In Tampa, Greg Auman reports the Buccaneers on Thursday unveiled their "new West Stadium Club, which covers more than 60,000 square feet -- up by more than 25 percent -- with large 26-by-15-foot video walls at each end and a large wooden football sculpture." The renovations at Raymond James Stadium "won't be limited to just game day -- a new team store on the west side of the stadium covers 10,000 square feet and features more than 2,000 unique items branded with the Bucs logo, even an area where custom jerseys can be personalized." The store "will be open Thursday through Sunday, so fans not going to games can still stop in" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/25).
FIXER UPPER: FINANCE & COMMERCE's Brian Johnson reported the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and its project team are "still fixing" U.S. Bank Stadium's exterior panels in "at least a half-dozen locations." About 10% of the 1.75 million-square-foot stadium’s panels are "being removed and reinstalled as part of an ongoing remediation." The durability of the panel system has "long been a concern, even before the stadium opened last summer" (FINANCE-COMMERCE.com, 8/23).
FULL CHARGE: In L.A., Dan Woike notes the "doors opened Thursday" at the Chargers' Hoag Performance Center in Costa Mesa. The new facility and HQ are "converted office spaces -- a task that didn’t start until January when the team announced its move from San Diego." The club agreed to "lease the space before the move." Chargers CB Casey Hayward: "You can't beat it. It looks good. You come here, you want to show up every day and play" (L.A. TIMES, 8/25).
