Venue News: Wrigley Field Game Turns One-Sided

As Northwestern and Illinois prepare to play the first game at Wrigley Field since 1938, the Big Ten announced that the action on the field will be, well, one-sided. Because of space constraints between the end zone closest to Wrigley Field’s rightfield wall, the conference has announced that both teams’ offensive possessions will be played in the same direction, toward the stadium’s third-base line. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday and will be televised on ESPNU…

…Sports arenas and stadiums are all about getting the largest number of people to spend the maximum amount of money in the shortest amount of time possible. But a growing number of sports buildings from Boston to Los Angeles are becoming efficient in other ways, by saving energy and reducing waste with solar panels, low-flush toilets, and composting. This week, the Philadelphia Eagles announced perhaps the most ambitious green initiative yet: the installation of about 2,500 solar panels, 80 20-ft.-high wind turbines, and a generator that runs on natural gas and biodiesel, which would make Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles’ home, the first stadium capable of generating all its own electricity…

…Despite a Republican takeover of the Minnesota Legislature and an actual or apparent mandate to slash spending and balance the budget, the Vikings’ stadium situation will be “addressed” in the 2011 legislative session, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The bad (good) news is that the situation was “addressed” in the 2010 session, and it went nowhere. “I think, one way or another, it’s going to be addressed this session,” said Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, per the Star-Tribune. “The question is whether or not it’s resolved.  It’s not going to go away…”

…Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman this week shrugged off the latest attempts to go to Nevada lawmakers and state voters to get public funding to build a sports and entertainment arena on the Las Vegas Strip. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s irrelevant,” he said at his regular weekly press conference at City Hall. Supporters of an arena project that would sit just east and behind the Imperial Palace have gathered more than 221,000 signatures on their initiative petition. If the petition passes the test of having 5% of those who signed be registered voters, it would be presented to the 2011 Nevada Legislature…

…Arizona State University’s president predicts construction will begin within 10 years on a new Sun Devil Stadium and a 300-acre athletic complex stretching from Tempe Marketplace to the city center. Michael Crow talked about the plans Thursday during an address to the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, according to an Arizona Republic report. By the year 2020, he said, Tempe could be close to hosting Olympic trials and the Pan Am Games as a result of the athletic-facilities district that will be created in partnership with the city and private developers.