Charlotte Coliseum vs Time Warner Cable Arena

[Whiz Kid]

I'm just a young guy here so I'd like to know you guys' opinions. Which was better overall in all aspects.

From my understanding The Coliseum had a larger capacity but I want to know which was better in everything. (How it was built, location, seating views, etc.)

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Very happy to see this topic.

When I went to a Bobcats game in 2004, I thought the old coliseum was in solid condition and still a good place to catch a game. I hated to see the thing destroyed. That said, the new arena is easily way better.

I went to a Hornets game in December 1988, and we thought it was awesome simply to have hands-free toilet flushing at the Hive. That was like some sort of space age technology.

Positives with the Hive:

Larger seating capacity, often filled with truly excited fans in the early years.
Golden Age with Jordan, Bird, Magic, Olajuwon coming to town...
It was an era when Charlotteans, and maybe people in general, could be more easily impressed and entertained. We didn't need all of the bells and whistles.

Negatives with the Hive:

Massive parking lot that could take forever to get out of. Often you had to be aggressive and cut in front of somebody to get out at a decent time.

Bad location for most of the Charlotte area. Way out of town. Not walkable to anything.

Maybe one bar/restaurant in the immediate vicinity? (Jocks and Jills?)

Very few corporate boxes for bringing in the big bucks.

Pluses with TWC arena.

Great location for a night on the town. Walkable to a great deal of other entertainment/food.

Parking is in various convenient locations. More ways out of the city after a game, allowing for quicker exits.

Way more "bells and whistles": The little court for kids to play on. The view of the practice court from inside the arena. The open bar area at one end of the court. The cool murals at one entrance. The mid level seats that give you a rolling chair and axcess to tv/full stats.

Probably better sight lines. When you sit upper level mid court, you can look down into the rim pretty nicely.

Negatives with TWC:

It'd be nice if it had a little more seating capacity, and a better team playing in it. But that's about it.

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That's all I can come up with. Charlotte didn't have a lot of concentrated nightlife back in the early Hornets days. The Hornets were king in this city. I look back nostalgically on that time, but I wouldn't want to go back to it completely. It's been fun to have a more happening downtown in recent years. The Bobcats are a big part of that.

[Whiz Kid]

So would you rather have TWC Arena Or The Coliseum but in downtown Charlotte? From what i've seen, the Coliseum looks like it was built shorter meaning even if you had a upper seat you were still closer to the court. Is this true?

[BlockParty]

So would you rather have TWC Arena Or The Coliseum but in downtown Charlotte? From what i've seen, the Coliseum looks like it was built shorter meaning even if you had a upper seat you were still closer to the court. Is this true?

Opposite is true. The Coliseum was not nearly as steep as the Arena. If you took a string, nailed it to the center of the court, there are seats in the upper deck in the Arena that are closer (shorter distance) then lower bowl seats in the Coliseum.

No question we are better off with Arena over the Coliseum regardless of where it is located.

Very happy to see this topic.

When I went to a Bobcats game in 2004, I thought the old coliseum was in solid condition and still a good place to catch a game. I hated to see the thing destroyed. That said, the new arena is easily way better.

I went to a Hornets game in December 1988, and we thought it was awesome simply to have hands-free toilet flushing at the Hive. That was like some sort of space age technology.

Positives with the Hive:

Larger seating capacity, often filled with truly excited fans in the early years.
Golden Age with Jordan, Bird, Magic, Olajuwon coming to town...
It was an era when Charlotteans, and maybe people in general, could be more easily impressed and entertained. We didn't need all of the bells and whistles.

Negatives with the Hive:

Massive parking lot that could take forever to get out of. Often you had to be aggressive and cut in front of somebody to get out at a decent time.

Bad location for most of the Charlotte area. Way out of town. Not walkable to anything.

Maybe one bar/restaurant in the immediate vicinity? (Jocks and Jills?)

Very few corporate boxes for bringing in the big bucks.

Pluses with TWC arena.

Great location for a night on the town. Walkable to a great deal of other entertainment/food.

Parking is in various convenient locations. More ways out of the city after a game, allowing for quicker exits.

Way more "bells and whistles": The little court for kids to play on. The view of the practice court from inside the arena. The open bar area at one end of the court. The cool murals at one entrance. The mid level seats that give you a rolling chair and axcess to tv/full stats.

Probably better sight lines. When you sit upper level mid court, you can look down into the rim pretty nicely.

Negatives with TWC:

It'd be nice if it had a little more seating capacity, and a better team playing in it. But that's about it.

-----------------------------------------------------
That's all I can come up with. Charlotte didn't have a lot of concentrated nightlife back in the early Hornets days. The Hornets were king in this city. I look back nostalgically on that time, but I wouldn't want to go back to it completely. It's been fun to have a more happening downtown in recent years. The Bobcats are a big part of that.

A couple of add-on things that make Uptown a slam dunk: EpiCentre would not be sustainable at old location, no light-rail at old location, no hockey, etc.

Here is a nice article from 2005 on the new Arena from the fan's perspective http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte...17/focus2.html

And it looks like the Arena may be adding some seats (related to the DNC in September) http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte...ts.html?page=2

[Whiz Kid]

So by this you're saying you prefer the steepness over the lower bowl? I feel like I'd like it the other way around. lol

[BlockParty]

I prefer being closer to the action, at a lower price, in a better facility

[Whiz Kid]

I prefer being closer to the action, at a lower price, in a better facility

I take that as TWC. I'm quite aware that TWC is the nicer facility but I'm basically asking the better concept. Lower Bowl or the Steep Seats

[BlockParty]

You are missing the point. All the seats in TWC are steeper than the coliseum, upper bowl, lower bowl...every single one of them. Additionally, each the 18k seats in TWC are closer than the comparable closest 18,000 seats in the coliseum. The building is just a better design, not just for basketball, for concerts, hockey and conventions.

If you had $200...how would you spend it....in the lower bowl or upper deck?

Probably depends on your financial responsibilities, disposable income, proximity to Charlotte and level of passion you have as a fan.

[SWedd523]

If you had $200...how would you spend it....in the lower bowl or upper deck?

I'd buy 500 rounds of ammunition, take a trip to the range, buy two upper level seats and a water, and pocket the remaining ~$50

[teej]

I'd buy 500 rounds of ammunition, take a trip to the range,

Only if the range had targets with Bernie Bickerstaff, Larry Brown and Boris Diaw on them.