Venue News: USTA Opposes MLS Stadium in Queens; Upper-Deck Tarps Staying Put in Oakland

Compiled by Karen Hogan, Associate Editor, Sports Video Group

Major League Soccer has commissioned an architect to draw up crowd-pleasing drawings for the proposed Flushing Meadows-Corona Park stadium. Already these plans have drawn cheers from some local politicians. The proposed stadium, however, has drawn vigorous opposition from residents in the immigrant-rich neighborhoods of Corona, Elmhurst, Flushing, and Jackson Heights, who rely on this densely used park for a weekly dose of open green space. But the United States Tennis Association could prove the most intriguing and deep-pocketed opponent of the soccer stadium. Many local residents look with suspicion on the U.S.T.A., as it, too, plans to take another small bite out of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park by building a new tennis facility and parking garages…

…Beyond all expectations, the tarps at the Oakland Coliseum are staying put. Despite a capacity crowd of 36,067 on the season’s final day, the tarps are staying put. After finishing fourth from last in major league attendance in the regular season, the A’s decided to maintain intimacy in the playoffs, in part because they are skeptical they could sell out a completely open stadium. So they will be keeping 19,888 upper-deck seats at Oakland Coliseum, a number close to the team’s 20,728 average attendance, under wraps through the American League Championship Series, should the A’s make it that far…

…The off-season is only a few days old, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have already begun the process of renovating their 50 year-old stadium. Dodger Stadium, located in Chavez Ravine, is currently the third oldest ballpark in major league baseball, behind Boston’s Fenway Park and Chicago’s Wrigley Field. However, both Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are in much better condition than Dodger Stadium, so an upgrade is essential in order for Dodger Stadium to even be mentioned in the same breath as those two iconic ballparks. The first round of renovations will include improving the infrastructure. Better water, power, and data systems are things that are on top of the list. These improvements are projected to be completed before opening day of 2013…

…When the New Orleans Hornets open their preseason home schedule against the Charlotte Bobcats, fans won’t see any of the major upgrades planned for the facility. SMG spokesman Eric Eagan said the major interior and exterior upgrades will not start until after the Hornets’ 2012-13 season ends. The $50 million in capital improvements for the Arena was included in the new escape-proof lease agreement between the state and the Hornets announced in March after owner Tom Benson purchased the franchise for $338 million from the NBA…

…The Canadian Football League will have nine teams again, as early as 2014. Ottawa City Council approved plans Wednesday to build a stadium, plus a residential and retail complex, on the site of Frank Clair Stadium. The vote, which passed 21-3, was the final hurdle for the league and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) to bring a CFL franchise back to Ottawa for the first time since 2006, when the Ottawa Renegades folded after four seasons. The Renegades were preceded by the Ottawa Rough Riders, founded as the Ottawa Football Club in 1876 and nine-time winners of the Grey Cup. The Riders folded in 1996.