With UL's new arena set to debut next year, is UK planning a "New Kentucky Home"
By Staff
The name Adolph Rupp is synonymous with winning. He did it for years while roaming the sidelines at Memorial Coliseum and in honor of his dramatic impact on the program, UK’s new arena was named after him. Rupp Arena is one of the most recognizable basketball stadiums in the nation and for many years Rupp Arena has been host to countless memorable games, while 24,000+ fans pack the arena game in and game out.
Having gone to 7-8 home games last year as well as Midnight Madness,, I got to experience the electrifying atmosphere that enthralls the Big Blue Nation every year. Old and young alike go to extreme lengths to attend every game possible as well as Big Blue Madness, the precursor to the start of basketball season. And the stands are packed just for a practice.
Back in 1976, Rupp Arena officially opened, giving a drastic change from what UK men’s basketball used to play in. With the change in the size of the arena, more UK fans would be able to watch their favorite team and players. Now after 33 years in existence, new plans have been proposed by both the University of Kentucky and the city of Lexington for new and improved arenas. As the Louisville Cardinals program awaits the opening of their new stadium , the nation is excited to see what it will look like live and in person. And why shouldn’t they be excited?
With the Cardinals having some its best years in college basketball dating back to their Final Four run in 2005, the infamous former head coach of the Cats will now be able to live it up in the new Louisville Cardinals basketball stadium. Pitino may want to stay away from all the cougars out there if he wants to a) Keep his job and b) get to see the beautiful sights of his new basketball home. Because of the fact that the Cardinals are getting a new stadium, more and more Cats fans are looking for UK and the city of Lexington to make the next step in getting a new arena.
With new head basketball coach John Calipari taking over the reins, a new basketball arena would not only give fans another breath of fresh air, but would reinforce the idea of out with the old and in with the new. Calipari got to experience the community excitement of opening a new arena in Memphis with the Fed Ex Forum, home to the Memphis Tigers and the Memphis Grizzlies. So Calipari wouldn’t be new to these type of thrill.
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The impact Calipari had on the Memphis Tigers program is unquestionable. Some will say it was the best thing to happen to the Tigers, while many others may vehemently disagree. Regardless, everyone has their opinions. Now that Calipari is in Lexington, his impact will also be unquestionable, once again either for the best or the worst. One thing that is clear, is with Calipari in town and establishing himself as one of the best in the college ranks, it gives the university and the city of Lexington all the more reason to build a new and improved basketball arena.
There are many hoops that must be jumped through to get a new arena finalized. Just this May, legislators in Kentucky went about securing a firmer stance on the subject. Plans were initially put on hold because of what else, the economy. The university would need boat loads of money to complete the project and the help of private companies and investors are clearly needed for these proposals to get done. Because of legislator’s ideas of not involving public money, tax-payers would not have to worry about saddling up thousands of extra dollars for a project they ultimately may not want or like.
I personally feel that an updated arena would be fantastic for the program and the city itself. If the stadium could generate money for not only the university but also for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, it would be a definite win-win situation. If the ’09-’10 seasons are anything like the Big Blue faithful expect, then I feel new plans would kick back into high gear in hopes of constructing the new arena as soon as possible.
Models, drawings, and ideas would still need to be made, but like I said, if Calipari does the unthinkable in his first year, the university, the city and numerous legislators would realize the need for a new arena.
Andrew Hardison is a recent UK alumni and a contributor to Wildcat Blue Blog.
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