re: Proposal in BR to build large new Arena to replace both River Center and PMAC

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Which sounds like the right idea but that area would need some serious gentrification in order for the arena to be secure enough for people to go there.

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The area by CRPA is pretty clean. And the way they reworked the exit ramp sort of creates a barrier between it and Highland Road.

What an exceptionally stupid idea. These people sure are experts at wasting money.

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The Moody Center has hosted Longhorn basketball, but also Green Day concerts and some professional sports.

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The Assembly Center has hosted the greatest bands in the world. I can't think of the last time the venue has had a real concert.

They've been doing Groovin on the Grounds there. Some rapper had it packed last year.

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If LSU wants a new PMAC, they should just demo & build it.

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If it wasn’t clear, the issue is financing.

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If it wasn’t clear, the issue is financing.

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Yeah they want to build something much larger than LSU’s peers, but they want a dedicated market from other non-LSU events to help justify the “north of $300 million” price tag. The advantage LSU has that most other SEC schools don’t is that LSU is sitting in a metro area with nearly 900,000 residents. There is a market for more concerts, professional sporting events, and live action entertainment that isn’t present in smaller college towns. They can exploit that in ways that Miss State, A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Bama can’t easy match.

The Centroplex and the PMAC cannibalized from each other. We can get a much bigger, nicer facility for both LSU and for regional concerts and events but the River Center has to get out of the arena business and focus on conventions.

I think the River Center is going to keep the hockey games for a few more years before they shut the whole Centroplex Arena down and build a hotel and another convention hall on that spot. I would bet that the hockey team will try to move to the new Arena too.

My concern is that the PMAC will be left to decay and end up being neglected like a lot of old, obsolete arenas across the country. It’s in a prime location. And it will be left mostly unused if a nicer, newer new Arena is built nearby. It probably will eventually have to be demolished.

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They have concerts in the PMAC forever,

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It’s been less popular for concerts in the past 10 years. The area needs a bigger arena for non-LSU events too. Both the PMAC and the Centroplex are outdated and struggle in attracting concerts now. Even the Cajun Dome is more modern.

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This is an arena for a major LSU sport, it should be on campus, not downtown. Its just a bad idea.

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I could see this either way. If we get a really badass arena that’s flanked by new development out of this, downtown (or between campus and downtown) is fine. Thats the right path if they build something that can really add quality of life to the region and to students while also helping with recruiting.

U of Memphis does very well at FedEx Forum. Before that they played at the Mid South Coliseum . UConn and a lot of east coast teams plays at least some of their games in an off campus arena as well.

If this is just going to be a slightly bigger, nicer version of what most SEC schools are building that will struggle to bring in events outside of college sports….just leave it on campus. They can do that for much less than $300 million.

Students need to be able to walk up to it easily..

Needs to be immersed with existing training facilities.

Parking available for lots of visitors.

Move track.. build it there..

We don't need a new arena downtown. We DO need a new arena on campus though. Knock down the PMAC, play a few season in the River Center while you build the NEW PMAC.

Get some luxury boxes in that mofo, and break out the NIL checkbook until we can get a men's title banger hanging from the rafters.

For the love of god I hope they buy up TigerLand and build this event center. Someone needs to raze that dump!