Leave your funny caption suggestion in the comments of this post. Next week I will post a voting poll and the best will win a “Mystery Prize”

Going to add my own funny caption.. can you beat it?

"But we want to be like Rich Thompson and steal bases too!"

*This contest is for fun. I reserve the right to all decision making, rules, etc.

This is just my theory, a thought, an idea. I am speculating here and will present what I have. If you have opposing/agreeing opinions, please feel free to share in the comment section.

The City of Allentown and their mayor is pushing to get the long proposed arena in downtown Allentown. There are a some reasons we, as the people who will be supporting this place, have been given as to why the arena must be downtown.

1. “Revitalize” the Allentown downtown area.

Ok, everyone wants the pretty crime free city. The long clean sidewalks lined with thriving shops and restaraunts. It is a nice thought. Will an arena accomplish this? Who knows. It might. It might not. Who decides this? The people who are willing to take a chance on a business there and the people who would patronize these establishments and spend money there. If you build it, they will come may not be the essential formula to success.

2. To build on the property that a sinkhole ate in 1994.

A big open space that isn’t bringing in tax money. Yeah, unused space is usually better off being used but at what cost? I’m sure engineers could make significant efforts to avoid another sinkhole disaster at this site but engineers have failed in the past. You could argue over this for days but from my view as a fan and tax payer (to Lehigh County) I wouldn’t build a dog house on a questionable piece of land for fear of possible harm to my dog. While the financial concern of a dog house falling over isn’t a terrible loss, the financial concern of a multi-million dollar arena is. Not to mention, no matter how slight, if something bad happened where people could be in danger.

3. Money!

Yes… money. What drives anything in this world. Figure out what the people want and then provide it for them with a… fee.

Looking at a recent article of the highly touted Sovereign Center in the city of Reading, (Read story on Reading Eagle here), parking is a serious issue. Really? Who would have thought. The gripe in the article focuses on an attempt by the City of Reading to increase revenue with parking meters. (I was under the impression that areanas revitalized cities. Why would they need additional income?) Has anyone tried to park in Allentown lately? It’s not fun. Hockey is a winter sport, what happens when it snows? Parking deck you say! Yes! What comes with a parking deck? That’s right… a charge. Parking rates during events at the Sovereign Center in Reading are reportedly $5-10 per vehicle.

Taking a step back for a moment, let’s look at the LV IronPigs for a moment. Coca Cola Park has 4 large parking lots. On nights where attendance is over 9,000 fans, those lots are packed. Cars line the street and even park into the traffic lanes between lots. The IronPigs charge $3 for baseball games and fees have been significantly higher during other events. (The 2 concerts were heard to be in excess of $10)

The proposed arena won’t quite hold the same number of people as Coca Cola Park but could you imagine a crowd size of 5-6,000 people parking in downtown Allentown? Figure 2,000-2,500 vehicles? Multiple that by $10 and it is a significant source of income for the city.

In further comparison to the IronPigs I will use the Adirondack Phantoms as an example. (The Phantoms are the team being lured to move to Allentown)

IronPig tickets have been drawing incredible crowds with tickets costing $6, 9 & 14. Add in $3 parking per vehicle, a single person would see a low mark of $9 and a high mark of $17. Take in a season ticket with 72 games and it adds up. ($648/$1224)

Ticket prices listed on the Phantom’s Website:

Bronze – $12.25
Silver – $15.25
Gold – $19.25
Premium Gold – $21.25
Platinum – $26.25
Under 10 yrs old – $11.00

Not terrible pricing, love that kids get a discount. Figure 40 home games. It adds up. Then figure in parking cost. It REALLY adds up.

Say you take the cheaps seats and drive yourself. (As I would)

$12.25 + $10 = $22.25 x 40 games = $890 a season.

For the IronPigs (Using increased 2012 rates)
$7.00 + $3.00 = $10 x 72 games = $720 a season.

With 32 less “events” hockey will likely cost $170 more a season. This is for a single person driving alone. You could take carpooling into account but ticket price and cost would still increase, especially if you are the person pulling the tab for your family/friends.

I realize you all can do math and understand that hockey is going to cost more… what does this have to do with where the stadium is?

Putting the stadium in downtown Allentown increases the overall cost of attending.

Allentown is using the incredible success of the IronPigs to get this hockey team here.

What the IronPigs have that a downtown arena does not:

1. Close to the city but closer to a major highway (Rt. 22). Personally, if I know I can jump on a highway soon after leaving an event is a plus and I tend to attend more often.

2. Lower prices. Times are hard yo… cheap is in… more bang for your buck.

3. The Phillies. While the Phantom’s parent club, the Flyers, are no slouches… they aren’t close to the roll that the Phillies have been on.

4. Summer. You can look at this two ways. Summer gets people out in the open and/or winter makes people want to find something fun to do indoors. I prefer to stay indoors at home in the winter. Do you?

5. A perceived “safe” location. It’s no secret that people who do not live in the city of Allentown read newspapers and watch the local news. Crime is often reported IN Allentown and that will scare folks off. Coca Cola Park is located on a fringe area of the city that isn’t heavily populated and allows for a more comforted feeling in less adventurous fans. I’m not saying downtown Allentown isn’t safe but ask someone who doesn’t live in the city where they would feel more comfortable and see what they answer. Especially after dark.

This post really isn’t organized or well thought out, but it includes my thoughts on the proposed arena and how professional hockey might succeed in Allentown. At the risk of being labeled one of the online tormented, anonymous internet naysayers… I believe the hockey area would do much better if it were NOT located in the downtown area. I haven’t met anyone who prefers that other than those who are planning the arena.

Which do you think would be more profitable to the city?

Arena in the downtown area – More revenue per person, possible lower participation.

Arena not in the downtown area – Less revenue per person, possible higher participation.

Let’s poll it:

Those are my thoughts.. what are yours?

“I should have never entered that hot dog eating contest before the game”

The winning submission was sent in by Carl! Carl, please email me at editor@LVNoiseNation.com so I can get you the wonderful “Mystery” Prize!

OinK!

If you’ve noticed the new icon on the left, this is what I’ve been working on since the IronPig’s season ended. The official Noise Nation Fan Group Calendar!

Need something to do during the long winter when there is no Steelhawk, Roller Derby or IronPig games? We’ll be posting events on the calendar so check it out often!

3 new events were posted tonight! Check it out!

Also, if you have an a charity or fun event you would like to include.. feel free to send details to us at editor@LVNoiseNation.com.

Noise Nation Calendar