Friday report
I've wanted to throw a topic out here for a while because I think it could lead to a pretty interesting discussion. I'm interested in hearing from fans just what they think the Jazz could do to enhance the arena experience.
I'm not talking about which player you want to see on the floor less or what decisions Jerry Sloan makes that you disagree with. I'm talking about the experience of being a fan in an arena that is one of the NBA's oldest.
The biggest thing that jumps out at me is the EnergySolutions Arena scoreboard. Traveling around the league, there are arenas with what have to be HD video boards. What you see on the board in Portland, for instance, is clearer than what you see with your own eyes.
Two other arenas with incredible video boards are Cleveland and Charlotte. They feel like the flat-screen plasma you'd mount on your living room wall or something out of an incredible home theater. The Jazz's board is like a 13-inch TV by comparison.
Not sure how many millions a new scoreboard would cost, but I'm sure it would be appreciated by fans. The Jazz also can't turn out the lights for introductions (supposedly it takes 20 minutes to power up), which the players sometimes grumble about.
There are a handful of arenas built about the same time as EnergySolutions Arena - - The Palace of Auburn Hills, Arco Arena, Bradley Center and Target Center - - and all of them show their age in one way or another.
Whether you sit in the upper deck, a luxury box or the Lexus Club courtside, I'd be interested to hear what changes you would make.
* * *
Matt Harpring wasn't at practice Friday after his wife gave birth to their second child the night before. The Harprings decided to name their new daughter Kate Eileen. Matt is expected to be at shootaround on Saturday and to play against Orlando that night.
* * *
Although Kyle Korver has made 10 of 25 shots and 2 of 12 three-pointers the last two games, Gordan Giricek has had a tougher time with Philadelphia. Through six games with the 76ers, Giricek has gone 7-for-26 (26.9 percent) and is averaging 3.3 points.
Last quote I saw from Giricek was in the Philadelphia Daily News on Wednesday: "I haven't played as well as I would have liked, but I think I'm getting used to the system here so that's a good thing."
--Ross Siler
I'm not talking about which player you want to see on the floor less or what decisions Jerry Sloan makes that you disagree with. I'm talking about the experience of being a fan in an arena that is one of the NBA's oldest.
The biggest thing that jumps out at me is the EnergySolutions Arena scoreboard. Traveling around the league, there are arenas with what have to be HD video boards. What you see on the board in Portland, for instance, is clearer than what you see with your own eyes.
Two other arenas with incredible video boards are Cleveland and Charlotte. They feel like the flat-screen plasma you'd mount on your living room wall or something out of an incredible home theater. The Jazz's board is like a 13-inch TV by comparison.
Not sure how many millions a new scoreboard would cost, but I'm sure it would be appreciated by fans. The Jazz also can't turn out the lights for introductions (supposedly it takes 20 minutes to power up), which the players sometimes grumble about.
There are a handful of arenas built about the same time as EnergySolutions Arena - - The Palace of Auburn Hills, Arco Arena, Bradley Center and Target Center - - and all of them show their age in one way or another.
Whether you sit in the upper deck, a luxury box or the Lexus Club courtside, I'd be interested to hear what changes you would make.
* * *
Matt Harpring wasn't at practice Friday after his wife gave birth to their second child the night before. The Harprings decided to name their new daughter Kate Eileen. Matt is expected to be at shootaround on Saturday and to play against Orlando that night.
* * *
Although Kyle Korver has made 10 of 25 shots and 2 of 12 three-pointers the last two games, Gordan Giricek has had a tougher time with Philadelphia. Through six games with the 76ers, Giricek has gone 7-for-26 (26.9 percent) and is averaging 3.3 points.
Last quote I saw from Giricek was in the Philadelphia Daily News on Wednesday: "I haven't played as well as I would have liked, but I think I'm getting used to the system here so that's a good thing."
--Ross Siler
3:09 PM
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17 Comments:
I have thought about the "jumbotron" as well. Something bigger and with higher resolution would be great. Also, maybe some better food. Aside from the hot dogs and ice cream, the "nice" food really isn't all that good for how much it costs. If I'm going to spend $8 on a bowl of pasta someone had better sing to me while I eat it.
I know the in-game music annoys a lot of purists, but it's probably here to stay, but is it too much to ask for a little creativity? They've got the same four sound clips looping for two hours.
Perhaps the Jazz should take a cue from the guy who does the music at BYU Volleyball games. He keeps the place rocking, keeps the energy up, and actually impresses me with his choices.
Also, the dance team is fun to watch, but it's always uncomfortable when some local dance school parades a bunch of nine-year-olds out on the court dressed like hookers and has them pull moves that are usually reserved for consenting adults.
Get rid of the gross powder blue on our uniforms and floor. It only works in NC and at UCLA. Dim the fucking lights already. If I wanted to hang out in nasty flourecent glow I'd watch the games from my laundry room. Install an in-arena bar/lounge that has the capability to actually make the beer one pays $6.00 for, a cold one.
Absolutely the music. Spencer is right on the money, I get frustrated hearing it even while watching on tv, much less unduring it at the arena. I know a game is an "experience" and all, but I would like the Jazz to do a few games a year with no stadium music/noise. I love the raw basketball that is the RMR; it would be even better to watch a real NBA game without all the pumped in noise.
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The consistent use of Def Leppard's "Let's Get Rocked" at the ESA is disturbing in the extreme. Who wants to "get rocked" on their home court? The lyrics basically instill an air of complicity into the crowd and the team that can only encourage a possible victory for a given opponent.
I must also agree with any and all who dislike the baby blue color scheme. It looks horrible on television, and weak against the strong colors of the rest of the league (Except for Denver, of course). My bile ducts are revving up just typing about it...
I've talked with numerous people at work, friends, and family and the most glaringly weak part of a Jazz game experience is the Jumbotron. It's completely antiquated and bulky. The screen is an ancient 4:3 format and the stats are limited to the players number, fouls, and points. It would be a huge improvement to have Miller introduce a new Jumbotron next year with a 16:9 HD display. This is on the top of my wish list.
Being a season ticket holder I believe we tend to notice the music selections a lot more than the casual fan, but this area could be improved. "Everybody clap your hands" is turning into the next "Who let the dogs out?" as I have heard it played in a numerous amount of other arenas as well.
Another glaring hole that I've seen over the last two years, are the half-time shows. The onslaught of 50-100 small children running on the floor and dancing, and sometimes in the mold of something you'd see from the film "Little Miss Sunshine". I think that act has run it's course. I believe the reasoning for these shows is to bring in fans from surrounding cities in other states so they buy a ticket to the game and can watch their kids preform. It's a win/win if you're trying to sell a few extra upper bowl tickets.
Replacing the lighting system would be quite exceptional as well. I don't know if it's just me, but the arena seems brighter than ever this year. Although I'm sure a new jumbotron will emerge before this happens. Even though I've heard both Boozer and Williams campaigning for a better introduction.
It's time for Miller to make the jump, because I don't believe Salt Lake will be getting a new arena anytime within the next 10-15 years.
-I agree with both the jombotron and the lights.
-The green seats suck.
-I wish they would mix up the logo on the court once in while and use the retro uniforms. It seems like the Jazz are the only team that does not do that.
Retro uni's please. The Jazz have been known to having the most stylish uniforms overall in our retro ones. You look around the arena and you see more green, purple, and yellow then our boring blue and white. Also we gotta do something about the introduction because it seems like our team doesn't even get excited at the first. Also new music that fights our new generation of basketball.
Not enough halftime shows involving dogs catching frisbees. That's always fun to watch.
The jumbotron needs upgraded.
The concessions are fine, but a little local flare would make it so much better. I'd love to see a Crown Burger stand, Squatters on tap, Q4U BBQ, and The Pie pizza.
I also think it's about time the Jazz look for a non-mlm sponsor of their dance team. Hopefully such a company exists in our great state.
1. A better scoreboard video doesn't do any good, if the Jazz seldom show the replays! There should be a replay on every call and every basket. When you are at the game, you watch the live action, not the Jumbotron. If you miss some live action on the Jumbotron , it's still right in front of you on the floor. If you miss a replay, you're out of luck, unless you're at home, not in the arena.
SHOW THE REPLAY!!!
2. Shouting in the mike, or turning the volume up well beyond 90 db, is painful and damaging to the ears! What happened to the NBA trying to monitor the db level and turn it down to below 90 db. I love it when fan noise exceeds 90 db, but to just see how loud they can some inane, non game related music decreases the arena experience.
3. Along the same line, why does every second at the arena have to have a "laugh track" (constant background, non fan related noise)?
I love the fan cheering, or booing, but it's just plain annoying to have the constant pummeling going on.
4. A more complete, constant stat board. A board which shows minutes, points, rebounds, blocks, steals, turnovers, FG numbers and %, 3pt numbers and %, fouls and +/-. (deflections would be fun to see too).
Jazzaholic
The fans in the nosebleeds get screwed as far as the freebies that are thrown at the games. There should be stuff thrown from the upper bowl entrances.
Half-time show is terrible. When there is something, it lasts 5 minutes. Then there's nothing to do except go to the bathroom and wander the halls for the next 30 minutes. I guess that's what they want you to do.
There needs to be a better intro. Dimming the lights is cool, but there's other stuff that can be done with the lights on.
HD jumbotron would be nice. But we haven't even got HD for Jazz TV games yet.
Some kind of fan interaction polling from the seats. Voting buttons or something like that.
Jazz games are the only games I've ever been to where people clap incorrectly on the "De-Fense" cheer. Everywhere else its *CLAP*, *CLAP*,"De-Fense". For some reason at Jazz games, people clap while saying De-Fense, then its a two count of silence. Can someone please explain that to me?
I'm surprised no one else has mentioned that awful LED banner wrapping around the entire arena. It casts a horrible reflection during game play that is distracting live and on TV.
1. Go back to the original uniforms and colors.
2. Nobody wants to hear that damn Alan Parsons Project song before an NBA game anymore. CHANGE IT. The Lakers have an awesome pregame presentation. LHM should send some lackeys down there to see how it's done.
3. Get rid of the nonstop music during the game. Just let the crowd hear the shoes squeak. The crowd will know how and when to cheer for defense and it will be much more exciting for both fans and players.
4. If you must have music, change it up: play intro music for players when they check in like when baseball players come to the plate. Let the players select their check-in music. Also, use it as a calling card when they score, get a block or draw an offensive foul on defense. How bad would it be if every time Jarron drew a charge the whole arena heard Vincent Price laughing for example. During timeouts, why not play music that the players choose that will get them pumped? You know nobody on the Jazz thinks "Freeze Frame" is a hot beat.
first to basketball john: have you really ever been to or watched an nba game? i've seen nba basketball in portland, seattle, utah, denver, and chicago. halftime has never lasted 35 minutes. in fact it's fifteen minutes, leading to my first suggestion for ESA which really relates to the NBA as a whole. half-time should be about 23 minutes (8 minutes longer). gives us more time to get to the bathroom, get food, and get beer and get back to our seats. as far as ESA, it is by far the lamest "arena" i've been in, with the Rose Garden (as it is this year) being the best. All the main problems have really been nailed: the lighting (love the laundry room analogy Sam), the jumbotron, the lack of statistical information being prominantly displayed, and the incessant noise or "laugh track" as jazzaholic stated. oh yeah, those little girls gyrating and bending over and spreading their legs at halftime has to go. i hate that so much. in general the arena feels much more suited for a rodeo. my dad and I went to a utah vs. portland game at esa last season (of course, you beat us down, stupid z-bo)and he pointed this out. i agree too that the retro uni's need to make a permanent comeback. sorry p-town beat you guys down this year. it'll be fun if we meet in the playoffs, and really i give you guys a better chance than us of reaching the post season. rip city.
boppa, youre right on. no music would really be the best, to hear the players' movement and talk is a lot more interesting than whatver stone age music theyre playing over the pa. but if music is absolutely necessary, go to the players for it. they know what they like.
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