FromThisSeat Blog

 

Welcome to the FromThisSeat Blog.

Here our editors will bring you plenty of news coverage on tickets, ballparks, stadiums and arenas as they pertain to the NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA.  If you have any questions or suggestions pertaining to the articles, feel free to 'Contact Us' via the navigation bar.

Photo of the Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on February 1, 2009. Pittsburgh Steelers versus Arizona Cardinals.

Image Credit: Pablo Padierna (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Tampa Bay, Florida will host it’s fifth Super Bowl in 2021 when it hosts Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The event was supposed to be held in Los Angeles, California in 2021 at the new home stadium of the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams. However, Los Angeles experienced record amounts of rainfall during the winter of 2016, thus, delaying construction.  

Photo of Oakland Athletics players on the field.

Image Credit: KA Sports Photos (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Oakland Raiders were unable to secure a deal for a new stadium in Oakland and will flee for Las Vegas, Nevada after the 2018 NFL season. The Golden State Warriors will also be leaving Oakland in the near future for a new arena in downtown San Francisco. Now that Oakland, California has lost two of it’s professional sports franchises, Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics are scrambling to find a location for a new ballpark. For several years, Jack London Square had been rumored as the most desirable spot for the team’s new home aside from the current site on Coliseum Way. Relocating the Athletics  to San Jose, California had also been a topic of discussion before the Oakland Athletics fell under new ownership.

The Charlotte Hornets will host the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at the Spectrum Center on Sunday, February 19th, 2019. The Charlotte Hornets were supposed to host the 2017 NBA All-Star Game but the NBA relocated the event to New Orleans due to the controversy surrounding House Bill 2. House Bill 2 was a legislative act in North Carolina that required transgenders to use the bathroom of their original gender. Who knew that there were so many transgender NBA fans? Nevertheless, the NBA didn’t like the bill.

Photo of a court at the Golden 1 Center. Home of the Sacramento Kings.

Image Credit: Mrbeastmodeallday (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Sacramento Kings will be adding 10 balcony boxes as a premium seating option at the Golden 1 Center next season. The balcony boxes will be located on the suite bridge inside the arena. The boxes will be theatre-style and will seat four guests and will be located above the arena’s main entrance. The Golden 1 Center currently offers 34 suites and 48 lofts as premium seating options and all were sold out during the arena’s inaugural season this year.

Photo of downtown Nashville, Tennessee at dusk.

Image Credit: Derrick Brutel (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Nashville’s Metro Sports Authority recently hired Venue Solutions Group of Nashville, Tennessee to conduct an assessment of the improvements that will be needed at Bridgestone Arena (home of the Nashville Predators) and Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans). The consulting firm has determined that both venues are in need of nearly $500 million combined in renovations over the next 20 years. Both team’s lease agreements with their respective venues will expire in 2028. The renovations will include architectural improvements as well as improvements to the arena’s technology and plumbing.

Photo of a poorly attended New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium.

Image Credit: Sue - Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The New York Yankees are the most popular baseball team in the United States. This is common knowledge. However, the team’s declining ticket sales has baseball fans and league officials scratching their heads. The financial filings tied to the bonds sold to build new Yankee Stadium reveal that the New York Yankees organization has lost $166 million in ticket and suite revenue since opening the ballpark in 2009.

Photo of an empty Safeco Field on a sunny day. Home of the Seattle Mariners. 

Image Credit: Richard Eriksson (CC BY 2.0)

As if “bring your dog to the ballpark day” weren’t strange enough; the Seattle Mariners will be hosting Yoga Day at SafeCo Field on Sunday, June 4th vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. This year’s event will mark the 2nd annual Yoga Day, presented by CHI Franciscan Health. Participants will receive a Seattle Mariners yoga mat and a yoga mat bag from CHI Franciscan Health.

Exterior photo of Little Caesars Arena at night.

Image Credit: Michael Barera (CC BY 4.0)

Anheuser-Busch has signed an agreement with Little Caesar’s Arena to become a landmark partner of the arena when it opens later this year. Little Caesar’s Arena is the future home of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons and is located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Bud Light will be the official beer of the Detroit Red Wings; replacing Miller Lite. Anheuser-Busch will have three designated areas inside the arena; the Budwesier Biergarten, the Bud Light Bar on the upper level and the Goose Island Pub on the main level of the arena.

Exterior photo of Amalie Arena. Home of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Image Credit: Miosotis Jade (CC BY-SA 4.0)

There is great speculation that the Tampa Bay Lightning will be hosting the 2018 NHL All-Star game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning haven’t hosted an NHL All-Star game since the 1998-1999 season when the team was one of the newest franchises in the National Hockey League. The team entered the National Hockey League as an expansion team in 1992.

Aerial photo of the Inglewood, California construction site.

Image Credit: Brendan C (CC BY 2.0)

The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers were slated to open the 2019 NFL season at their new 70,000 seat stadium in Inglewood, California. However, long rains have complicated the excavation process at the stadium site, thus, delaying construction. Between November 2016 and February 2017, the area received nearly 16 inches of rainfall; double the normal amount of annual rainfall. The stadium will open in time for the 2020 NFL season.

Aerial photo of the Las Vegas strip at night.

Image Credit: Graeme Maclean (CC BY 2.0)

The Oakland Raiders organization have just purchased 62 acres near Mandalay Bay Resort and the Las Vegas Strip for $77.5 million. The vacant land near Russell Road and I-15 will serve as the future site for Raiders’ home stadium which will be completed circa 2020 or 2021. The stadium’s construction costs are estimated to be just under $2 billion. The Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board also approved the Raiders’ lease for the stadium earlier this week. The other 31 NFL owners will also need to approve the lease during the league’s May meetings before construction on the stadium can finally begin; hopefully in January 2018.

Aerial photo of CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. Home of the Seattle Seahawks.

Image Credit: US Embassy Panama (CC BY-ND 2.0)

The Seattle Seahawks, their partner First & Goal Inc., and telecommunications giant CenturyLink have agreed to extend their ongoing naming rights agreement for CenturyLink Field until 2033. The agreement was originally signed in 2004 by Qwest, another telecommunications company that was later acquired by CenturyLink in 2011. Qwest Field became CenturyLink Field beginning in 2011. Arent Fox LLP served as counsel to the Seattle Seahawks during the renewal process.

Aerial photo of the proposed site for the future home stadium of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.

Image Credit: Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers will begin playing at their brand new stadium in Inglewood, California in 2019. The stadium is estimated to cost more than $2 billion to construct, making it the most expensive stadium to build in the history of the National Football League. The Los Angeles Rams organization is currently shopping for a naming rights partner for the stadium and league experts expect the deal to also be the most expensive naming rights deals in NFL history.

Photo of the main entrance at Citi Field. Home of the New York Mets.

Image Credit: Mith Huang (CC BY 2.0)

The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic is a New Year’s Day hockey game that pays tribute to old time hockey when two teams meet outdoors. The event is the most popular event in the National Hockey League aside from the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will be celebrating it’s ten year anniversary in 2018 when the New York Rangers host the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field. Citi Field is located in Flushing Queens, New York and is home to Major League Baseball’s New York Mets. Citi Field will be the sixth Major League ballpark to host an NHL Winter Classic game.

Photo of the Scotiabank Saddledome and the Calgary, Alberta skyline.

Image Credit: Bernerd Spragg

Calgary Flames President and CEO Ken King has issued a warning to Calgary residents that the team is prepared to relocate if a new arena is not constructed for the team. Calgary’s city council is reluctant to use public funds to build an arena, as they should be. The Flames’ current home arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome, is the second oldest arena in the National Hockey League behind Madison Square Garden.

Photo of an Oakland Athletics game at Oakland Coliseum with the tarp covering the upper level in the background.

Image Credit: Dennis Yang (CC BY 2.0)

The Oakland Athletics who have long played in the less than stellar Oakland Coliseum, have decided to remove those unsightly tarps from the upper level of the ballpark. The tarps were used to cover the all too often empty seats of the upper level of the stadium; which is also home to the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Tickets for all upper level seats will be $15 for the remainder of the 2017 Major League Baseball season.

 

Exterior photo of Philips Arena. Home of the Atlanta Hawks.

Image Credit: Wikimedia

The city of Atlanta has announced that it will contribute nearly $143 million towards the renovation of Philips Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. The Atlanta Hawks organization will contribute another $50 million towards the project which will keep the Hawks in downtown Atlanta until 2046. The extension comes via an additional 18 years added onto their current lease with the arena and city.

Photo of the main entrance to Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Home of the Los Angeles Angels.

Image Credit: Sunsherry1101 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno has announced that the team will continue playing at Angel Stadium of Anaheim through the 2028 Major League Baseball season. Moreno and the Los Angeles Angels organization were previously making efforts to either have a new ballpark built in Orange County, renovate Anaheim Stadium and play there long term or play out the lease until expiration in 2028. The team's lease with Angel Stadium includes an escape clause that can be exercised following the 2019 MLB season which is why this discussion of a new ballpark has come up.

Aerial photo of Progressive Field. Home of the Cleveland Indians. 

Image Credit: Tim Evanson (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Major League Baseball has announced that Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, will host the 2019 MLB All-Star Game on July 11th, 2019. The All-Star Game will be the sixth All-Star Game hosted by the Cleveland Indians; a league record. The game will also be the second MLB All-Star Game to be played at Progressive Field; the first being in 1997, a time period in which the Cleveland Indians dominated Major League Baseball.

Photo of the Las Vegas, Nevada downtown skyline.

Image Credit: Douglas Muth (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Now that Las Vegas, Nevada has secured both an NHL and NFL franchise for the city, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has announced that the league is keeping an eye on the Las Vegas market. Assuming one of the 30 Major League Baseball teams begins to struggle financially, Manfred thinks Las Vegas would be the perfect city for a team that pursues relocation.

Aerial photo of Quicken Loans Arena. Home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Image Credit: Jon Dawson (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, has announced that it will implement a $140 million renovation that will be completed in 2020. The announcement, however, has sparked outrage with area residents who feel that public dollars would be better spent on the city’s lackluster economy, infrastructure and public school system.