Dallas ? Ed Wilson loves the easy access, open concourses, comfortable seats and everything else built into Dallas’ $420 million American Airlines Center.
But the Kansas University fan would give it all up — the cupholders at every seat, the 220 places to buy food and drink, the 5,400 parking spaces outside — for a return to the familiar inconveniences of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
The insurance agent figures you can’t put a price on tradition.
“Kemper’s like Allen Fieldhouse,” said Wilson, in town for the men’s Big 12 tournament. “The nostalgia of the place is just amazing. You can feel the energy coming up from everyone.”
He checked his Jayhawk watch before heading in for Friday’s KU-Iowa State game, which the Jayhawks won, 89-74.
“Here, it’s an arena,” Wilson said. “It’s not a house of basketball.”
Such opinions are making the rounds among dozens of KU fans this week, as they follow the Jayhawks into unfamiliar territory: the first-ever post-season conference tournament conducted outside Kansas City, Mo.
This year and next, the Big 12 will play its marquee event at the Dallas center, before the tournament returns to Kemper for 2005. After that, it’s an open question to be settled by the top administrators at the conference’s dozen schools.
Kansas City may remain in the game, but folks in Dallas figure to make a strong case for the future. And it starts with the building that opened in 2001 and still sets the standard for sports.
“It’s a spectacular facility — the absolute best that money can buy,” said Bob Frederick, former KU athletics director, who teaches a sports facilities class at KU. “When you talk about sports facilities, Kansas City can’t compete with this.”
Few cities can.
“Originally we had a $280 million budget, but that would have built us a facility that was on par with what everybody else had,” said Dave Brown, the center’s general manager. “Our owners really wanted to go beyond what the standard was. They wanted one that would provide the ultimate fan experience.”
KU fans found plenty to like about the place.
Michael Collison, 12-year-old brother of KU forward Nick Collison, passed the time between games by exploring with 11-year-old Douglas Compton.
“I like the escalators,” the young Collison said, having found most of the eight conveyors in the building. “I just like to go up and down escalators.”
KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway favored the variety of eats. The center boasts 30 concession stands and 220 total points of sale.
“Not that I need it,” he said, noting his dieting efforts.
Stephen Vinson, a KU reserve from Lawrence, said he liked the amenities in the home locker room for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks: terry cloth robes, DVD players, flat-screen televisions and PlayStation2 consoles.
And that’s just in each locker.
“Mark Cuban definitely takes care of his players,” Vinson said, referring to the Mav’s flamboyant owner. “The arena’s just as nice.”
Linda Wilson, who joined her husband on the trip from Wichita, appreciates the 337 women’s toilets at the center.
“For us women, the rest rooms are huge — no waiting,” she said. “It’s incredible.”
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Such extras simply don’t exist at Kemper, leading to speculation that Kansas City should build a new downtown arena if it wants to compete for future tournaments.
Brown said it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
“They don’t have the concessions, they don’t have the rest rooms, they don’t have the technology, they don’t have the parking — the list goes on,” Brown said. “Do you want nostalgia, or do you want to be able to spend more time watching the game instead of standing in line for rest rooms or in the crowded concourses or to buy a beer?”
“Our idea of the guest experience is to not be burdened by services that are rendered. Services need to be streamlined and efficient, so you can be in your seat watching the game,” Brown said.
“We have the whole package.”