Venue News & Notes: Farewell, Giants Stadium

Demolition work is set to begin this week on Giants Stadium. A crane will start dismantling the top sections of the 34-year-old venue that has played host to the Giants, the Jets, the Cosmos, and the MetroStars (now the Red Bulls). It also was the scene of numerous Bruce Springsteen concerts. Springsteen and the E Street Band performed the song “Wrecking Ball” as they finished a five-concert run at the venue…

…The Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii the next two years. The league has yet to decide whether it will be played the week before the Super Bowl or after. Sunday’s attendance certainly helped whatever cause there is to keep it on the mainland. The game drew 70,697, the second-biggest crowd in Pro Bowl history. The largest crowd was 72,250 at the 1959 event, which was played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said he would love to see the game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington at some point…

…The Cincinnati Bengals have offered cash-strapped Hamilton County, OH, lease concessions worth an estimated $40 million. In exchange, the Bengals want the county’s luxury-suite and several other concessions, including a promise not to impose new ticket taxes on Bengal fans. “You have asked us whether our organization can help play a role in ameliorating the challenges Hamilton County is facing from the current economic recession. While the current economy has impacted us all, the club is open to helping play a positive role,” wrote Bengals VP Troy Blackburn in an Oct. 16 letter to Hamilton County Administrator Patrick Thompson…

…There’s a new team in Philadelphia, but it’s not the Union. PPL Corp., the Allentown, PA, energy company best known for its electric utility, wants to buy the naming rights for the 18,500-seat stadium that will host the Union, Philadelphia’s new Major League Soccer team. PPL is close to signing a 10-year, $20 million deal to emblazon its name on the stadium, now under construction on the Chester City waterfront. When it opens this year, the stadium would be called PPL Park…

…The Tampa Bay Rays need a new, retractable-roof stadium nearer to the area’s population center in Tampa, FL. That was the recommendation Monday from a coalition of business and community leaders who have been studying the stadium issue for more than a year. The Rays, with attendance and payroll in the bottom third of the major leagues, say they cannot continue to be a competitive team at the aging Tropicana Field in downtown St. Petersburg…

…The Portland, OR, city council has approved a $31 million plan to remodel PGE Park. Major League Soccer awarded the city an expansion franchise to start play in 2011, with the understanding that the multipurpose stadium would be converted into a soccer-first venue. Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson thanked the council for Wednesday’s vote and said, “Now we look forward to showing the rest of the country why we are Soccer City USA”…

…Taxpayers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale have little interest and less money to pay for stadium upgrades that football executives say are needed for the area to extend its record of hosting 10 Super Bowls. Miami-Dade County already faces $2.9 billion worth of projects, including more than half the $645 million cost of building a stadium for Major League Baseball’s Florida Marlins. Neighboring Broward County, which will house the Indianapolis Colts, cut $385 million in spending over three years to balance its budget…

The New Jersey Nets have paved the way for a move to the Prudential Center in Newark, after reaching a preliminary lease agreement with the New Jersey Devils, who currently play their home games at the arena. According to the New York Daily News, the Nets and Devils came to an agreement last week and are expected to sign it this week. It will hit Gov. Chris Christie’s desk soon after and is expected to be approved. The Nets, who currently play their home games at the Izod Center at the Meadowlands Complex in East Rutherford, are still aiming for a move to Brooklyn, NY, at some point in 2012…

…Among all companies that have put their names on a stadium where at least one NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, or NHL team has played, the best track record belongs to Gillette. In 2002, the company, now part of Procter & Gamble, agreed to pay an undisclosed sum over 15 years to sponsor the stadium built for football’s New England Patriots. Since the deal began, the Patriots have won two Super Bowls and a staggering 75% of their games. The second-best mark goes to H.J. Heinz and its sponsorship of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ home, Heinz Field. The Steelers have posted a 0.656 winning percentage since that stadium opened in 2001.

Password must contain the following:

A lowercase letter

A capital (uppercase) letter

A number

Minimum 8 characters

;
SVGLogoHR_NOTAG-200

The Latest in Sports Video Production & Technology
in Your Inbox for FREE

Daily Email Newsletters Monday - Friday