The San Diego Sports Arena (formerly iPayOne Center from 2004–2007) is an indoor arena located on Sports Arena Blvd in Point Loma, San Diego, California off of Interstate 8.
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| Former names | iPayOne Center (2004-2007) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3500 Sports Arena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110 |
| Coordinates | 32°45′19″N 117°12′44″W / 32.75528°N 117.21222°W |
| Owner | Arena Group 2000 |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) |
| Capacity | Arena Football: 12,000 Ice hockey: 12,920 Basketball: 14,500 Concerts: 14,800 Circus: 13,000 Boxing / Wrestling: 16,100 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 17, 1966 |
| Construction cost | $6.5 million USD |
| Tenants | |
| San Diego Gulls (WHL) (1966-1974) San Diego Rockets (NBA) (1967-1971) San Diego Conquistadors (ABA) (1974-1975) San Diego Sails (ABA) (1975) San Diego Mariners (WHA) (1974-1977) San Diego Clippers (NBA) (1978-1984) San Diego Sockers (NASL/MISL I/CISL) (1980-1996) San Diego Gulls (IHL) (1990-1995) San Diego Gulls (ECHL) (1995-2006) San Diego Sockers II (WISL/MISL II) (2001-2004) San Diego Riptide (af2) (2002-2005) San Diego Barracudas (RHI) (1993-1996) San Diego Seduction LFL (2009-present) 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | |
The arena was built in 1966 by Robert Breitbard, a local football hero who played for Hoover High School and San Diego State, for "a modest" $6.4 million dollars.[1]
The arena opened on November 17, 1966 when more than 11,000 pro hockey fans watched the San Diego Gulls (then a member of the Western Hockey League) win their season opener, 4–1, against the Seattle Totems.[1]
The arena seats 12,000 for arena football, 12,920 for ice hockey, 14,500 for basketball and tennis, 5,450 for amphitheater concerts and stage shows, between 8,900 and 14,800 for arena concerts, 13,000 for ice shows and the circus, and 16,100 for boxing and wrestling [2].
In 2000, Amusement Business/Billboard Magazine listed the arena as the "#1" facility in the nation for venues seating 10,001 to 15,000 seats. The same magazine ranked the arena as #2 in 2002 and as the #5 facility in 2003. In 2007, the arena was ranked as the #5 facility by Billboard Magazine.[3]
Naming rights
The venue's original name was the 'San Diego International Sports Center'. The name was later renamed the 'San Diego Sports Arena which it kept until 2004. In the latter year, and until 2007, iPayOne, a real estate savings company based in Carlsbad, California, held the arena's naming rights. The deal was worth $2.5 million over five years.
On April 8, 2007, Ernie Hahn II, CEO of Arena Group 2000 which holds the leasing rights to the property, announced that AG2000 has defaulted Ipayone out of the remainder of the contract for non payment.[4] According to Hahn, iPayOne has been in and out of default in payments - mostly balloon payments - in the last year. In addition, iPayOne appears to be halting operations and is accepting no new listings. As a result, the name was changed back to the San Diego Sports Arena while Hahn seeks a new naming rights sponsor.
Redevelopment
Between 1995 and 2006, the arena was the home venue to the San Diego Gulls of the ECHL and the San Diego Riptide of the AF2, but both franchises folded. The Gulls franchise majority owner was Arena Group 2000 LP, a private company which is also the current arena leaseholder. When the team was disbanded - and not sold - there was local speculation regarding the company's closely-held secret intentions for the property. Many outsiders suspected implosion of the Arena and redevelopment of the property, as redevelopment of this chunk of real estate had supposedly been a prime motivation for Ron Hahn (of the Hahn Company) when he first took an interest in this property in 1991. Future Development will depend on the City of San Diego and the vision that both they and AEG have for sports and entertainment in San Diego.
The venue continues to host 20–25 concerts each year and in 2007 hosted 35 concerts ranging from Justin Timberlake to Eric Clapton. Other San Diego venues, like Cricket Amphitheater (formerly Coors Amphitheater), an outdoor concert venue of the typical amphitheater/lawn configuration located south of downtown San Diego, just north of Mexico in Chula Vista, Viejas Arena (formerly Cox Arena) at San Diego State University (on the eastern edge of the city), Soma (which is a modest nightclub that brings in quality acts despite being smaller than the midsized venues of Fourth and B, The House of Blues, Humphries, or Anthology, and worth mentioning because of its location in the same Loma Portal/Midway neighborhood as the arena), and the myriad Casinos that pepper the outskirts of San Diego County are becoming exceedingly popular destinations for musical events as well. The San Diego Sports Arena remains the only ice arena facility in San Diego County, and hosts annual skating events such as Stars on Ice and Disney on Ice with Feld Entertainment twice each year. The facility is the only arena in San Diego that has a group sales department and for this reason hosts almost all of the major family shows to come to San Diego like the Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street Live and Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus each year. The arena also serves as a home court for the L.A. Lakers in a preseason NBA game each Fall. The property continues to derive income from the Kobey's Swap Meet, held every weekend in the west end of the parking lot which attracts over one million people annually.
History
1972 GOP National Convention
In 1972, the Republican Party considered the arena for its National Convention. With little warning, however, the GOP decided to hold the convention in Miami Beach. To compensate for this blow to local prestige, then mayor Pete Wilson gave San Diego the by-name of "America's Finest City",[5] which is still the city's official moniker.[6]
Sports franchises and events
The most notable sporting event to take place in the arena was the 1973 Ken Norton--Muhammad Ali fight in which, by split decision, San Diego local Norton won. Irish distance runner Eamonn Coghlan broke the world record for the indoor mile in 1979 and 1981. A photo of his crossing the finish line appeared around the world including the cover of Sports Illustrated. Coghlin's time for the 1981 race is still the world record for the indoor mile.[1]
It was the home of the San Diego Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967–1971, the San Diego Conquistadors/Sails of the American Basketball Association from 1974-1976, the San Diego Mariners of the World Hockey Association from 1974-1977, the San Diego Clippers of the NBA from 1978-1984, the San Diego State University Aztecs basketball teams, off and on, from 1966-1997, the San Diego Sockers indoor soccer team which won 10 titles in the arena, as well as other small sports franchises such as World Team Tennis.
The venue hosted the 1971 NBA All-Star Game and the 1975 NCAA men's basketball Final Four as well.
The Boston Bruins, whose home ice was of the same dimensions, used the San Diego Gulls as a farm team in the 1960s and 1970s. The San Diego hockey fans, of the WHA (World Hockey Association- San Diego Mariners) came to the San Diego Sports Arena in 1974.
Music and entertainment
Metallica's concert video of their 1992 San Diego show which is included in Live Shit: Binge & Purge. Britney Spears opened her world Onyx Hotel Tour on March 2, 2004 at the arena. U2 Opened their Vertigo Tour at the Sports Arena on March 28 and 30th, 2005 to worldwide attention. The arena also was the site of the 2006 world tour openers of High School Musical the concert, and Justin Timberlake's 2007 "Future Sex/Love Show" (January 8, 2007). The Arena also opened the "Amar es Combatir" World Tour for the Mexian Rock band Mana in 2007 with 2 sold out shows on February 10-11.
The arena has hosted many WWE pay-per-views including One Night Stand 2008, Taboo Tuesday 2005, and Vengeance 2001 as well as one of very few Casket Match between The Undertaker and Chavo Guerrero.
In 1970, Elvis Presley played the arena. After playing before a packed house, Elvis became friendly with one of the security guards whom he discovered hailed from his home town. The next day, a brand-new Cadillac was delivered to the guard, courtesy of Presley.[1] The arena has also hosted most every musical act since the late 60's including groups like ABBA, the Rolling Stones, KISS, Pink Floyd, Madonna, U2, James Brown, Elton John, Dire Straits, Neil Diamond, and Garth Brooks.
The exterior of the Sports Arena and its parking lot feature in an early scene in Cameron Crowe's 2000 film Almost Famous.
Led Zeppelin performed at the Arena on its Summer 1969, Summer 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1977 concert tours.
Gloria Estefan performed at the Arena as part of her 2004 tour "Live & Re-Wrapped" with a sold-out night concert.
Janet Jackson performed there as part of her Rock Witchu Tour on September 20, 2008
Nirvana performed at the arena as part of their US "In Utero Tour" on December 29th, 1993
Jimi Hendrix recorded his 13 minute jam version of Red House on May 25, 1969 here.
The Circus Starring Britney Spears made a stop in San Diego on September 24, 2009.
AC/DC made a stop in San Diego Black Ice Tour on September 6, 2009.
KISS is making a stop at the Arena on November 27, 2009 for their Kiss Alive/35 World Tour tour.
Lady Gaga is also making a stop at the arena on December 19, 2009 for her second headlining tour called The Monster Ball Tour
References
- ^ a b c d San Diego Sports Arena's web site, History page
- ^ http://hockey.ballparks.com/WHA/SanDiegoMariners/index.htm
- ^ Arena rankings, quoted in San Diego Sports Arena's web site's History page [1]; Amusement Business Magazine folded in 2006 so the primary source cannot be accessed [2].
- ^ "iPayOne taking no new listings". Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ San Diego Historical Society website, Time Line Section
- ^ City of San Diego's official web page