Increasing JAR Attendance/Engaging the Fans

[exit322]

3 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

IMO, the ideal, best possible scenario is a JAR renovation. 

 

This also feels reasonably cost-effective.

[clarkwgriswold]

1 hour ago, ZippyRulz said:

To be clear, Summit Co. voters haven't expressed opposition to a downtown arena, they just don't want to be taxed for it. And I don't think LBJ has been approached to contribute to any Akron basketball facilities or has said he never would. A lot may depend on his next endeavors after retirement, his business interests, and how/where is is splitting his time and residency. It would probably be a good sign for the area if he decides to play a final season with the Cavs.

 

Fair enough, but as you suggest, no one has or wants to front the necessary money.  The Proenza days of construction without financial foresight are long gone.

Edited 23 hours ago by clarkwgriswold

[ZippyRulz]

True dat. To also be clear, I'm not holding my breath for a big facility windfall contribution but I also haven't ruled it out in perpetuity.

 

[GP1]

8 hours ago, zippy5 said:

There is definitely a market for a mid size music venue in Akron imo. There's a level of musician that doesn't come to Akron but hits up places like Kemba Live in Columbus and Stage AE in Pittsburgh and drives right through Akron. Too small for Blossom, too big for EJ or Akron Civic 

 

Below is the tour schedule for Akron's own Black Keys

 

https://theblackkeys.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoq5FvIBX6ltfsV_nnzvRIsqUaOdTHK6iukNKNvPeC9MiYxtWbmV

When I still lived in the Midwest, Grand Rapids was one of my favorite places to go. I was there recently was there again and it's even better. A big part of the start of the revitalization of downtown was Van Andel Arena. Akron doesn't need something this big, but an arena would help.

 

The Van Andels are the family that started Amway. There isn't a business around Akron that would pony up the money for an arena. In 2025 dollars, Van Andel Arena would cost  approximately $160 million.per Wikipedia. Goodyear or Firestone could pony up some but they won't. LBJ is rich, but he isn't Van Andels level rich. Gary Taylor wasn't Van Andel level rich. Akron is really stuck with the JAR. 

 

https://www.vanandelarena.com/

 

Edited 18 hours ago by GP1

[GP1]

8 hours ago, ZipsFan31 said:

LeBron could pay and the city could help. 

How much do you think LBJ really has and why would he spend it?  His prime earnings days will be coming to a close in the near future. 

[Blue & Gold]

21 minutes ago, GP1 said:

When I still lived in the Midwest, Grand Rapids was one of my favorite places to go. I was there recently was there again and it's even better. A big part of the start of the revitalization of downtown was Van Andel Arena. Akron doesn't need something this big, but an arena would help.

 

The Van Andels are the family that started Amway. There isn't a business around Akron that would pony up the money for an arena. In 2025 dollars, Van Andel Arena would cost  approximately $160 million.per Wikipedia. Goodyear or Firestone could pony up some but they won't. LBJ is rich, but he isn't Van Andels level rich. Gary Taylor wasn't Van Andel level rich. Akron is really stuck with the JAR. 

 

https://www.vanandelarena.com/

 

Love GR & Van Andel Arena. I let myself in & self-toured it just as they were close to finishing construction. Long time ago now. 

 

[MDZip]

14 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Love GR & Van Andel Arena. I let myself in & self-toured it just as they were close to finishing construction. Long time ago now. 

 

My wife and I went to a quilt show in Grand Rapids a couple of years ago. I knew nothing about it but was very pleasantly surprised. Really nice city. It feels like what Akron could aspire to (of course it helps to have wealthy families devoted to the area). Akron and Grand Rapids are roughly the same size although I was surprised to find out Grand Rapids is Michigan second biggest city. 

[HoopsFan03]

26 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Love GR & Van Andel Arena. I let myself in & self-toured it just as they were close to finishing construction. Long time ago now. 

 

We went last year to watch Enrique play. Really nice arena. Great attendance and support for a g League game. 

[GP1]

9 hours ago, MDZip said:

My wife and I went to a quilt show in Grand Rapids a couple of years ago. I knew nothing about it but was very pleasantly surprised. Really nice city. It feels like what Akron could aspire to (of course it helps to have wealthy families devoted to the area). Akron and Grand Rapids are roughly the same size although I was surprised to find out Grand Rapids is Michigan second biggest city. 

You could have at least lied and said you were attending a heavy metal concert. 

[Zippy87]

12 hours ago, GP1 said:

How much do you think LBJ really has and why would he spend it?  His prime earnings days will be coming to a close in the near future. 

 

LeBron is a billionaire. 

[GP1]

13 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

 

LeBron is a billionaire. 

Barely. Building and arena would take him from being a billionaire to a millionaire. 

 

I've been confused about this for years. Why do so many around Akron think LBJ is the solution to the problems around Akron?

[csims0917]

12 hours ago, GP1 said:

How much do you think LBJ really has and why would he spend it?  His prime earnings days will be coming to a close in the near future. 

His prime earning is just now beginning. You think Jordan made all his money during his prime? Lebron will be owning a team one day with whatever ownership group he forms. I'm sure he's had the post-retirement plan since he got to LA.

[kreed5120]

5 minutes ago, csims0917 said:

His prime earning is just now beginning. You think Jordan made all his money during his prime? Lebron will be owning a team one day with whatever ownership group he forms. I'm sure he's had the post-retirement plan since he got to LA.

 

Not to mention compounding investment returns. 

 

I just don't see him being interested in contributing to arena. That doesn't really fit the profile for the charity work he has done. At most he might lend his name and shake a few hands, but he's not cutting a $100M check.

Edited 5 hours ago by kreed5120

[GP1]

3 minutes ago, csims0917 said:

His prime earning is just now beginning. You think Jordan made all his money during his prime? Lebron will be owning a team one day with whatever ownership group he forms. I'm sure he's had the post-retirement plan since he got to LA.

Jordan owned a team. There is no arena named after him. He grew up in Wilmington. Not a great place but getting better. All without the help of Jordan's money. 

 

This isn't a knock on LBJ. It's a knock at those in NE Ohio who believe that LBJ or some.other  savior is going to come along and improve things. People will be waiting around forever. 

[Zippy87]

22 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Barely. Building and arena would take him from being a billionaire to a millionaire. 

 

I've been confused about this for years. Why do so many around Akron think LBJ is the solution to the problems around Akron?

 

I would love to "barely" be a billionaire. 

 

I don't think LeBron is going to pay for an arena. His financial investments in Akron are almost exclusively in at-risk youth and their families, which I think is pretty cool. 

 

But if he wanted to, he absolutely has the money/connections to get something done. I just don't think it is on his future agenda, and that is OK. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

I hope I'm wrong for the people's sake, but I think history will show LeBron's "influence" on Akron (city/University) as a net negative unless something drastically changes. Unless he's willing to truly commit to growing Akron as a whole, the University would do well in distancing themselves from him as much as possible. 

 

Figuring out how to repair/build relationships with the larger Akron-area companies is what UA officials should be focused on in terms of financial support. As a brand, UA would do well in figuring out how to market themselves better to greater-Akron-area families. 

Edited 4 hours ago by Let'sGoZips94

[GP1]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

I hope I'm wrong for the people's sake, but I think history will show LeBron's "influence" on Akron (city/University) as a net negative unless something drastically changes. Unless he's willing to truly commit to growing Akron as a whole, the University would do well in distancing themselves from him as much as possible. 

 

Figuring out how to repair/build relationships with the larger Akron-area companies is what UA officials should be focused on in terms of financial support. As a brand, UA would do well in figuring out how to market themselves better to greater-Akron-area families. 

I don't think he's a negative. I just don't think his influence is as great as people think. The second he retires from the NBA, he becomes less relevant and that doesn't get better with time. I don't think he sit around thinking about how to get an arena built in Akron. In fact, it would probably create a nightmare he doesn't want in his life. 

 

Here is the other problem. A rule of thumb in facilities management says the cost of constructing a facility is only 20% of the cost of maintaining the facility throughout the life of the structure. Who is going to pay for the maintenance alone on the facility? Assume the arena lives for 50 years and is constructed for $150 million, the annual maintenance alone would be around $15 million if my math is right. It's also an average so the climate on the building in Ohio would create even more maintenance. Is LBJ going to pony up for the maintenance also? What is Akron can't draw high dollar events like quilting convention?  See the problem here?  They could prempt time and just start out calling it The Interbelt Arena.

[Let'sGoZips94]

2 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Is LBJ going to pony up for the maintenance also?

 

Considering taxpayers largely fund his iPromise school, no. 

[kreed5120]

30 minutes ago, GP1 said:

I don't think he's a negative. I just don't think his influence is as great as people think. The second he retires from the NBA, he becomes less relevant and that doesn't get better with time. I don't think he sit around thinking about how to get an arena built in Akron. In fact, it would probably create a nightmare he doesn't want in his life. 

 

Here is the other problem. A rule of thumb in facilities management says the cost of constructing a facility is only 20% of the cost of maintaining the facility throughout the life of the structure. Who is going to pay for the maintenance alone on the facility? Assume the arena lives for 50 years and is constructed for $150 million, the annual maintenance alone would be around $15 million if my math is right. It's also an average so the climate on the building in Ohio would create even more maintenance. Is LBJ going to pony up for the maintenance also? What is Akron can't draw high dollar events like quilting convention?  See the problem here?  They could prempt time and just start out calling it The Interbelt Arena.

 

$150M is too much for Akron IMO. I get it everyone wants the flashy BMW, but Akron isn't in the position to afford the monthly payments or maintenance on that.

 

If Akron was to ever look seriously into building a new arena they should look for a Toyota Corolla. Something that is dependable and gets you from point A to point B with minimal upkeep. To me that would be something like the Stroh Center. In today's dollars that would cost $43 million. Sticking to the analogy I would want an upgraded trim to get capacity closer to 5,500 and maybe a few smaller amenities. Let's say that brings the cost to $65 million. That would be a much more achievable goal.

Edited 2 hours ago by kreed5120

[AkronAlumnus]

Just now, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Considering taxpayers largely fund his iPromise school, no. 

and it's BAD!!  I think only two of 75 seventh grade students passed the state math test and zero in the 8th grade passed. 

Edited 2 hours ago by AkronAlumnus

[Zippy87]

You can tell some of you just don't like LeBron. 😂

[Zips1991]

1 minute ago, Zippy87 said:

You can tell some of you just don't like LeBron. 😂

Right. I don't see how he's to blame for kids' math test results. Also, no one is taking into account how ridiculous standardized tests are. These kids are from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they likely are behind already before starting at the iPromise school. Just because they don't pass the standardized test doesn't mean the school isn't helping to improve their education. Not all "failure" on tests is the same.

[Zippy87]

3 minutes ago, Zips1991 said:

Right. I don't see how he's to blame for kids' math test results. Also, no one is taking into account how ridiculous standardized tests are. These kids are from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they likely are behind already before starting at the iPromise school. Just because they don't pass the standardized test doesn't mean the school isn't helping to improve their education. Not all "failure" on tests is the same.

 

Spot on. I work in education. 10 years working in schools with at-risk students. Pass/fail on standardized tests, especially with a 100% at-risk population, never tells the story - growth does. When you help an at-risk student graduate, you're literally changing the outcome of their life, but also the lives of future generations in that family. The work they're doing - investing in the kids, in the families, the wraparound services - is incredible. 

[ZippyRulz]

4 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

LeBron is a billionaire. 

 

Billionaire plus another $300M. Like all the other billionaires, he needs to be doing more philanthropy.

 

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by ZippyRulz

[Let'sGoZips94]

38 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said:

and it's BAD!!  I think only two of 75 seventh grade students passed the state math test and zero in the 8th grade passed. 

 

I'm all for helping these kids achieve lives they otherwise wouldn't have; if that requires some grace when it comes to grades/testing while improvement is shown in other areas of their lives/education, so be it. However, it is like pulling teeth to get any transparent data on the overall success of the school. Are these kids experiencing success in high school? What percentage are actually utilizing the scholarships? I know it's still relatively early, but the lack of transparency leads me to believe it's not as successful as they would like the public to believe. "Nothing is given; everything is earned," seems to be a complete contradiction to the model. 

 

Tying this back to UA - it doesn't seem like this is helping the university whatsoever.

 

26 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

You can tell some of you just don't like LeBron. 😂

 

You're right - I don't. However, that's independent of my belief that the iPromise model doesn't actually translate to success in the community and that's my ultimate problem with the school. I don't care who created the school - stealing from taxpayers and potentially causing further harm to our youth isn't something I support. 

 

 

Some food for thought: 20-40% is the proficiency in reading and math for Akron Public Schools (the failures of our public education system are an entirely different discussion). 6-10% is the estimated proficiency for the iPromise school. The iPromise school is costing taxpayers $8M per year. How is that helping the community?

Edited 2 hours ago by Let'sGoZips94