Many will have it in their in box. It is exciting. The renderings are tremendous and there is something for everyone. There are price points from a per game at $300 to a full club experience at $25000 a season, with more amenities than I have seen anywhere. This is big-time and I now have no reason to believe that Rutgers will play elsewhere for a season, as it appears that it can be accomplished in pieces. State of the art with still loud noise levels, here we come. Would be a top 5 Big Ten building.
Renovation survey-Jersey Mike's
- Thread starter RU72
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I have to read it first and see the details. Hope it's not more exciting for corporate partners than the regular season ticket holders who helped keep the lights on in that place through years of suckitude.
Renderings are fantastic. Better than any of the concepts I have seen in the past. Love the entrance and club accommodations. But most excited about finally closing in the student section side with a true wraparound seating and concourse.
I took a look. I am not sure I like trying to put a "club" and box seats between the 100 and 200 level seats. Looks like it will displace a lot of people.
Rutgers seeks fan input in next phase of upgrades to Jersey Mike’s Arena
The school's athletic department sent out a questionnaire to fans Wednesday as part of its next steps in redesigning the arena, which opened in 1977.
Will arena upgrades impact Rutgers basketball’s 2024-25 season? What AD Pat Hobbs said
Rutgers plans to renovate Jersey Mike's Arena in the near future. Will it prevent the men's basketball program's greatest-ever recruiting from playing at the prized home venue?
I went through the survey. The upgrade looks great but they are going to price out/displace a lot of people.
I like my 200 level seats. Great sight lines, easy in and out etc. but I think the lower section of the 200 will be displaced or the price significantly increased.
I like my 200 level seats. Great sight lines, easy in and out etc. but I think the lower section of the 200 will be displaced or the price significantly increased.
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you are going to going to be very disappointed. as was I.
Oh well. Had to know this day was coming. Can't continue with the place as is and all of this costs money. Hopefully the next group will remain loyal and loud.
VERY disappointed in the outside. (however it appears to be missing the now front JM logo) Inside concepts for the high end rollers. nothing for avg fan except outside pre-event area like football.
They're going to ruin the RAC in pursuit of a small number of mega-donors at the expense of the actual fans.
just want to have a large non-club high end donor area to eat and drink. They can still have their $$$$$$$$ per seat private bathroom special areas. fine by me. i get that.
i also love that they ae asking about other RAC uses such as concerts and shows.
It was a good, thorough survey (I got it, so it's being pretty widely distributed), but yes, it looks like some radical changes are in the offing. And that will have an effect on the atmosphere during the game.
It's not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but here's what Seton Hall experienced in the move from the Meadowlands to The Rock. Beforehand, I always thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be great to have bars at the top of the first level, and all sorts of food offerings ringing the concourse?" And that's what we got in Newark. So, yay, beer and booze. I enjoy both.
But the downside of it is that it takes a lot of people out of their seats during game action, as opposed to just halftime. And the lower bowl is very sparse when the second half begins. And it makes a difference in the atmosphere the crowd provides. Looking at all these new entertainment/eating/drinking areas proposed for the RAC (and if they are showing them, they are doing them), I think it's going to take a lot of butts out of seats and have at least some deleterious effect on the RAC's notable acoustics-driven sound levels. How much is to be determined, I guess.
This is all likely to happen no matter what, but it'll be a different game-day experience once it does.
It's not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but here's what Seton Hall experienced in the move from the Meadowlands to The Rock. Beforehand, I always thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be great to have bars at the top of the first level, and all sorts of food offerings ringing the concourse?" And that's what we got in Newark. So, yay, beer and booze. I enjoy both.
But the downside of it is that it takes a lot of people out of their seats during game action, as opposed to just halftime. And the lower bowl is very sparse when the second half begins. And it makes a difference in the atmosphere the crowd provides. Looking at all these new entertainment/eating/drinking areas proposed for the RAC (and if they are showing them, they are doing them), I think it's going to take a lot of butts out of seats and have at least some deleterious effect on the RAC's notable acoustics-driven sound levels. How much is to be determined, I guess.
This is all likely to happen no matter what, but it'll be a different game-day experience once it does.
If they could find a way to ring the court with Student Seats, I'd sign on for all the other corporate gravy train stuff. Our current courtside is a bit of a morgue, no offense. I just want a regular old seat with a less than 15 minute wait to take a leak and somehow keep it as the real Trapezoid of Terror.
Kudo's to Pat and Co.
The renderings look great, sans the outside
Hoping they make that part nicer than the drawings
Re. relocations - I've been a part of many of them on both the business side and fan side. Rule # 1 - you'll never make everyone happy. So put something feasible out, take a poll, go back to renderings, alter them according to poll results / financials, and go from there
This needs to happen. I love the Rac but it's a dump. Spruce it up, keep the noise in (which is b/c of slope of seats, ceiling and doors being closed, so that won't change), and generate some much needed $$
Easy top 10 venue right now, with the reno it's top 5 (not at CIS and AHF level, but only bc of history of Duke / Kansas)
Everything that needed to be done is done. Wrap around corners, 118 mimicking student section (not totally, but doesn't look high school anymore), seats replacing bleachers, student section closer to basket, no students on sidelines, club seats, bigger lounge area for concessions, merch and walking, more bathrooms (presumdedly). outside looks nicer (but not as nice as it could)
I'd bring back the Christmas village from Nov-March, and buy out Henry's diner to create a Rutgers themed sports bar. Paint the outside of the building in Rutgers colors, put the Block R on both sides and the roof for a great blimp shot, and we're all set
Yes, it's going to cost more. But if we want big time basketball, wins, recruits, NCAA tourneys, etc., then we'll pay up.
If my seats become too expensive, I'll happily accept that as someone with deeper pockets who can help the program achieve great levels will get them. I'll simply go on StubHub or the message board and grab a single whenever I can go
This is the cost of doing business in big time college athletics. I'm beyond excited for the future of this program, and can't wait to see what the final product looks like (and thank God they scraped that asinine idea of playing away from the Rac) - one of the truly dumber, more mind-boggling suggestions this board has ever presented
The renderings look great, sans the outside
Hoping they make that part nicer than the drawings
Re. relocations - I've been a part of many of them on both the business side and fan side. Rule # 1 - you'll never make everyone happy. So put something feasible out, take a poll, go back to renderings, alter them according to poll results / financials, and go from there
This needs to happen. I love the Rac but it's a dump. Spruce it up, keep the noise in (which is b/c of slope of seats, ceiling and doors being closed, so that won't change), and generate some much needed $$
Easy top 10 venue right now, with the reno it's top 5 (not at CIS and AHF level, but only bc of history of Duke / Kansas)
Everything that needed to be done is done. Wrap around corners, 118 mimicking student section (not totally, but doesn't look high school anymore), seats replacing bleachers, student section closer to basket, no students on sidelines, club seats, bigger lounge area for concessions, merch and walking, more bathrooms (presumdedly). outside looks nicer (but not as nice as it could)
I'd bring back the Christmas village from Nov-March, and buy out Henry's diner to create a Rutgers themed sports bar. Paint the outside of the building in Rutgers colors, put the Block R on both sides and the roof for a great blimp shot, and we're all set
Yes, it's going to cost more. But if we want big time basketball, wins, recruits, NCAA tourneys, etc., then we'll pay up.
If my seats become too expensive, I'll happily accept that as someone with deeper pockets who can help the program achieve great levels will get them. I'll simply go on StubHub or the message board and grab a single whenever I can go
This is the cost of doing business in big time college athletics. I'm beyond excited for the future of this program, and can't wait to see what the final product looks like (and thank God they scraped that asinine idea of playing away from the Rac) - one of the truly dumber, more mind-boggling suggestions this board has ever presented
It is the disease of all sports arenas now. People with a certain level of wealth, milling around eating, drinking, and paying no attention to the game. It will ultimately destroy the atmosphere at the RAC. very sad if this is where it is going.
I'd be interested in knowing if Rutgers is working with any Acoustical Engineering firms, to determine the effect these changes will have on the RACs sound level. Would hate to find out all these changes muffled our home court advantage after the renovation is done.
I like your idea of buying out Henry's Diner (which seems to never be open) for a RU themed sports bar and having the Winter Village from November to March. Get a full fledged ice skating rink in the middle of the Winter Village for the public to enhance it.
The questionnaire will lead to the answers Hobbs wants and the displacement of 200 low level fans (maybe 100 level fans too) in exchange for corporate amenities and seats that will only be occupied some of the time. I just want to watch good basketball in a fun arena from decent seats. I don’t need overpriced food and overpriced beer and table tops.
The survey was very interesting in what it did not include and that was space to express any countering opinion.
The survey was very interesting in what it did not include and that was space to express any countering opinion.
They are totally going to sell out here. Look at the best seats at Yankee stadium. Usually half empty.
Yep...this is for a certain crowd..ie mega donors and Nj politicians and corporate not the average rutgers fan
Oh well
The OP taking about 300 a game to 25000 a season shows how out of touch he is
After looking at the renderings and taking the survey I have completely changed my mind about RAC renovation. Build new! The renovation goal is clearly focused on premium seating. I understand why that is one of the two major focuses but unfortunately it just does not work in that building. If they limited the renovation to entrance/lobby, bathrooms and concessions RAC renovation is a reasonable approach - but cramming all the luxury seating into a space limited area is not going to work.
Build new!
Build new!
We DO NOT need these premium options for basketball games. These are for football.
I got the impression that the various club seat, high top table and suite ideas were options being considered, not necessarily ALL of them would be implemented. The higher priced options of $300-$800 per ticket per game would price out most loyal fans, except the wealthiest. While the RAC is obviously in dire need of upgrades, I'd hate to see this turn into some kind of corporate desert devoid of real fans.
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Rutgers need to balance adding revenue with fan satisfaction. It’s not going to be easy but I expect the athletic department to add a lot of premium options while keeping plenty of 100, 200 and 300 level seats. My expectation is that all the added seats are premium and the regular season seats will be shifted around a bit. For instance, if you sit mid court 5th row, your season tickets are going to be a lot more expensive and it may be club seating. If you don’t want that, you may need to shift to the corner or behind the basket and keep regular 100 level seats. No one likes change but Rutgers has been behind in revenue and needs to capitalize which should improve the overall product.
I hope you are correct, but I have my doubts. If you are in 100 or lower 200, your seat will come with a club service. I don't think I will have the option to stay in my 200 seat with just a standard price increase.
I'm just going to enjoy the next two or three seasons with the knowledge that my 30 year run as as season ticket holder will probably come to an end altogether. Based on the survey and the renderings, as someone that has been in 100 level over that time, the number of seats in that area will be greatly reduced and the price points way beyond anything I could justify even as a fanatic. I would venture to guess that the majority of people that would find these changes to the lower bowl as home runs aren't people that actually attend games on any semi-regular basis.
From the renderings, it looks like that there will be two major voids inserted between upper and lower levels that will severely damage the atmosphere. Beyond a few additional seats in the corners and near the current lobby, I don't know how these plans wouldn't lower the capacity even more. Not that I'd love it necessarily but just replacing the thing is all that really makes sense.
From the renderings, it looks like that there will be two major voids inserted between upper and lower levels that will severely damage the atmosphere. Beyond a few additional seats in the corners and near the current lobby, I don't know how these plans wouldn't lower the capacity even more. Not that I'd love it necessarily but just replacing the thing is all that really makes sense.
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