Not to reignite the "Replace The Pit" argument, but...

NT80 · January 4

1 minute ago, wardly said:

So we are averaging only 20,000 fans in a 30,000 seat stadium. Did we overbuild? Also when you have a 10,000 seat arena with less than 4,000 fans on average it looks pretty pitiful.Until we get an understanding of the negative impact NIL wiIl have on our athletic program I really don't know what I would do regarding investing in more programs and bricks and sticks.

We have had football games in Apogee over 25,000, without great winning seasons. We have had over 8,000 fans for a basketball game several times. The SuperPit is also used for HS and college graduations = near full capacity. The facilities are modern and capacity is not the issue. With the upgrade to the AAC the opponents will be better. Let's see if the draw is better with better OOC scheduling, more marketing and more winning.

Aquila_Viridis · January 5

The venue is 50 years old. We’re not going to be Duke. It’s time for a modern venue.

Coffee and TV · January 5

Imagine thinking a building is old at 50, lmao. Such is the culture of this state, pave paradise to put up a parking lot.

NT80 · January 5

29 minutes ago, Coffee and TV said:

Imagine thinking a building is old at 50, lmao. Such is the culture of this state, pave paradise to put up a parking lot.

Yes. DFW Airport is 50 also, maybe we need to replace it too? Lol

wardly · January 5

16 hours ago, NT80 said:

We have had football games in Apogee over 25,000, without great winning seasons. We have had over 8,000 fans for a basketball game several times. The SuperPit is also used for HS and college graduations = near full capacity. The facilities are modern and capacity is not the issue. With the upgrade to the AAC the opponents will be better. Let's see if the draw is better with better OOC scheduling, more marketing and more winning.

I will defer to your memory regarding 8,000 in attendance for basketball " several times" but you don't build a venue for the very few instances you sell our an event. Regarding Apogee, I would not have put the " eagle tail" section in the end zone and left that space for future administrative growth. Again the handful of times Apogee has been over 25,000 is in stark contrast to our average attendance of 20,000 in a 30,000 seat stadium. I may be incorrect but attendance at our game against California from the PAC 12 was about the same as our game against ACU. Hopefully you are correct and improvements in scheduling, marketing, and winning will improve attendance.

Green Otaku · January 5

1 hour ago, Coffee and TV said:

Imagine thinking a building is old at 50, lmao. Such is the culture of this state, pave paradise to put up a parking lot.

Maintenance is more important than age. If a venue is well maintained and renovated regularly it can last a long time, the question what is the structural condition of The Pit? This is an honest question, maybe someone on this board has insider knowledge.

NT80 · January 5

2 hours ago, wardly said:

I will defer to your memory regarding 8,000 in attendance for basketball " several times" but you don't build a venue for the very few instances you sell our an event. Regarding Apogee, I would not have put the " eagle tail" section in the end zone and left that space for future administrative growth. Again the handful of times Apogee has been over 25,000 is in stark contrast to our average attendance of 20,000 in a 30,000 seat stadium. I may be incorrect but attendance at our game against California from the PAC 12 was about the same as our game against ACU. Hopefully you are correct and improvements in scheduling, marketing, and winning will improve attendance.

The Super Pit is a multi-use facility, not just for basketball. Full several times a year...

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Edited January 5 by NT80

Matt from A700 · January 5

22 hours ago, Coffee and TV said:

Also the Superpit is fine. There could be a new jumbotron or something, but the structure itself is a beautiful venue for what it's used for. It would be a waste to build anything else.

If we want to talk about Pit improvements, I'd like to see at least one built-in team store instead of just a stand, like Apogee and other of our peers' basketball arenas feature.

Matt from A700 · January 5

1 hour ago, NT80 said:

The Super Pit is a multi-use facility, not just for basketball. Full several times a year...

Now if only we could hold all those people hostage until the next basketball game, lol.

bstnsportsfan3 · January 5

While i love a lot of things about the pit, its time for an upgraded arena experience. The Pit is not ADA-friendly at all, it lacks things like a team store and quality hospitality seating like suites. Also, we should have an arena that holds about 7,000-7,500. It would make the 4-5,000 crowds look a lot better than they are. The pit is also super dark on TV ( not that it matters to us who go). It would cost more to renovate the pit then to build a new arena and the university still needs the 10,000 seats for graduations. Also, this allows athletics to have full control, and move it over to the Mean Green village so all sports are on the same side of campus (except swimming i believe). A new facility would do wonders for the program.

cousin oliver · January 5

24 minutes ago, bstnsportsfan3 said:

Also, this allows athletics to have full control, and move it over to the Mean Green village so all sports are on the same side of campus (except swimming i believe)

Yes the natatorium will have to stay on the main campus side.

My issue with moving it over 35E is a lot of student friends of mine dislike having to walk that far. I have long advocated for them to run game day shuttles but to no avail.

NT80 · January 5

1 hour ago, bstnsportsfan3 said:

While i love a lot of things about the pit, its time for an upgraded arena experience. The Pit is not ADA-friendly at all, it lacks things like a team store and quality hospitality seating like suites. Also, we should have an arena that holds about 7,000-7,500. It would make the 4-5,000 crowds look a lot better than they are. The pit is also super dark on TV ( not that it matters to us who go). It would cost more to renovate the pit then to build a new arena and the university still needs the 10,000 seats for graduations. Also, this allows athletics to have full control, and move it over to the Mean Green village so all sports are on the same side of campus (except swimming i believe). A new facility would do wonders for the program.

7000 seats cost Baylor $212M in today's $. We need at least $40M for the Athletic Center additions. Another $30M for a baseball facility and startup! That's a lot of donations on top of NIL needs.

Edited January 5 by NT80

NT80 · January 5

49 minutes ago, cousin oliver said:

Yes the natatorium will have to stay on the main campus side.

My issue with moving it over 35E is a lot of student friends of mine dislike having to walk that far. I have long advocated for them to run game day shuttles but to no avail.

Seriously?? That is sad, no worse than sad, pitiful. 5-10 minute walk at most from the Super Pit to Apogee. Go to an away game at a P5 and see how far the walk from the visitor parking area is.

bstnsportsfan3 · January 5

20 minutes ago, NT80 said:

7000 seats cost Baylor $212M in today's $. We need at least $40M for the Athletic Center additions. Another $30M for a baseball facility and startup! That's a lot of donations on top of NIL needs.

ya i am realistic is not going to happen in the next 3-5 years, but hopefully soon after that

bstnsportsfan3 · January 5

1 hour ago, cousin oliver said:

Yes the natatorium will have to stay on the main campus side.

My issue with moving it over 35E is a lot of student friends of mine dislike having to walk that far. I have long advocated for them to run game day shuttles but to no avail.

thats sad. not a far walk at all. I use to walk from victory hall to campus before the pedestrian bridge was in place

Aquila_Viridis · January 5

Put it on the existing site. Play in Dickies or something for a year. Have some long term vision.

NT80 · January 5

8 minutes ago, Aquila_Viridis said:

Put it on the existing site. Play in Dickies or something for a year. Have some long term vision.

Teardown of the Super Pit would be Million$ too. Plus the University if not giving Athletics core campus land for an Athletic-controlled arena. Plus, the school would still need another larger arena for graduations and schools events.

Andrew · January 6

If we ever rebuild it needs to be across the street with a bridge that goes over the road between the two. Hold tournaments and house a parking garage next to it. Would love to see a restaurant there by the dorms again people would go to after games like the old fouts field.

Travis · January 6

On 1/2/2024 at 10:14 AM, Matt from A700 said:

In the bottom picture, New York Sub Hub is gone. Not a fan.

My hot sports opinion: NYSH wasn’t that good. Way too bready and never enough meat. Jersey Mike’s does it better. Yep, I said it.

Matt from A700 · January 6

1 hour ago, Travis said:

My hot sports opinion: NYSH wasn’t that good. Way too bready and never enough meat. Jersey Mike’s does it better. Yep, I said it.

I would be absolutely livid but Jersey Mike's is my favorite chain deli. Now I'm only pretty livid.

UNTFan23 · January 6

On 1/4/2024 at 3:06 PM, Coffee and TV said:

It's the Waco way, surprised they didn't use any shiplap.

Also the Superpit is fine. There could be a new jumbotron or something, but the structure itself is a beautiful venue for what it's used for. It would be a waste to build anything else.

New scoreboards are needed at each end of the coliseum along with hustle stat boards. The ones we have are like at least 25 years old and I have heard they struggle to find replacement parts when something fails as Daktronics no longer makes the parts.

wardly · January 6

20 hours ago, bstnsportsfan3 said:

While i love a lot of things about the pit, its time for an upgraded arena experience. The Pit is not ADA-friendly at all, it lacks things like a team store and quality hospitality seating like suites. Also, we should have an arena that holds about 7,000-7,500. It would make the 4-5,000 crowds look a lot better than they are. The pit is also super dark on TV ( not that it matters to us who go). It would cost more to renovate the pit then to build a new arena and the university still needs the 10,000 seats for graduations. Also, this allows athletics to have full control, and move it over to the Mean Green village so all sports are on the same side of campus (except swimming i believe). A new facility would do wonders for the program.

Just a guess and by golly but as NIL grows and D1 officially splits into "haves and have nots" the number of sports sponsored by the "nots" may shrink.When the split happens the NCAA will be weakened and universities will have more control over membership requirements. When these schools have control of NIL funds they will soon discover that football and basketball will eat up all of it. I just don't see how NIL and scholarship monies will avoid being co-mingled but who knows.