In Philadelphia, Kerith Gabriel noted PPL Park reportedly is “in the running for a chance to host the 2012 MLS All-Star Game.” While the team is “lobbying to host the annual midsummer spectacle,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber “has yet to notify” Philly Union CEO & Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz of a final decision. A league spokesperson said that a set announcement date regarding the specifics for the All-Star Game is "yet to be determined" and "it probably wouldn't be (made) until early February" (PHILLY.com, 1/9).
ANY INTEREST? In Sacramento, Ryan Lillis noted city officials Monday began the process “of soliciting interest from private companies that want to lease downtown parking facilities -- a central part of the city's plan to finance a new downtown sports arena” for the NBA Kings. Several national and int'l firms “have already expressed informal interest in the city's parking facilities.” City officials “hope to generate as much as $200 million in upfront cash for the arena project by leasing downtown parking spaces and garages, as well as enforcement operations” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 1/10).
A ROCK & A HARD PLACE: In New Jersey, John Brennan cites Pollstar figures that show the Izod Center, which was “passed by Newark's Prudential Center in annual ticket sales for concerts and family shows for the first time in 2010 -- moved back ahead in 2011.” Pollstar found that the ticket sales figure of “395,353 for Izod -- more than 50 percent higher than in 2010 -- was good for ninth place in the contiguous United States and 24th in the world.” Prudential Center's ticket sales “were 359,696, virtually identical to its 2010 figures,” and earning it a spot at “11th in the contiguous United States and 30th in the world” (Bergen RECORD, 1/11).
BREAKING GROUND: In Las Vegas, Taylor Bern noted UNLV is “putting the finishing touches on the $11.7 million Mendenhall Center, a state-of-the-art men's basketball training facility located in front of the Cox Pavilion.” The grand opening is scheduled for Jan. 19, and the team “may begin practicing in it sooner than that.” The university “broke ground on the 38,000-square-foot facility in spring of 2010, with the majority of the funding coming from Las Vegas Paving Corp., and naming rights going to its CEO Bob Mendenhall.” Bern noted “not a single dollar of state money was used” (LASVEGASSUN.com, 1/10).
