Bradley Center

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name=Bradley Center


location=1001 N Fourth St
Milwaukee, WI 53203-1314
opened=October 1, 1988
owner=State of Wisconsin
operator= Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corporation
architect=HOK Sports
tenants=Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) (1988-present)
Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) (1988-present)
Marquette University (NCAA) (1988-present)
Milwaukee Wave (MISL) (1988-2003)
Milwaukee Mustangs (AFL) (1994-2001)
Milwaukee Iron (af2) (2009-future)
seating_capacity=Concerts: 20,000
College basketball: 19,000
NBA games: 18,717
Ice hockey: 17,800|

The Bradley Center is an indoor arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is home to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA, the Marquette University men's basketball team, and the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL (and formerly of the IHL) . It was also the former home of the Milwaukee Wave of the MISL from 1988-2003, the Milwaukee Mustangs of the AFL from 1994-2001, and the Badger Hockey Showdown from 1989-2002.

History

The arena was opened on October 1, 1988 with an exhibition hockey game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers. At $100 million it was meant to be a modern replacement of its current cross-street neighbor The MECCA (currently named the U.S. Cellular Arena), which was built in 1950. It was a gift to the State of Wisconsin by philanthropists Jane Pettit and Lloyd Pettit in memory of Jane's late father, Harry Lynde Bradley of the Allen-Bradley company. The arena seats 20,000 for end-stage concerts, 18,717 for NBA games, 19,000 for college basketball, and 17,800 for ice hockey.

Despite being one of the premier NBA facilities when completed in 1988, the Bradley Center is currently the 4th oldest active NBA arena (tied with the Palace of Auburn Hills and Arco Arena, which also opened in 1988), only behind Madison Square Garden, Oracle Arena (which has been significantly remodeled), and Izod Center. Because of the lack of modern amenities such as club seating and executive boxes (both of which are major sources of revenue), modern high-definition LED video screens (the outdated 1988 Sony "JumboTron" screens are still used), and outdated sound, lighting, and seating systems, serious doubts have been raised about keeping the Bucks in Milwaukee. Since the announcement that Seattle lost their NBA franchise in 2008 because of their failure to build a modern arena, these fears have been legitimized. There have been discussions about building a new, $300 million state-of-the-art downtown facility, but lack of support from the city has kept plans from being formalized.

The Bradley Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2008.

Events

The Bradley Center hosted the Frozen Four in 1993, 1997, and 2006 plus the Great Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament in 1995. The 2006 tournament was unique because the eventual champion University of Wisconsin Badgers had an unofficial home-rink advantage because of the statewide appeal of the Badgers and the location of the tournament in Milwaukee, just under 80 miles from the Kohl Center in Madison.

The arena has played host for numerous WWE events as well, such as No Way Out 2002, Taboo Tuesday 2004. One of the most memorable moments in WWE history occurred in this facility when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin held Vince McMahon "hostage" at gun-point in October 1998, until finally threatening to kill him in the ring. As he raised his weapon to fire, the weapon was revealed as a simple toy gun that fired a banner saying "BANG 3:16", causing McMahon to wet himself. WWE taped an episode of Monday Night RAW at the Bradley Center in September of 2007 and in March 2008, it hosted a three-hour WrestleMania rematch night [http://www.wwe.com/schedules/events/eventdetail/?id=6066588]

Celine Dion graced the arena on March 26, 1999 as part of her Let's Talk About Love Tour, and again on September 29, 2008 as part of her Taking Chances World Tour.

Gwen Stefani was also going to appear at the Bradley Center on June 7, 2007 for "The Sweet Escape Tour" concert but due to unknown circumstances the concert was cancelled.

The Bradley Center in Milwaukee was one of the contenders to host the NBA All Star Game in 2009, but lost to Phoenix, Arizona and the U.S. Airways Center.

External links

* [http://www.bradleycenter.com/ BradleyCenter.com]
* [http://www.seats3d.com/nba/milwaukee_bucks/ "Seats3D" - Interactive Seating Map at Bradley Center for Milwaukee Bucks]
* [http://lh3.ggpht.com/_94FxeRH1W60/R7i0SshkPHI/AAAAAAAAAME/CoBpZYMu9aQ/IMG_0396.jpgNew Look Bradley Center Floor] succession box
title = Home of the
Milwaukee Bucks
years = 1988 – present
before = MECCA Arena
after = currentsuccession box
title = Host of the
NCAA Frozen Four
years = 2006
before = Value City Arena
after = Scottrade Center