playing floor. You have to go
downstairs to get your hot dogs, sodas, etc. It's kind of
strange to think a player on the foul line is right above the
grill. They do have a close-circuit system that allows fans
visiting "The Hacienda" to still catch the game. To
equate this arena to another is really quite simple. It has a
very similar feel to that of the Smith Center (George Washington
University) with it's three rows of bleachers on the floor,
closeness of the stands to the playing floor and elevated seating
areas in the end zones and sidelines. Walk into the lobby and
see all of the school's hardware including the National Champion
trophy for the Russell/Green team. Intangibles
grade: B+
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Dartmouth Big Green, ECAC
Thompson Arena (Hockey),
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November, 2002 |
B- |
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Only
twice have I had a chance to see a sanctioned college hockey game and
this one wasn't a disappointment. The arena has a nice seating
bowl for viewing and the concourse is at the top of the seats letting
fans see the game from anywhere, including standing up.
Unfortunately, the pre-game was missed but it was still a fun game to
see.
-
Music:
Done ok, although more could have been done. Some of the same
songs were played multiple times and I'm not referring to goal
songs. "Great Balls of Fire" was played three times
in the final two periods meaning the crew wasn't prepared for the
number of stoppages in hockey. Also, the sound computer was
using .wav files (and not Sports Sounds) meaning sound files were 10
times the size they should have been and causing computer skipping
effects through the system. Between periods, the music was way
too quiet and way to slow, not a good thing when everywhere you go
you see the ice and hear the music. The fans were excited
after the first period ended and were sitting/talking when the
second period started. Not much by way of tying the music in
with penalties and Kern Kraft 400 (the new goal song) was started
way too early. It was turned down by the time it got to the
bass part to encourage fans to clap along. Music grade: C-
-
Pre-Game
production: Did not see the
pre-game production as we arrived four minutes into the start of the
game. Looking around the arena, it did not look as if there
were lighting effects in the arena but could have been hid fairly
well. Pre-Game production grade:
NA
-
In-Game
production: Not much
until the period breaks. Then, some familiar (chuck-a-puck)
and unfamiliar (snow-shoe scamper) were performed. Fans
enjoyed the chuck-a-pucks--which were free--and cheered on the kids
who made their way onto the ice for the relay race.
The promotions crew did an excellent job getting the fans to
interact but they really need to find a way to get T-shirts to the
fans behind the goals who are blocked by a net. Of course, you
will find that the throwing of objects into the stands isn't quite
seen as a strong-point here. In-Game production:
B
-
Public
Address announcer: Did a very good job not screaming into the mic for the home team and
being quiet for the other. Penalties were read very well but
ads were tough to comprehend with the echo in the building, he read
them too fast. Public
Address announcer grade: C
-
Intangibles:
College hockey in this part of New Hampshire is as part of life as
football is in Texas. The fans who were at the game saw a good
game between two opponents on opposite sides of the spectrum with
the home team being the strongest. The student section is
placed behind the visitor's penalty box and extends through the
neutral zone, the best seats in the house. The open concourse
allows fans who want to stand to do so by leaning on a railing and
enjoying the action. The staff was very friendly and
knowledgeable about the promotions and pretty much everything else
with the team. Make sure you stop by the very reasonably
priced concession stands if you're hungry. There is no need to
eat before going to the game, you might spend more at a fast food
restaurant and not get as good a quality of food. If you are ever in this part of the nation,
stop in, see a game and make sure to read about it in the paper the
next day. Intangibles
grade: B+
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Carolina
Courage, WUSA,
SAS Soccer Park, Cary, NC |
July, 2003 |
C+ |
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With the success
of the women's World Cup team, it was inevitable that someone create a
professional women's soccer league and the 5,000 fans (near capacity)
that showed up this night were treated to a great game, a lot of fun,
and mascots. It was Roary's (the Courage mascot) birthday and he
invited some friends from local sports teams and colleges. The
game itself was a great game with sub-par officiating which is holding
the sport back. The play on the field was fast and intense all the
way through, the kind you expect from women's athletics. There
wasn't anyone giving up and all the players gave it their all, even if
they did get surprised by all the mascots in attendance.
- Music: Overall, it was
ok. Breaking it down, pre-game was so-so, in-game was good and
post-game was back to so-so. Let's start with the good.
The in-game music was upbeat, techno music that kept the fans
going. Very few crowd prompts were used but some good timely
music was thrown in there. For hard fouls by the opposition,
police music was played on the sound system. The system itself
is located above the lone scoreboard in one of the end zones and
when the wind blew, so did the music. Pre-game, the music was
varied but didn't seem to have much transition from very upbeat to
slow It was also a little too quiet, "Welcome to the
Jungle" is a great song, but if you can't hear it on the end of
the field in which you're warming up, it doesn't do anything.
Post-game, it was quiet as the fans were leaving and waiting for
autographs. Should've kept it upbeat for the remaining fans
who were waiting underneath the scoreboard. One of the things
that brought this grade up was the proper use of Kernkraft 400 in
starting it with the chanting and bass beats to really get the crowd
pumped. Music
grade: B-
- Pre-game production: The teams
came back on the field about five minutes before the start of the
game and were preceded by Roary. Roary did a good job of
running around and greeting the fans which helped this grade.
The announcer made an announcement about "It's crunch
time", then there was silence for a few seconds, very
uncomfortable. The visitors line-up had no feeling to it, just
number and player while the Courage had a brief bio with each
player. It was great, but to better promote the league and the
players, the informative bios should've been done for both. Pre-game
production grade: C
- In-game production: For
soccer, it can be tough sometimes. There were announcements
during play but during non-important times of the game (good time to
do it), in-game promotions which had mascots going into the stands
were also done at opportune times that did not interfere with the
flow of the game. Ball girls did throw items into the stands
from time to time which did cause some distraction. In the
small stadium, fans don't have too much risk of getting hurt, but a
bean-bag ball to the eye can hurt you. In-game production grade: B+
- Public Address Announcer: An
older gentleman did the work and did a pretty good job. His
voice was his saving grace as it was clear and concise most of the
time. However, there were some downfalls. There were
many times in which he announced, "Let's help out our team
right now" or "Let's make some noise for our
Courage". For visitor goals, the announcement was read
once, too fast and kind of out of order. "In the 16th
minute on a pass from so-and-so, so-and-so scored for the CyberRays.
The score is now San Jose-1, your Courage-0". Well, the
scoreboard gives the score for everyone in the stadium. This
was read quick as was the home goal that was scored. However,
when a goal was called back, no announcement was made. The
introductions were not done well at all. Quiet and
uninterested in the opponents, one of which was a hometown girl and
owner of both an Olympic gold medal and World Cup title. The
home team was read with a brief bio on the player but done with the
slur style of going up high then fading down and out. The
forced enthusiasm style. Public Address Announcer
grade: C
- Intangibles: Watching local
mascots make fools of themselves will make any game fun and this one
didn't disappoint. A blind-folded contest sent the mascot of
the Carolina Hurricanes to the target and moving it around. Another
local baseball mascot found his way onto the tug-of-war rope which
led to him getting dragged, and then the two mascots mentioned above
ended up in a "fight" on the field. It was hilarious
as Roary got to celebrate with a lot of great friends. Now, on
to the staff of the Courage. If you are looking for an example
of how not to do customer relations, call the Richmond Renegades (oh
wait, they did go out of business) but to see how it's done right,
go to the Courage. Every employee was smiling and having a
good time. Each person that was there wanted to be and were
enjoying themselves. They want to see the team succeed and
that bleeds over to the fans. People were handing out programs
free to people as they came through the gates so everyone knew who
the players were. There are a couple of play areas for kids
but one of them had a fee assigned to it. There was also
plenty of concessions available around the stadium and even with all
the fans, lines didn't get too long. The only problems were
lack of ushers throughout the stadium, not everyone knew where every
section was and some of the fans were allowed to get abusive. The fans weren't
abusive to the horrendous officiating (everyone in the stadium was
upset at the referee at some point) but to the mascots there to
entertain. A select few are what brought this down. Intangibles
grade: B+
- Notes: Following the
season, the WUSA suspended operation basically putting the Courage
out of business. This is a shame for such a well run
organization and hopefully the league re-organizes itself and uses
the Courage as a good example. SAS Soccer Park is the perfect
place to host a team like this. Instead of playing in large
stadiums with crowds of 5,000-6,000, play in the smaller stadiums
which make the crowds seem bigger.
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Durham
Bulls, International League
Durham (NC) Bulls Athletic Park |
May 2003 |
C+ |
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Durham Bulls
Athletic Park (DBAP) is the new home of the Durham Bulls after the movie
"Bull Durham" made the team and their former home, Durham
Athletic Park (DAP), world famous. Those who've been to both the
old and new will say they should still play at the DAP but will still go
to the new park to see the games. The Bulls may want to take a
page out of the Birmingham Barons books and play one game a year at
their old park. Unfortunately, the Bulls draw pretty well for
every game and moving a game could mean the loss of revenue at this
point. At either stadium though, parking would be tough but once
the fans are inside, they'd be treated to something special. This
grade is the combination of two games (in three days) at the DBAP
because both games were similar except for two small items that were
important to fan enjoyment at their respective games and teams could use
to learn from.
- Music: The pre-game recorded
music at DBAP was good. It was a good mix of pre-recorded
music on the first night and a good mix of pre-recorded and organ
music on the second night. That's right, an organ. Even
though it was an electronic keyboard, the atmosphere it provided was
great. It's highly recommended to find an organist who knows
the sport to perform before games. It really does make a
difference. The volume levels were done well. The more
fans who entered the stadium, the louder the music got to appear at
the same level of hearing as earlier. Fans were walking around
and smiling as the organist really made a difference. The
grade is an average of the two nights (first-C, second-A) Music
grade: B
- Pre-game production: With the
organ it was great. Both nights, the Bulls paraded groups of
kids in front of the Bulls dugout to the area behind home
plate. The starting line-ups were done well but the bull
above the left-field wall (baseball historians still believe it
should be next to the right-field foul pole like it was in the
movie) isn't as active as it once used to be. The snorting
isn't as loud as it used to be and isn't as long. The eyes
flash and tail wags but only for a short time. Fans,
especially those with kids, have plenty to do pre-game around the
stadium with the various play areas and meeting places. Pre-game
production grade: B-
- In-game production: The fans
really get going when the Bulls go to the bottom of the first but
after that, it's all about promotions, videos and announcements
which don't get the fans into the game music. When music is
played, it's the same thing on the same nights. The only
difference was the second game when the Bulls were behind going into
the ninth. "YMCA", "We Like to Party" and
"Come on Let's Go" were all heard at the same times
between the two games. The game contestants are chosen as the
gates are open and at the discretion of the game-staff. Look
for people with clipboards just inside the main entrance when the
gates open and you'll probably get picked. This allows the
staff plenty of time to set up for the promotions but gives a lot of
people the feeling of "I never had a chance". The
on-field host is ok but not necessary except the PA announcer is an
older gentleman who may not be able to keep up with the quickness of
the on-field promos. In-game production grade: C-
- Public Address announcer: Watch the movie,
"Bull Durham" and you'll hear a female P. A.
announcer. That was Hollywood's influence into the
movie. The Bulls have had an older gentleman for quite some
time and is part of the park. He has a good voice and doesn't
talk too fast on the PA system but seems unable to pick it up a
little. The first time through the line-up he adds something
to his introduction of the players that's not understandable.
He has a friendly voice that is likened to a ballpark announcer but
something seems missing. Public Address announcer grade: C
- Intangibles: Man are there
plenty of them. The first night, a radio station was giving
away bobbleheads of their personalities outside of the park, you
didn't even need a ticket to get one. Once inside, you get a
free play bill style program that you need a pen to keep score with
(some teams don't listen to their fans when they say they want to
keep score in pencil) which is a far cry from the DAP when you could
buy three scorecards for $1, each one with a lucky number printed on
it. The store was nice but very overpriced except for some old
team sets which were only $1.50 each. There aren't any players
of real note in any of these sets unless you've been a fan of
Carolina League baseball or the Atlanta Braves for quite
sometime. The concourse is nice and spacious with plenty of
concession stands. The restrooms have their own free concierge
service but found out about that feature after the second game was
over. The ushers allow fans near the dugouts before the game
to get autographs and don't throw people out unless it gets out of
hand. Even then, it's not a case of one bad apple spoiling the
orchard. The bad apple gets escorted out of the area.
The bull above the left field wall is larger than it's predecessor
and has moved once in the new park. It originally sat down the
right-field line until seats were needed to increase the number of
seats available for AAA standards. It now sits above the blue
monster in left which is shamed by it's green brother in
Boston. It has a net above it (and no seating just yet) with a
manual scoreboard which is almost exact to the one in Boston (except
for out of town scores). There is a message board on the wall
which is in play because the video board in centerfield was placed
directly in the batter's line of sight so it has to be off during
play. There is an old Lucky Strike tobacco factory behind the
third base side that's about 2 1/2 times longer than the stadium it
self. The factory is being refurbished but plans have yet to
determine what will go into the factory. The only problem with
DBAP is it's no DAP. It's more Norfolk Tides and Camden Yards
than it is Crash Davis (who was an actual second baseman for the
Durham Bulls) and Nuke LaLoosh. A main factor in this grade
being low is the sweepstakes for giveaways. Fans who want to
get a giveaway have to be in the first 5,000 to get a scratch-off
card that tells them if they are a winner. The management
hasn't had anyone complain but several people at the game said they
don't go to those games because Greensboro or Carolina guarantee the
giveaways to the first certain amount. You should never
penalize a fan who got there early by not giving them something that
someone who came in at game time. If you're going to have
5,000 scratch cards, get 5,000 giveaways. In the south, people
don't complain, they just don't come back. Do take a stroll
down the first base concourse to see the original bull from the
movie. It stood above the right-field wall from the time the
movie was shot until the Bulls moved to their new digs. Intangibles
grade: C
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Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario |
April, 2001 |
C+ |
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There
is just something about going to the home of a nation's sport.
Cooperstown provides a great insight to baseball and pretty much all of
Canada gives you a good view of hockey and why and how it is so
popular. A short drive from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto,
Hamilton is filled with plenty of nice people and very clean
streets. Even the "seedy" areas are clean.
-
Music:
This was the first day I had ever been in Canada and first
time I ever saw real Canadian hockey fans.
They love their hockey but for some reason are picky about
what they bounce to. The music was good but the fans didn't seem to get into some
of it and were all over the rest of it. This was fun to watch as the fans clapped along to typical
sound bits and some songs. I
did notice that Hamilton/Toronto is a funk/disco/hip hop type of
area. The type of hip
hop is the clean stuff with no cursing and that's what the people
bounce to. Regular mainstream (from 80's on up) didn't seem to do it.
Music grade: B-
-
Pre-Game
production: Not much
until the Zamboni machines leave the ice.
Then the lights go out and a laser light show with loud
thumping music plays. The
problem is, the light show is too long and doesn't incorporate the
team coming onto the ice. The
enthusiasm that's generated from the show quickly has faded by the
time the team takes to the ice.
A little shorter and timed better would have made it better.
There was good use of the video board above the ice with
highlight reels but it couldn't hold the attention.
Pre-Game production grade:
C+
-
In-Game
production: Typical
stuff with an auxiliary announcer in the stands who asks
questions and gives prizes. Unfortunately,
her voice is annoying in that she cheerleads and sounds bad doing
it. Plus, she has a
shrilly voice that annoys you when watching a game on TV.
She also couldn't announce Hamilton right, she added quite a
few "o's" to the end no matter when she said it, dragging
out the name farther than it needed to be.
It sounded really bad and thusly the grade.
In-Game production: D
-
Public
Address announcer: Was very good to listen to, didn't yell much into the mic but
did fake the enthusiasm, it was noticeable.
Didn't talk too fast, maybe a little quick at times but
otherwise was ok. Public
Address announcer grade: C+
-
Intangibles:
Simply put, Canadian hockey is great.
The atmosphere at the arena was electric, the fans were happy
to be there, they talked about hockey with the same fluidity
Americans speak about baseball or football.
You drop an obscure name from 1961 and you'll quickly find
someone there who can tell you his stats.
Want to know Willie O'Ree's history?
They know it just as well as Wayne Gretzky's.
I can't wait to get back to Canada to see more games and
would like to spend some time there to really experience Canada.
A little history about Copps Coliseum is it's where Gretzky
and Mario Lemieux were line-mates on the '88 Canada Canada Cup team
that defeated Russia. The intangibles is what brought the grade up but couldn't
pull it over C+. Intangibles
grade: B
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Carolina
Hurricanes, National Hockey League
RBC Center, Raleigh, NC |
November, 2003 |
C |
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This night, the
Hurricanes were playing the team with the league's top scorer. The
attendance has showed how the NHL has changed and not necessarily for
the good. When Wayne Gretzky led the NHL at the age of 20, he
played in front of sell-out crowds every night. Unfortunately,
only about 4,000 fans were in the stands to see Ilya Kovalchuk.
Could it be the prices at NHL arenas, could it be the price of tickets,
could it be the saturation of talent in the NHL? Answer is
probably yes to all three but that's not what we came for. The
game was ok, not too exciting and the few fans that showed up (all
wearing Hurricanes apparel) showed their support for the Canes.
It's interesting how the Triangle supports it's sports team. Of
all the sports related events in the area, only one of them doesn't seem
to bring out the team colors in people and that's Raleigh's baseball
team. But the Heart of Carolina really shows their support for the
Hurricanes as everyone was wearing red, black, and white or a
combination of those three. The Hurricanes could've earned a
"B" or even an "A-" with a good P. A. announcer.
- Music: Not much during
pre-game (we'll touch upon that in the next section) but when the
Canes took the ice, it sounded like they were still stuck on NC
State basketball. It was a an Outkast (rap/hip hop) song that didn't do much
for the fans or the players. After that first song, it
switched over to rock and the flow of the warm-up seemed to pick up
as well. During the game, the Canes use a wide variety of
music. From new to old, techno, dance, oldies, rock,
etc. It's all there. Unfortunately, the volume level of
the music was too quiet and it didn't all seem to be geared toward
the age level of the fans. After the game though, the do play
songs with "Carolina" in them as the people exit the
building. Smart idea and it's understood they change what's
played and don't play the same two or three songs after every
game. The team does have an organist but didn't seem to use
him/her that much. Music grade: C
- Pre-game production: Prior to
the game they showed "NHL Cool Shots" television show
which is good to keep people up to date on what's going on in the
NHL. Apparently, they'll also play Peanuts cartoons that
relate to the season in place of "NHL Cool Shots" so it's
not the same video every night. That's a great idea.
Following the video, the organist kicks in and it's a real
hockey-style organist. You can see the person on the main level in a Hurricanes jersey behind the keys of a large white
organ. Brings that old-time hockey feel to the game.
Following the warm-ups, the lights go out for a while when several
videos and commercials are shown. They don't seem to have time
to announce the visiting team's starting line-ups during the barrage
of long videos but editing a couple could very well be easy
enough. One of the commercials is one that is shown on local
TV. Another one is a brief 15-second deal that sets up the
game like it should on the televised broadcast not in arena.
It ends with "Right here, right now" then silence.
When the team takes the ice, the fans rise to their feet and stay
there until following the anthem. The team comes out to
"Rock You Like A Hurricane" as it should. Pre-game
production grade: B
- In-game production: If you are
wondering how to do things during a game, then you should come to
Raleigh and see what the Hurricanes staff does. The fans that
come to the games are treated to something great and play along with
the videos. Contests are related closely to the time of the
year and the trivia contests are fun, except for the bored-sounding
PA announcer. But the videos they show aren't the typical
boring highlights that are so common on TV/video boards now, they are fan
interaction videos. This night, the Canes pulled out a
"Pop-Up Video" style video about one of the players with
some funny bits. It was a highlight reel of the player but you
learned about him at the same time. A "Twin-Cam"
came out which is a lot like the mirror effect. What you get
on one side is mirrored on the other and it was funny to see Caniac
after Caniac come out of the middle of the screen. Fans
laughed and really enjoyed it. Then came "Kiss-Cam"
in the third period. Amazingly hilarious as the fans got into
it. Tongue was slipped between man and wife, boyfriend and
girlfriend, young and old. The final shot was two men, one of which stood up and put his rear in the face of his
buddy. The in-game production made you feel that you weren't
at an NHL game (which is a good thing these days), but more of a
feeling you were at a fun party and a hockey game was going
on. It didn't take away from the game at all and made it
fun. In-game production grade: A
- Public Address Announcer: When
choosing a Public Address announcer, it's key to find certain
qualities in that person. One, a good voice, one that will be
clear to the fans, understood by all and at the top of the list, not
irritating. Two, someone who has knowledge of the rules of the
game. Third, someone who is truly excited to be there and
happy no matter what happens because hey, they are getting to work
for an NHL team.
Unfortunately, the Canes have none of the
three qualities in their person.
-First, the announcer's voice
is too high, it's stuck up in the rafters and hurts the ears when he
talks. He can't be understood because his voice stays up and
doesn't come down to your ears. Plus he talks way too fast
when reading announcements.
-His knowledge of the game, or lack
thereof, was exposed early on and exploited later.
"Penalties come at 14:32 into the first period".
Visit the tips section or pick up "The Announcer's Guide:
Hockey" and you'll know that you don't need to announce the
period when the scoreboard is there. I'm sure whoever spent
the millions of dollars for the six scoreboards with the period on
them is happy they paid for it when the announcer continues to
announce the obvious. Later in the game, a goal was scored at
the end of the second period. It was announced as, "Time
of the goal, twenty minutes into the second period."
Slight problem, there is no way possible--at least according the
rules of the NHL--that a goal can be scored with absolutely no time
remaining in a period. This was thought to be obvious to
professional announcers, but it wasn't to this one. Later,
that goal was credited as the goal of the game and the announcer
corrected himself by saying, "19:59 of the second period"
which strangely enough was his only good point of the night.
The only time you announce the period of something is when you
aren't in that period. However, early into the third period,
the Hurricanes goalie was called for interference, the announcement,
"Hurricanes penalty to #80 Kevin Weekes, two minutes for goalie
interference..." First, it's goaltender interference and
second, the penalty is for those who interfere with the
goalie. Weekes did not skate to the other end of the rink and
jump on the opposing team's goalie, that would've been something
else altogether.
-Now to the third point above, someone wins a
prize in a contest he is announcing for and he sounds like he is
bored. "Congratulations to our winner, we hope you enjoy
the prize". Sounds like he should be happy, but he
wasn't.
-The only time he adds anything to his announcing is
when announcing Hurricane players but you can't understand him when
he yells into the microphone. Thank you to the video and
message boards again! Had the announcer been a little more un-clear
with his speak, he would've joined the Richmond Renegades announcer
with an "F". ADDED NOTE: Later in the
season, it was heard again the announcer calling goaltender
interference on the goalie. Again, the goalie did not
interfere with the other team's goalie. Public address announcer
grade: D-
- Intangibles: The policy of not
allowing people to go back to their seats during play is
fantastic. People who want to watch the game aren't having to
get up out of their seat and miss action as people come back from
the bathroom or concessions, but not many were held back by the lack
of ushers in the upper deck this night. It does work well and
the fans do appreciate it.
-The people who work for the
Hurricanes are good people. Smiling people are abundant around
the arena. Plenty of souvenir stands and concession areas seem
to get the job done. The only problem was finding a
program/roster page. Here, it's a card board player poster (8
1/2" x 11") and cost $1. All it has is a color-photo
of a player and rosters on the back. Not much else. For
this, they should be given away to fans to help build interest in
the players. Also, the only place it looked like they had them
was in the main souvenir store.
-The store did have a lot of
neat little knick-knacks and only one item, that's right only ONE
item, was not mainly red, black or white and that was a pink outfit
for little girls but did have a dominant Hurricanes logo on
it. It's easy to see why the Canes are successful in store
sales and why so many people wear their logos. After the game
though, the scoreboard was shut off too quickly so anyone that
wanted one last check of the board couldn't get it. Intangibles
grade: B-
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University
of the Pacific Tigers,
NCAA
Spanos Center (Basketball), Stockton, Cal. |
November,
2002 |
C |
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The Spanos Center is
in the middle of a nice athletic area of U of P which includes a pool,
softball and soccer fields and a 30,000 seat outdoor stadium which is
home to the school's soccer teams. The stadium is also the summer
home of the San Francisco 49ers. The campus is located in
Stockton, California in a better part of the city than the baseball
stadium (home of the Stockton Ports).
-
Music:
Want to know how to do it wrong, see the Golden State Warriors at
the bottom of the page. Want to see a better way to do it,
stop by U of P. High kudos to the young lady playing
the music for playing to the crowd. All time out songs were
related to the fans in the stands. The warm-up mix of songs
went from one end of the spectrum to the other and was a strange
mix. Once the game started, the music was done well. The
grade was brought down by the constant changing level of the music
and the competing with the PA announcer. Several times, the
music would be faded down giving the feeling it would be ended in a
couple of seconds when it was just being turned down. For some
reason, this seems to be a common happening in Northern California
as the music person did not fade the music down when the announcer
was trying to announce. This has been seen at one other stadium
but have heard about it from a lot of people on the high school
level. If you can't hear what the announcer is saying, neither
can anyone else. Turn it down.
Music grade: C
-
Pre-Game
production: The
music for the players' warm-up could have been better but it was an
ok mix of new music. The line-ups ok, no light show but it
wasn't really expected. Following the line-up though, the
cheerleaders were on the court to dance and sing to Rock and Roll
Pt. 2 which got the fans going. Until the music stopped and
there was a 15-second silence between the abrupt end of the music
and the tip. Pre-game
production grade: C
-
In-Game
production: Good use of music
that fit the fans. A lot of throwing objects into the stands
which insurance companies, for some reason, don't see as a
liability. Basketballs (real ones), T-shirts and more were all
tossed into the stands during timeouts but it didn't add to the
enthusiasm. A lot of fans left the arena without something and
a few did meaning about 1,000 people didn't get something but 20
people did. Not a good ratio for fan-enjoyment. Halftime had a 3-point shootout where the winners
would win a prize from a burger chain. Contestants were
randomly chosen and ranged in age from kids to college students.
In-Game production grade: B
-
Public Address
announcer: Needs to learn one
very key piece of information when announcing a sport with a
clock. Don't announce when the buzzer is going. Buzzers
on scoreboards are designed to drown out any other noise that may
exist in the arena and the sound system is not going to drown it
out. Many times during timeouts, the announcer was reading an
announcement and continued through the regulated three-second
buzzers making it hard to understand what he was saying.
Second, don't scream into the mic. Can't tell you who any of
the Pacific players were and one of them had 20+ points. He
didn't wait until the fan noise died down before announcing baskets
which didn't help and you pretty much couldn't understand what he
was saying when a three-pointer was good for the home team.
The announcer needs to be understood and it was tough to understand
without a program (which weren't readily available). One last
thing, don't compete with the music, but that was already covered.
Public Address announcer grade: D
-
Intangibles:
One helpful staff member
assisted us to the proper entrance to pick up tickets but you have
to watch out. You can pay $11 and get a bleacher seat or a
regular stadium seat. The person in the ticket office didn't
quite pay attention to a conversation and just gave the first two
tickets he saw. This lack of attention to detail can
hurt. There was plenty
of "takeables" from posters to schedules to magnets so
fans could get what they wanted and leave what they didn't.
The arena set-up is close to that of Dartmouth hockey in that the
concourse is an open walkway at the top of the main seating
bowl. There are additional seating areas above the
walkway/concourse on the sides of the arena for more fans to
sit. It also would have been beneficial to change the light
bulbs in the statistics board as it was tough to decipher how many
fouls and points some players had.
Having the statistics boards was a nice surprise however as most
colleges have a basic scoreboard and don't treat the fans to the
extras. Intangibles grade: C-
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Richmond Riverdogs, United Hockey League
Richmond (Va.) Coliseum |
March, 2004 |
C |
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The last time we
went to Richmond, we saw what could very easily be described as the
absolute worst in everything. Everything was bad, the music, pre-game
entertainment, in-game entertainment, intangibles and especially the
announcer. Well, now that the Renegades are gone and the Riverdogs are
in town with a new owner, it’s a much different show that starts outside
the arena. This was the best turnaround we’ll probably ever see and this
team is only going up. Their overall grade was brought down by the
horrendous P. A. announcer. Changes were made across the board, all for
the better except for that one thing. The front office obviously has
worked hard to put a good product on the ice and to bring the fans in.
- Music: The music was a lot better but
there was still a problem of the songs jumping into the play a little
too long. This wasn’t as bad as the 12-second delay seen the last
time but it was still noticeable. The selection was a lot better
but got repetitive even for first-time fans. A little variety on
the music between periods would’ve been better than one techno-beat song
for the entire intermission. Fans who were armed with free
Thunderstixx were looking to have fun with them, the intermissions
didn’t give them much of a chance. High kudos to the music person
for a superb job during a delay in the game, he kept the crowd bouncing
albeit with the techno music which may have been why later in the night
fans were a little tired of it. The techno was the right avenue to
go down with the Thunderstixx in attendance. We’ll hit more upon
the delay later but the music was better than before. There were
some repeats, like Headstrong for the warm-ups and re-warm-ups.
Both Rock and Roll Part 2 and YMCA were played twice during the game,
both for media time-outs early in the game and again in the third period
after the game was a blowout. The “Cha Cha Slide” and “The Hockey
Song” would’ve been excellent during an intermission but were missing
and “Shout” would’ve done good at any time. None of the three were
played but the crowd was there for it. Music grade: C+
- Pre-Game production: A lot better than
the last time that had a mascot skate around the ice in the dark for
five minutes. This time, the music was there, the filler music to
keep the fans bouncing was there, but one thing was missing, the
announcer. The announcer didn’t bother to show up until 7 ½ minutes
prior to the start of the game. The delayed start of the game that
is. This was an excellent time to tell fans about what’s going on,
upcoming events, team news, the website, team sponsors, groups in
attendance, etc. Instead, the several thousand fans sat in the
dark but were entertained once the ice was done being resurfaced.
This was a very big missed opportunity, but back to the show. When
a game is delayed and fans arriving at game time are looking at
warm-ups, some explanation is needed somewhere. Right after the
warm-ups ended, the crowd went nuts. “Welcome to the Jungle” came
out over the PA system, quietly at first then quickly raised to the
proper level. The video board over center ice didn’t inform fans
as to what was going on, neither did the side boards. The mascot
came out on the ice following the resurfacing of the ice and did a dance
skit that energized the crowd. The Riverdogs skated out from
underneath an inflatable likeness of their mascot and thanks goes out to
the video board operator for putting the names of the players up so
people knew what the announcer was screaming about. The music was
a lot more fun and combined with the lights out and spotlights flying
around, made it a lot better than a previous experience. A very nice
turnaround from last year. Pre-game production grade: B+
- In-game Production: First, thank
you to the management for bringing back chuck-a-puck! Didn’t have the
six for $5 deal, but it’s better than not having it at all.
Second, It’s not a bad idea to inform fans of who you are playing that
night. Some of this blame is assigned to the announcer for not
having a welcome or even being there when he should have been, but had
the Elmira Jackals not committed a penalty in the game, fans never
would’ve known where the team was from. Only Jackals appeared on
the visitor side of the scoreboard. The team does have a promotion
that has some hint of another promotion. When the Renegades scored
six goals, all the fans in attendance can take their ticket stub to a
local Hooters and redeem it for chicken wings. However, the P. A.
read was the same one the old Springfield Indians used in the 80’s for
Jim Dandy Chicken, “When the Riverdogs get brave, you get chicken.”
The Indians used it as a tie-in to their nickname, no idea why the
Riverdogs used it that way. This may have been intentional, it may
not, it was just interesting. The between-period contests were
done well, but the “host” really should’ve looked more like someone who
does something with the team or arena and not some moron pulled off the
street. Nothing on his body said Riverdogs, in fact, it really did
look like they pulled this guy out of a mall. He didn’t seem to
know the rules of the contests and didn’t bother with names. He
also was in charge of throwing some items into the stands to which he
mouthed to the fans, “What the f--- you guys, c’mon, make some noise.”
Plus, every sentence out of his mouth, sounded like the one before.
Not enough of the crowd prompts during the game, could’ve used more and
the person running the message board over center ice really ought not to
encourage fans to make noise just 20 seconds into the game. Give
the fans an opportunity to make their own noise, don’t stop the fun
before it begins. The team did a good job of bringing in tons of
scout groups into the game. Unfortunately, the announcer ran
on-and-on with the welcome by jamming 15-20 into a stoppage of play,
usually taking more time out of the play than during the stoppage.
With all of the new promotions added by the team, the in-game production
definitely got better, especially with chuck-a-puck and a throw-back
that only a few would catch. Changing the host to someone that knows how
to hold a mic and speak into one would help. Also, talk to the arena and
get someone running the message boards that’s more into the game and not
into collecting a check. In-game production grade: B-
- Public Address Announcer: You can
throw as much perfume on a pile of dog poop as you want, but in the end,
it’s still a pile of dog poop. See the Richmond Renegades ranking
on this guy as this was the only thing that wasn’t improved. On a
side note, if the game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. and the game
will be delayed, the announcer must be behind the mic to inform that
fans of what is going on. The announcer arrived in the penalty box
and behind the mic at 7:52 p.m. as the pre-game show had already begun.
Public Address announcer grade: F
- Intangibles: The Riverdogs wanted to
have a lot of people in attendance for the game, however two things were
missed. The ticket office wasn’t properly informed as to the
promotion and the early arriving fans had nothing but the doors to look
at prior to the gates opening. The ticket office at the Richmond
Coliseum seems to not employ the smartest people. When asked last
year about protective screens behind the net, it took several to find
the answer. This time, they told fans that there was, “no way
you’re going to get a seat in the lower level”. We were able to
secure a single ticket, however many blocks of seats went unsold.
This wont affect the Riverdogs grade, but is something that the team
should talk with the arena about. The second note, there is plenty
of room outside of the arena on all sides that something, anything,
could be set-up. Climbing walls, a ball/puck shooting booth,
basketball contests, anything. There was a lot of space wasted
that could’ve increased the fan experience. Before the gates did
open, something was noticeable. The old Renegades logo was very
scarce. Even inside the arena, fans were adorned in Riverdogs
apparel. Before the game, programs weren’t available at every gate
but at most, however they were selling programs with ads, score sheet
AND roster. Not like the Renegades who charged $1 for a piece of
paper. Prior to the start of the game, the center-ice and side
message boards were not used to let fans know of the delay. They
simply had the same ads for upcoming events and the Riverdogs/UHL logo
the whole time. The fans really have come back because they’ve been
treated right. Just do something about the ticket office but since
this is on the arena and not the team. To the staff and management
of the Richmond Riverdogs, great turnaround from the Renegades.
Intangibles grade: A
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South
Carolina Stingrays, ECHL
North Charleston (SC) Coliseum |
January, 2003 |
C- |
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The North Charleston
Coliseum was built as a multi-purpose facility that could accommodate
hockey, basketball and pretty much anything else that would go into an
arena. The seating close up isn't as good as it should be. The
first row of seats behind the goal is about 15 feet from the glass and
elevated by about eight feet. If you sit on the glass on the side of
the rink, you have to battle with unnecessary safety railings
that are scattered about but right at eye level. Then, you have to
worry about the trash cans hung from these railings that can cause you to
bang your leg getting to the front row. The arena itself is clean
and bright with a video/scoreboard combination hanging over center ice.
Auxiliary scoreboards in the end zones include a shot clock/time clock
(that usually hangs over baskets but is used as the end clock for hockey
and play clock for football) and a second scoreboard which includes shots
on goal for hockey.
-
Music:
First, the North Charleston Coliseum hosts a team in the National
Basketball Developmental League so there is a selection of songs
that's geared more toward that crowd, which if you watch them on ESPN,
is somewhat small. Unfortunately, the crew who runs the music
and video seem to think that's the kind of music to play for hockey
fans. Teams today don't seem to understand that you play to the
crowd, not the crowd plays to you. At one point, a fan shouted
out, "Shut off this music". That's not good. An
even worse part came up when a Bon Jovi song was started at the start
of the first intermission, stopped short for a performance on the ice,
then faded right back up ten minutes later. There were some ok songs mixed in, nothing that caught the ear as
something good. It wasn't until a late-game fight that the music
was finally raised to the proper level but by that point the crowd was
out of it for that level. The home team won but there was
something missing out of the stands. Music grade: C-
-
Pre-Game
production: Not as good as it
should've been. They have a video board but didn't use it to
it's fullest. They showed a video that had a current rock song
along with it and fans were just sitting around talking. The
video would have played better during the warm-ups or with a different
fan-related song. It would have been a better introduction had 1, the visiting team's line-up been announced and 2, you could
understand the PA guy during the home line-ups. The sound system
also needed adjusting as the announcer's voice was pretty much pinned
into the ceiling making it hard to understand. Pre-game production grade:
D
-
In-Game production:
Not much to talk about, no chuck-a-puck but a cool kids tri-cycle race
was fun to watch. Even though one kid ran away with the race, it
was fun to see how many cones the kids could get caught under the
wheels. All the dead air that went around the performance of a
figure skating group during the first intermission made it seem like
it took forever. A very quiet arena sat in silence for about
five minutes while the skaters skated around the ice without any explanation
as to what they were doing. One very smart thing the RaysVision crew did was to get
their fans involved in an animated bit after a goal was scored.
A group of fans have placards with "R A Y S" spelled out
that are displayed in front of the fans during the game. When a
goal is scored, those placards are turned around to display "G O
A L". The crew took this idea and every time a goal is
scored, an animated bit shows the four fans standing up with the
"G O A L" placards. It really was a smart bit to
include the fans.
In-Game production grade:
C
-
Public Address
announcer: Waited and waited and
waited and waited to announce goals and penalties. There were
instances in which a power play would be 30 seconds into it before the
announcement was read. There is a brief lull after the drop of
the puck which is the perfect time to announce the penalty or
goal. This also allows fans their first amendment right to
complain about the call but once the penalty is half-way over, what's
the use. The announcer, sitting on the concourse level in the
sound booth--rather than in the penalty box where he should be--would
write down everything as it was reported to him and announce it after
it was all written out. Someone should teach him
short-hand. Additionally in hockey, it's obvious sometimes what
the penalty is. You see the player skate to the box, you see the
referee's signal then you look at the clock. It doesn't take
much to announce a penalty so there is no reason for it to take 30
seconds to announce it. The biggest annoyance of the announcer
was he would announce the obvious. "Penalty comes at 3:45
of the first period". Anyone at the game will know what
period it is just by simply being there. If they don't know,
it's on the scoreboard. What made it even worse was he was still
announcing, "...of the first period" until halfway through
the second period. Avoid making a stupid mistake by taking that
completely out. Now we get to the style, scream! If
they hadn't put the players names on the scoreboard, you wouldn't have
known who the player that scored was because you couldn't understand
either the number or name. Public Address announcer grade:
D
- Intangibles:
This whole protective screen behind the goals is very confusing for
ticket people. Richmond had that problem as did the ticket
people in Charleston. They said they do have "protective
nets" behind the goals but once inside, they didn't. Well,
first they said the first row was actually the fifth row. They
have to learn to be better communicators and answer questions like,
"Are these on the glass" with the proper response.
This can get very annoying when having to go back to the ticket office
two or three times to get the right tickets. The only positive
was the customer service people who made sure we were taken care of
and checked up on us before, during and after the game. High
kudos to those who helped but they shouldn't have been needed.
Concession prices could use an adjustment which also factors into fan
enjoyment. People buy more when they feel they are getting a
deal. Intangibles
grade: C-
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Sryacuse
Crunch, AHL
Syrcause War Memorial
|
March,
2001 |
C- |
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The Syracuse War
Memorial has seen it's fair share of history.
The Syracuse Nationals NBA team played there before moving around
the country. Syracuse hockey teams have played there for many years and in
2001, the current team celebrated its tenth season in the American Hockey League.
The fans showed their support right from the start.
When the Crunch first entered the league, there was a team in
nearby Utica. The Crunch were
so successful, the Utica Devils moved east to Albany to become the
RiverRats. The War Memorial
is an old building with a lot of neat features. There is a terrace overlooking the main entrance that also
serves as the upper concourse. The
terrace shows all the names of locals who lost their lives during war.
There is also a stage at one end of the rink with seats on it.
It's a different setting for a game but is cool none-the-less.
-
Music:
Not much to write about. There
was a variety but it just didn't seem to fit the crowd.
There didn't seem to be much in the way of toe-tapping or
bouncing and when they tried to play something upbeat like "Cottoneyed
Joe", it didn't work because the fans weren't as involved as they
could have been. Only when the team scored did the fans get rowdy, but even
then toward the end it wasn't as enthusiastic.
Music was OK to listen to but didn't seem to involve the fans
much. Music grade: C
-
Pre-Game
production: Hockey is a
sport that usually has good pre-game, but this one was missing
something big. The lights
were turned off but in Syracuse the only other lighting is from the
scoreboard over center ice and in the
pressbox which hangs from the roof.
Those two combined don't emit much light making it tough to get
around the seating area. The
pre-game video was pretty cool but the dead-air before and after it
were un-easing. It seemed
that the video would have been better suited to bring the team on the
ice. The players were
brought out with spot lights and a bunch of police beacons hanging
under the pressbox. The
music was good, quiet at some points and too loud at others but the
songs themselves were pretty standard.
Unfortunately, the 4,000+ fans were then deafened by the
National Anthem singer who blasted everyone out of the rink because
the mic level was turned up too loud and nobody turned it down, not
even during the performance.
To the anthem singer's credit, he did back away from the mic
during the song but the levels stayed the same.
Pre-game production grade:
C-
-
In-Game production:
When the Hershey Bears are involved, you're probably going to
see a lot of fights because that's what the people of Hershey come to
expect. And fights there
were. The goalies even
mixed it up during the game and there were a lot of penalty minutes
distributed. If that's all to remember from the game (the Crunch did get
the win), you're not going to get a good grade.
The most memorable factors about Syracuse is that the famous
"Fight-in-the-stands" scene from Slap Shot was done there
and it's one of the first places to play Kern Kraft 400 (this song is
replacing "The Hey Song" [Rock and Roll Pt. 2] in some
arenas). The Crunch did
get into the fray of chuck-a-pucks.
Personally, I don't believe in throwing things into the stands
because not everyone is going to get something.
In chuck-a-puck, the onus is put on the fan to perform and get
the puck where it should go. A
good promotion I've always enjoyed and seeing the pucks come flying
down is pretty cool too, this promotion saved the grade.
In-Game production grade:
C
-
Public Address
announcer: Screaming into
a mic and expecting people to understand you are two things that don't
go together. Add to that
talking fast in an arena that echos and why even bother to have a PA
guy. If you can't
understand a players name, then what's the need.
Announcing the period that goals and penalties occur in is good
for radio, but with a big scoreboard above center-ice, it's very
useless. Fans can
obviously see how much time is left in the period, what the score is
and what the period is so why do you need to announce it?
You may ask, they announce the time of the goals don't they?
Yes they do but it is in elapsed time which is tough to figure
out sometimes so it is good to announce it that way. Plus the
clock is usually running when an announcement of a penalty or goal is
made. Public Address announcer grade:
C-
- Intangibles:
The ticket takers and program vendors were smiling upon entry.
The staff was very helpful and they even had chuck-a-pucks!
The mascot was scarce (in fact, the only time it was seen was
pre-game and once during the game to give someone a pizza and that was
it. One very important
factor to remember in sports, "Kids love mascots".
A mascot doesn't have to talk because it looks like a big
stuffed animal and one that gives hugs too and kids love stuffed
animals and hugs. The
intangibles is what made the grade and it was a tough call here on
what to grade. There
should have been more but the helpfulness and courtesy of a few kept
this grade from dropping lower. Intangibles
grade: C-
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George
Mason University Patriots, CAA
Patriot Center, Fairfax, Va. |
January, 2004 |
D+ |
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The Patriot
Center has been home of George Mason University basketball for many
years and traditionally, the Patriots played in front of plenty of empty
seats. And who was this team to break with tradition. It’s
probably a safe assumption that the ice show every year draws more in a
week than the basketball teams do in their entire season. Or that
the Harlem Globetrotters draw more of a crowd than GMU basketball.
Anyway, the green and gold seats match the school well, but nobody
really seems to care. The announcer, the people who work there,
the students, the fans, or management of the building who leave the
seats dusty. We do have to mention, that we’ve attended games at
the Patriot Center dating back to the late-80’s, the only real memorable
ones were regional high school games. This team would go on to
play in the post-season National Invitational Tournament and win a
couple of games, including one at home in front of a lot of empty seats.
- Music: Thank you for the band.
Without the band, this probably would’ve served as an F. Judging
by the antiquated computer they had on the floor and the music selection
which was not indicative of the fans, the in-game choices probably
wouldn’t have been any better. The playing of Pink’s “Hazard to
Myself” was kind of ironic as the music combined with the announcer have
traditionally been a hazard in drawing fans. The band kept the
pace up, but could use a few more songs in their repertoire to keep it
fresh and not repeat songs later. If there is a choice next
season, choose the band whenever you can. Music grade: C
- Pre-Game production: Listening
to music before the game was ok and the band really brought up the tempo
of this typically boring time of the show. The team was brought
out to a screaming announcer and the introductions were typical, except
you couldn’t understand who the players on George Mason were.
Thanks to the message board operator for providing the names during the
starting line-ups. Pre-game production grade: C
- In-game Production: The
cheerleaders did a good job at inspiring the crowd to cheer.
Unfortunately, one of those times, it was boos. In trying to
tie-in with the success of the New England Patriots, the school decided
to shorten their nickname to Pats. This is new. Chants of
this style are generally “G-M-U” and not “Let’s Go Pats”. It was
hard not to feel sorry for the men and women who were trying to get the
crowd going and bombing badly. You can’t fault the cheerleaders
for trying. Couldn’t understand really what the promotions were
during the game, announcer couldn’t be understood. There were some
items thrown into the stands following a 3-point basket which is
something they’ve been doing for over 10 years at the Patriot Center.
In-game production grade: D+
- Public Address Announcer: Three
words, this guy stinks. He is probably the worst announcer we’ve
heard on the college/pro level. He tries to sound like Ray Clay
but there is a problem. You can’t understand anyone when they yell
into a microphone. Speak up for the visiting team, people want to
know who the players are on the other side of the ball. Judging by
the way he read the pre-game information, it sounded like he didn’t even
want to be there. He was bored. People don’t pay hard-earned
money to go to a basketball game and feel like they’ve been to a hard,
two-hour class. Take a look at the fans here after games, even
this easy win for the home team, people weren’t smiling. GMU, it’s
time to get someone fresh. You’ve needed someone better for ten
years now. Players don’t want to play in front of 9,000 empty
seats on a weekend-evening, conference-opening game. Fans don’t
want to go home with a pounding headache because of a screamer (this is
a common occurrence, not just this time). There’s plenty of others
out there who are better, find one. In fact, the P. A. Announcer
for the Washington Mystics and Wizards had announced GMU basketball,
maybe he can fit a few Patriot games in with the pro-ballers.
Public Address announcer grade: F
- Intangibles: Ushers looked
bored, the hired staff didn’t tell anyone about the specials going on
for tickets outside the arena and the place was dusty. Ok, this
sounds like we’re searching, but someone should’ve dusted the seats.
The only saving grace on this night were the free program and Sunday
edition of the Washington Post. Not enough to compensate for the
bored looking employees. Intangibles grade: F
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Kinston
Indians, Carolina League
Grainger Stadium, Kinston, NC |
May, 2003 |
D+ |
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Grainger Stadium
is one of those parks that baseball needs to hold on to. It's an
old park with some strange features, it's located in a neighborhood
(foul balls can land in someone's yard) and there is a lot of
tradition. The stadium has undergone a lot of changes in the last
10 years, the first of which was a new scoreboard/video board in right
field. A couple of scoreboard problems (besides it was built by
Daktronics) is that the name boards don't display the team names and the
home hits had so many lights out that when displaying the first Indians
hit, only one light showed up. The major renovations have come in
the last couple of off-seasons as an entirely new main seating bowl was
built. They took out the old concrete base and wooden seats to
replace it almost exactly with a new concrete base and plastic
seats. The dugouts, which used to be squares that strangely jutted
out onto the field, are now elongated rectangles that match those of new
stadiums. A pair of rows of seats down the right field line add to
the park but the small grassy areas directly behind them are
strange. The grass separates the seats from the picnic areas but
would've been better to add three more rows of seats. The grassy
areas are exactly big enough to spread a blanket on but it looks good.
- Music: Upon entering the
stadium, fans are treated to about 30 minutes of listening to a
radio station. Unfortunately, the radio station knows this and
planted about 20 minutes of advertising bombarding folks with
constant reminders of who the radio station got to give them
money. After the radio station is turned off, it goes to all
baseball music which is ok, but can be like Christmas music and be
overdone. A mix of a couple of mainstream songs would've been
good but it was nice to have a park play baseball music. Once
the game got started, the music was incomprehensible. It
sounded like someone had "stereo" selected on the computer
or sound system which was only playing in "mono".
All of the words to all of the songs that played couldn't be
understood. It sounded like all the songs were the
instrumental backgrounds instead of the actual songs. There
was also a lot of dead air between when a song ended and the inning
started. Unfortunately, this lack of attention to a major
detail overshadowed the great baseball music. Music
grade: F
- Pre-Game production: The first
words out of the announcer's mouth were in Spanish, unfortunately,
the only people in the stadium with a Latin heritage were the
players. This would've worked had the team been in Florida but
not in Kinston, North Carolina. The announcer, which we'll get
to shortly, felt that it was all about him. The pre-game
announcements were read but with no enthusiasm or sense of urgency
to make people want to buy tickets for the next night. The
Indians do bring a group of Little Leaguers onto the field prior to
the game and introduce them to the crowd individually. It's a
nice thing to do especially since most teams are just introducing
the team name and not mentioning the players names anymore.
Just before the game though, Hank Williams' "Family
Tradition" was played on the sound system. It's a good
song, just not exactly for a family environment. Once it got
to the National Anthem, it sounded like someone who had a good voice
had just gotten the words the night before. It wasn't the
"for" instead of "o'er" mistakes (although he
did get that wrong) but blowing entire lines of the song.
Leslie Neilson did a better job with the anthem in "The Naked
Gun". Pre-game production grade: D
- In-game production: There were
a couple of between-inning contests but there was no word on how to
sign up. The mascot didn't really do much except ride on an
ATV and pop wheelies which is something many teams already do.
Again, the gaps between the end of a promotion and the inning
starting were too great to not let go. Pre-game production
grade: D
- Public Address announcer: This guy was
terrible. He felt that he was a DJ for a radio station and
treated fans like that. We'll start the list here for what was
done right, nothing and what was done wrong. He invited
everyone to, "...come on out and enjoy some
baseball." This was announced at the park, you don't
invite people to a party they are already attending. Referred
to himself by using "I" many times on the PA system.
He picked a couple of young women and made a reference to their
anatomy by saying, "...and every time you get up, we'll let
everyone know," and played "boing, boing, boing"
sounds on the system. He rushed through the starting line-ups
and chose to emphasize certain names for the Indians. It was
strange to hear him be un-enthusiastic for one guy, then go
overboard for the next. He interviewed the scoreboard operator
prior to the bottom of the first and made several personal insults
at him that the fans laughed at. Unfortunately, this was a
baseball game and not a comedy club. At one point during the
game, a player hit a ground ball that was destined to be an
out. The announcer started doing a PA announcement while the
play was still going on. In baseball, it's possible the ball
bounces away or comes loose after being caught and the play isn't
over. During the game, a seat was selected as the winner by,
"The winner is sitting in section 4, row B, seat 4. Where
are you?" Where else do you think seat number four in row
B of section 4 is? This is the type of announcer a Hollywood
producer would find to make fun of how bush Minor League Baseball
could be but not even high school announcers are this bad. If
we were doing numbers instead of grades, this one would be a
zero. Public Address announcer grade: F
- Intangibles: This stadium is a
nice stadium to visit. The water tower beyond the left-field
fence features the team's logo. This city gets into their team
as there were kids at a Little League game down the street that were
sporting Kinston Indians garb. Even though a lot of work has
been done to the stadium, it still has some of the old-time feel it
had ten years ago. There were a pair of friendly and spirited
ushers and the customer service personnel were nice to talk to but
when you walk by the person hired to sell programs a dozen times and
don't hear a single peep, you start to wonder. Programs are $2
but you wouldn't know it from the person who is right next to the
primary walk-way into the stands. The "box seats"
are just that, boxes. Each box comes with six metal folding
chairs and three levels for fans to choose from, each one higher than
the other by the height of a step. A newborn was
"sitting" behind home plate. There was plenty of
room for mom & dad to bring the stroller & car seat and
comfortably enjoy the game. A two-year old was having fun
going between the empty box next to his and the one his family was
in. This park, without the announcer and subsequent music,
would be high on the list of places to visit but it's ok if you have
the time. Intangibles grade: C
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Richmond Braves,
International League
The Diamond, Richmond, Va. |
May, 2004 |
D+ |
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The Diamond has
been a part of Richmond for 20 years and the field in which the game has
been played, long before that. Following the 1984 season, Parker Field
was completely demolished and as opening day 1985 came around, The
Diamond stood in it’s place. The park has remained pretty much the same
with the addition of a right-field message board about 12 years ago and
a new scoreboard in left field only a couple of years ago. The
right-field message board used to have out-of-town scores on it but now
serves as just another message board. The Braves have been the Braves
since the first days of The Diamond as many a Brave prospect called
Richmond home. Check out Connecticut the Indian who presides over the
area just to the right of the main entrance. He’s been at every game at
the park, yet seen none as this statue is facing away from home plate.
The upper deck is huge. Back when the park was built, it was a big thing
to have an upper deck, now, it just means there aren’t enough lower-bowl
seats. The other drawback to the park is EVERY seat is aluminum. Bring a
seat cushion with you before you go. We’ve been to this park several
times over the years as parts of trips, as the destination on a vacation
and as a stop-over when coming back from vacations.
- Music: If you‘re going to invite a
large group of kids to the park, play some music they can relate to.
The classic rock during the game wasn‘t tailored to the kids. But
then again, neither was the music the radio station was playing that was
being broadcast over the sound system before the game. Using the
radio will not get you a high mark. Crowd prompts were few, if any
and hurt the grade. Only two to remember and that was during an
unexpected delay in the bottom of the first. The grade reflects
the lack of imagination in music (radio), the lack of attention to your
fans, and the lack of making it upbeat. It was like the songs were
to be soft rock/contemporary. Heaven forbid fans come to the park
to be entertained. During a conversation the next day, a fan who
had attended this game commented about the music when asked their
thoughts of the park. Maybe they ought to look into freshening up
the music by getting the Richmond Riverdogs music person. Music
grade: F
- Pre-Game production: When
inviting a little league to the park, bring all the kids on the field.
But then again, it‘d be tough with the 200+ kids that were there, so
choosing an all-star team was a smart idea by the group sales staff.
It gave the kids incentive to earn the chance to run on the field with
the players. For some reason, they aren't announcing kids names as
they take the field anymore. This was a nice little add-on that
when done right, was very easy to handle, now people are too lazy to get
the names right. The starting line-ups were confusing to
understand, musically that is. The visiting team is read, then the
message center flashes “Welcome to the Main Event“ as Michael Buffer‘s
“Let‘s Get Ready to Rumble“ speech from Jock Jams is played over the
sound system. Well, at the part the music kicks in, the music
person fades to silence and then into the Chicago Bulls intro music.
You lose some of the fans by fading out, then the rest with the silence.
Just stay with “Ready for This“ or go with the other without the intro,
choose one, not both. As for the video and message boards, USE THEM.
Whoever spent the money on those boards should be upset at the lack of
use. Prior to the game, fans inside the stadium could see “Braves vs.
Clippers. Tonight. 7:05 p.m.” on the left field message board followed
by how to purchase tickets to that night‘s game. Big problem.
The people that can see the board are already in the stadium and have
their tickets. The video board, had nothing but the occasional
test of the camera which is very unprofessional and a logo for the ESPN
radio station. Someone also ought to focus the board a little.
Everything was fuzzy, logos, pictures, live-action (what little of it
there actually was), all fuzzy. Pre-game production grade:
D
- In-game Production: Again, use
the video board more and focus it, it's fuzzy. One in-game contest
uses both the video board and message board together. This was
done very well, compliments to the staff on this one. However, all
the boards were used sparingly, more on that later. The first
on-field promotion comes late in the game and is a simple promotion.
Having an on-field person is a waste. The P. A. announcer should
be able to handle this by himself. The music between innings
wasn‘t much even though the mascot--Diamond Duck--was around a lot,
except for the “Chicken Dance“. The mascot is a great way for fans
to identify with the team, so more use of the mascot like inclusion on
anything really would’ve been better than having it walk around.
As for the information boards (video board, left-field message center
and right-field message board), some use of sensibility would’ve been
good. The first time through the line-up, the video board has a
picture of the player batting and his team’s logo, no name. The
left-field message center had the starting line-up with each player’s
number, last name and position while the right-field message board had
the player’s number, last name, number of home runs and RBI’s. No
first names were used anywhere on any of the boards. After that
first pass through the line-up, the video and right-field boards were
the same, but the left-field message center went to number and position
on the first line, last name on the second line, average on the third
line and what he’s done today on the fourth line. With another
three lines to utilize (or more with smaller fonts), somewhere, the
player’s first name could’ve been used. It’s on all the pitchers
boards that are put up there, why can’t they use first names???
Most parks have one small board (Richmond did at one time) and include
first name, last name, average, position, home runs and RBI all in one
place. The right-field message board didn’t always keep up with
who was batting. At least once a full inning, the board was off by
a batter. With all of the possible places to put one, there wasn’t
an out-of-town scoreboard for other league games or Major League games.
In-game production grade: C-
Public Address Announcer: The voice of the diamond has been so
probably since the opening of the new ballpark. His problem, his
deep voice just blended so well into the natural noise of the ballpark.
Very quickly did you lose him in PA announcements as just common noise.
The introduction of Richmond batters was sing-songy and didn‘t do
anything to energize the crowd. Some older announcers have been
heard to say it‘s not their job to get the crowd excited, but they are
wrong. The announcer is a very important part of the game and a
bad announcer hurts. The Braves announcer isn‘t bad, he‘s just
bland and his style is passé. Public Address announcer grade:
C-
Intangibles: Whoever thought a center-field sound system was a
good idea was wrong. They only sound good when the wind isn‘t
blowing, otherwise the sound that comes out of it isn‘t what it should
be. This is simple to understand. Go to a school’s
playground with a boom box. Turn on the boom box on full blast--or
as high as you can get without distortion--and walk across the
playground to where you can hear the sound normally, then take a couple
of steps further back. On a nice day, you’ll hear it ok, but when
it gets windy, the sound gets blown around. The ushers were nice
and plentiful. Not quite into understanding that fans may ask them
what’s going on in a baseball game, but they’re all over the place.
Before the game, you can go down to the field level and get autographs
from the players without fear of an abusive usher pushing the kids away.
Here, the fans get the belief that the ushers are truly there to help
out and they were. The ushers did help the grade here. The
store had an ok selection of merchandise but nothing that stood out.
The food lines could’ve used someone who understood that if you’re going
to have a self-serve line, you have to have each item up there or
someone will get upset. One fan wanted a small hot dog, the stand
didn’t have any so the person was told to take a large hot dog.
And with that, pay the extra $1.50 for it. Not all the stands were
open during the night game, but the day game we went to had only one
snow cone stand for a few thousand people. It’s a popular item
when hot, get more, it’ll pay off in the long run. Intangibles grade:
C+
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Golden State Warriors,
NBA
Arena in Oakland
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November, 2002 |
D- |
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First
off, NEVER and I mean NEVER re-write the National Anthem. Arrival
at the Arena was early and not too eventful but when it was time for the
game to start, a young lady strolled to the microphone and sang her
version of the National Anthem. Unfortunately, only the words were
right. The melody and notes were not those Francis Scott Key wrote
the words to. It started off as an 80's love song then continued
into a bluegrass song (it was thought Alison Krauss' new
CD was playing for a few seconds) and finished off as a contemporary love
ditty. As it was, the game itself turned out pretty well as the
Warriors held the lead until the final two minutes to lose by four.
-
Music:
In the first half, fans were sitting on their hands. The
music, straight up, was not conducive to the audience. A lot
of hip hop was played for 30- and 40- something fans who seemed
un-amused with the music while they sat and chatted with each
other. The second half was a little better as some classic
rock started to peak it's head but there were plenty of situations
in which the crowd could have been turned into a frenzy but was
toned down. It sounded as if someone decided what songs were
going to be play during timeouts before the game and that's what was
played like there wasn't to be any deviation. Music grade: F
-
Pre-Game
production: Watch the starting
line-ups of an NBA game (or pretty much any college game now) on
TV. You'll see a lot of lights, smoke and fun. Not in
Oakland. It was very disappointing to have the announcer go
from one team to another and not have any cool effects. It's
possible that these things can be overdone (see Hamilton)
but to not be done at all shows no imagination. Maybe the
lights couldn't be turned off but a spot light could have been used
along with the existing lighting effects hanging from the
ceiling. If you show up early, walk around the
concourse. There is a pre-game type of highlight show on the
video boards that is broadcast on something called GTOe-TV.
Unfortunately, nobody can tell you what GTOe actually stands for,
it's confusing. Pre-Game production grade:
F
-
In-Game
production: Had the mascot,
"Thunder" and his crew of dunkers not put on that display
after the third quarter, this grade would also have been an
"F". Throw in to that mix the youth basketball game
at half time. Those kids really put in a lot of effort and
enjoyed getting to play on an NBA court. The fans enjoyed it
as well and cheered for each basket made. Other than that,
there wasn't much to it. Several missed opportunities by the
game-staff to get the fans excited were missed and the "Make
Noise" routine on the scoreboard really doesn't work anymore
and Oakland is a great point. Every time "Make
Noise" was put on the matrix or video boards, the fans actually
quieted down. It's still confusing to think that teams think
fans are not smart enough to know when to make noise. Even
when the "second announcer" who made only one appearance
during the game asked the fans to make noise, it was very
brief. In-Game production:
C
-
Public
Address announcer: It's nice to see now that Ray Clay (Chicago Bulls) is out of the NBA
that arena announcers are starting to realize that his style was all
gimmick. The announcer for the Warriors did a good job showing
some enthusiasm for the visiting Bucks, it still wasn't
enough. There were times he tried that too quiet effect and it
shut down the fans who seemed bored with a 10-point lead for the
home team sporting a 4-9 record coming into the game. The
announcing of fouls was too quick and hard to understand while the
calling of the baskets was too close to the ball going through the
hoop. Fans either cheered and didn't hear the call or didn't
cheer to hear who made the basket. Timing is key and the
Warriors announcer didn't quite have it.
Public
Address announcer grade: C
-
Intangibles:
It's cheaper to sit in some areas of the lower bowl than it is in
the balcony, plus those seats (which are behind the basket) are
better than those up in the balcony. Nobody was selling
programs and the only way to pick up a statistics/roster sheet was
to stop by the Group Sales table. Programs are a good source
of revenue (if done right) and a great souvenir for one or two-time
visitors. Nothing special was available at the souvenir stand
while the concessions did serve garlic fries (a west-coast
staple). Ushers were hard to find in the balcony as were food
outlets and one escalator goes to the balcony. If you want to
get down you either take the steps or elevator to the main floor.
Intangibles
grade: F
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Richmond
Renegades, ECHL
Richmond (Va.) Colliseum |
January, 2003 |
F |
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Having been to
Richmond several times in the past, something good has always been taken
out of it. This visit however, makes one believe the team might be
trying to bankrupt itself for one reason or another. The customer
service was terrible, the crowd was small, the lighting was dark but the
scoreboard was cool. The music was just terrible.
-
Music:
Needs a serious looking at. The person controlling the sound
doesn't seem to understand that when the puck drops, the music
stops. It's a very basic fan-rule that was broken
easily. Numerous times the music lasted six or seven seconds
after the puck was dropped. Once or twice, it was stopped
within a couple of seconds (a good buffer zone for a good facility)
but more often than not, it was on the high side. Halfway
through the second period, a penalty was called with the music not
stopping until there were 12 seconds off the penalty. The
selection was bad, not terrible but just plain bad. The crowd
was mainly 30- and 40-somethings but the music was current rock with
a lot of rap and hip hop. Crowd prompts were one and few and
far between. Except for that power play in the third period
when all of a sudden, DURING PLAY, a crowd prompt was played until
the whistle blew. The ECHL should take a look at this as a
good official would have called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty fairly
early on. About a dozen times a song would be playing, four or
five seconds would tick off before a whistle blew but the song would
keep playing. That's a very lazy music person to not only not
shut it off but to not change the song. Music grade: F
-
Pre-Game
production: Not worth waiting
for. The lights are dim for warm-up, then are shut off for a
pre-game deal then turned back on for the game. Unfortunately,
they didn't turn on all of them so it was very dim to watch the
game. They have the lights as numerous events such as the
Women's NCAA Final Four was held there in the early 90's. Once
the lights went out, the mascot came out and skated around the rink
for four minutes to a song that had no real meaning and did not
raise fan enthusiasm. When the team came out for intro, they
came through an inflatable tunnel but again it didn't pump up the
crowd even though it was AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" which is
pretty much a guaranteed pump up song. Save your time and get
to the arena around game time, it's not worth the wait. Pre-Game production grade:
F
-
In-Game
production: Throwing items into the stands isn't effective except with the lack of fans, pretty
much anybody who wanted an item got one. That's an
exaggeration, but it was pretty close. They did do
chuck-a-puck which seems to be dying out among ECHL teams.
However, the team lost out on some money when they stopped allowing
fans to buy six pucks for five bucks. Instead, only one puck
was purchased. The person they had on the ice didn't seem to
understand how to do an intermission game when he was seen running
around the ice and reading everything off a piece of paper. He
never once looked at the contestants and kind of brushed everything
off. It was going through the motions but not knowing what he
was doing. In-Game production:
F
-
Public
Address announcer: Had a great thing 13 years ago with rolling the "R" in
Renegades, but now just has a lazy mouth. "Rrrrrrrrrrrenegade
Goal" has now turned into an unintelligible blur of the two
words. He also shouts into the microphone and talks so fast
you can't understand him. There were players who had three
syllable names that he pronounced with two. He put way too
many PA announcements together to the point he would cram three or
four into a whistle break and have the last two extend into the play
becoming equally as distracting as the music. He also waited a
while to announce some penalties even though he was sitting in the
penalty box.
Public
Address announcer grade: F
-
Intangibles:
Unless you are a season ticket holder, you have to pay $1 for a
piece of paper with the players' names on them. That's right,
$1 just to know who's playing. Other facilities in the ECHL
are giving away glossy-game notes style programs that have the standings,
rosters, game information and sponsor ads. Couldn't tell you
who advertises with the Renegades. The customer service was
terrible as well. You had to go to a certain table to get this
piece of paper. They didn't have anyone near the entrances
selling this item, you had to go to it yourself if you wanted
one. Go to the ticket office and it takes four people to find
out if there is a protective screen behind the goal. That
alone will bring this grade down as well as the overall grade.
One person dies while at an NHL game in 80 years of play and all of
a sudden, teams have to put a net above the glass behind the goal to
protect the fans. In hockey, there are few "good"
seats because of the length of the rink. You have to sit a
little back from the glass between the blue lines or have the game
unfold in front of you behind the goals. With the net, it
makes it harder to follow the game and causes the fan to be taken
out of the action a little thusly eliminating the number of good
seats. Sit on the glass near the blue lines and you can only
really see the action in your end of the rink and a far
corner. One last thing, if you are a hockey team, you should
sell pucks at the souvenir stand.
Intangibles
grade: F
-
Notes:
Following the season, the Renegades suspended operations and
went out of business. It was obvious it was going to happen
just from the mismanagement from this one game attended. There
is a new team in Richmond known as the RiverDogs and they are
members of the United Hockey League. The Renegades and
RiverDogs have completely different ownership groups, do not assume
the grade of the Renegades will be the same as that of the RiverDogs.
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