re: PMAC question

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You can say this, but a few years down the line someone will build something better, and our fans will start crying about it falling behind. Some people have to complain. It's in their nature.

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Exactly. See: Alex Box. One of the newest facilities on campus and people bitch about it constantly.

The PMAC was designed and built 50 yrs ago and huge upgrade from the Cow palace. Today, the functionality and accommodations of the PMAC, doesn’t work. The same can be said as it was 50 yrs ago with the Cow Palace.
The functionality differences of the PMAC and the Cow Palace are extreme. Today’s facilities houses everything under one roof - just as the football facility does.

A new arena would provide suites, new locker rooms, permanent coach and staff offices for the men and women’s teams.

Player accommodations are non existent.

The team is now at an elite level and will always be a premier program as long as Mulkey is here. Quite possibly, even after Mulkey, there’s a chance for that momentum to continue. Top recruits are being offered outstanding facilities, such as Tennessee’s new arena.

Similar to when Saban came to LSU. He elevated the program to an elite level and along with that comes elite facilities. And after Saban left, LSU continued on that projectory.

This is a team 2 1/2 years ago, won 9 games. Mulkey comes in, elevates the team to National Champions, sells out season tickets, #1 recruiting class, and tips off her 3rd season Nov 6th ranked #1 and a favorite to win another national championship.

As a season ticket holder, it’s needed.

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But you see it time and time again. Winning product on the baseball field, football field, basketball gym, softball field, gymnastics court, plus a good opponent and it's absolutely packed

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Didn’t the girls sell out?

I was a freshman and we packed John M Parker to see Pete play and that place smelled of cow do.

Some act as if the basketball arena is supposed to be some kind of resort. A game last two hours. You don’t spend a weekend there.

If we had a top team it would be packed.

The biggest issue is that the seats are far away from the court. As a result, the atmosphere there seems really weird. It feels almost awkward to make noise unless the building is damn near full. It can get rocking, but if it’s not at least 80%, it feels like a morgue. So many smaller arenas feel wild as hell with the crowd on top of the court. The PMAC feels like a convention hall 90% of the time.

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the functionality and accommodations of the PMAC, doesn’t work

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Why not? LSU is able to plays games there with no issue and it is still small enough there are really no bad seats.

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oday’s facilities houses everything under one roof - just as the football facility does.

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The football facility doesn't house where the team actually plays the games. So what you are really saying is that and all in one basketball facility could be built and attached to the PMAC. To that, I agree. I thought LSU went very cheap and lazy with the current basketball practice facility. In fact, Wade's biggest push was NOT for a new PMAC. It was for a new practice facility.

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As a season ticket holder, it’s needed.

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As a season ticket holder as well, it's not.

This stadium was built in 1940. It has no luxury suites and in quite small. They don't have trouble filing it because of "poor facilities".



This stadium was opened in 1965. Again, no luxury suites are tremendous amenities. It seems to be fine...



Same for this place opened in 1955. Their program is doing ok despite an "out dated" facility.



No IN NO WAY AM I TRYING TO SAY LSU's program is, historically, on par with Duke, UCLA or Kansas. The point is that the arena really has little effect on the success of the program. If LSU were winning, the PMAC would be fine...and full. People aren't staying home because the PMAC "sucks". They are staying home because the men's program has been wildly inconsistent for the better part of 30 years. Building a new arena might give you a temporary bump in attendance. But it won't be sustained if the program isn't winning. Ask Ole Miss and South Carolina.

We are in a new era of college sports. The facilities "arms race" was the former way to entice recruits because the schools couldn't "pay" the players. Today, the players really don't give a shite about the facilities. They want their NIL money. If you don't believe me, that's fine. But Will Wade, who beat the drum as loudly as anyone for facility upgrades at LSU, was asked if there was only so much money to be allocated to either NIL or facilities where would he want it to go? His answer: "NIL. If not, you're going to have a bunch of MMMF (Mid-Major Mother F--kers) getting their brains beat in a really nice, and empty, arena"

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Same for this place opened in 1955. Their program is doing ok despite an "out dated" facility.

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All of those old arenas have a ton of sports history. Pete didn't play at the PMAC, other than a run in the 80s by Dale the PMAC doesn't have any. Historic arenas need to be preserved. The PMAC is a spaceship so we can't build a new arena?

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needs to be a rectangular configuration instead of the oval configuration to get the seats close to the court.

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This.

Plus the rows are too close together, im not even 6 foot and my knees are always jammed up against the seat in front of me.

Also, the tight concourse really blow during halftime.

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All of those old arenas have a ton of sports history. Pete didn't play at the PMAC, other than a run in the 80s by Dale the PMAC doesn't have any. Historic arenas need to be preserved. The PMAC is a spaceship so we can't build a new arena?

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Hey, if you have $100M lying around and want to build a new arena I would be HAPPY to attend a game in the arena. But the point of giving those arenas as examples is not to argue that the PMAC should be preserved because of any historical significance. Rather, it is to show that the grandeur or opulence of an arena is really not that important to the success of a college basketball program. Fans will happily pack an old, outdated, arena if the program is consistently winning at a high level. Like they do at Kansas, Duke, Indiana. To the contrary, fans will avoid a new state-of-the art arena if the program is a consistent loser. Like they are doing at Ole Miss and DePaul

The debate is whether LSU NEEDS a new arena. Would it be nice to have a new arena? Sure. Is it a NEED for the program to be successful? No.

Sink the money into NIL, get great players, win consistently at a high level and you'll start to see the "old" arena being viewed fondly as the "Deaf Dome" again. The women's team is doing just that right now.

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A new arena would provide suites, new locker rooms, permanent coach and staff offices for the men and women’s teams.

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I think you could do something with the existing PMAC for a lot less than the cost of a full demo. There is a ton of open room in the front of the PMAC. Tear down the curved walkways and build a 5-6 story structure that would tie into the existing arena. Tear out all of the concourse on that side of the court and make it more of a plaza with fewer seating, full suites, club level, food court, etc. The ground level on the PMAC side could be all new locker rooms, training, offices, etc. The top level facing Tiger stadium would be dual purpose and could possibly feed into TS via a walkway, and give access into any future NEZ renovations.

Lower level street side would give you the option to convert North Campus drive into pedestrian only and create a walking mall from the traffic circle at the top of the hill all the way to Nicholson. With retail and entertainment, and possibly even a hotel, and or game weekend lodging it could pay for itself in a short amount of time.