The Bucks last night at the Milwaukee Art Museum unveiled the design for their new "art-inspired floor," and it includes a "giant M flanking each side of the midcourt line," according to Mary Louise Schumacher of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. The floor is "inspired by Pop artist Robert Indiana's much-beloved 1977 MECCA floor." Bucks Senior VP & Chief Revenue Officer Theodore Loehrke said the new floor is about the team being "more about Milwaukee and as much Milwaukee's team as possible." Instead of the "candy-apple red and glowing yellow of Indiana's jazzy original, the big M's will be created in a deeper shade of hand-stained northern Wisconsin maple for a subtler effect this time around." Other elements of the floor's design are "pared down to allow the M's to pop, most notably the logo at center court." It is "stripped to the stark essentials, the eight-point, whitetail buck in hunter green and white detailing." Each baseline is "emblazoned with a simple 'Milwaukee,' as was the case with the `77 floor." The color on the new floor is "almost exclusively green." One panel of the floor "will periodically be turned over to an artist." The first piece "will be unveiled with the floor itself at an open, free practice on Oct. 5." The Bucks also plan to "place the names of all MVP season-ticket holders (as of Oct. 18) on the physical surface of the court for the season opener on Nov. 2." The "thousands of names will be placed along the center line," and after the game, the MVPs will be "invited to find their names and take photos on the court." Additionally, the floor has "much improved shock absorption than earlier floors, with the potential to reduce injuries and fatigue for the players" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/25). Bucks C Larry Sanders said, "It looks really fierce. It has a sharp edge to it. Also it looks kind of simple, like we're here to do our job. We're here for business. And it's green; it's not too colorful. It's not too distracting" (JSONLINE.com, 9/24).
PARK IT: In Milwaukee, Don Walker notes a provision in Mayor Tom Barrett's '14 proposed budget "includes a $175,000 allocation in city parking revenue per year for five years to the BMO Harris Bradley Center." Bradley Center BOD Chair Marc Marotta and arena President & CEO Steve Costello "cited city parking data that said the parking ramp generates $500,000-$700,000 in annual parking revenue the city receives from various Bradley Center events." While potential city aid to the Bradley Center "is new, the state has already provided" $10M in grants in the "past few years to help in maintenance, upkeep and planned improvements." In addition, Bradley Center officials "have a partnership with several large Milwaukee companies that resulted in about" $19M in new sponsorship revenues (JSONLINE.com, 9/24).
