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On Selection Sunday, March 15th, sixty-five teams are chosen for the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament. This begins March Madness and the drive to see who makes it to the Final Four tournament at Ford Field in Detroit. The NCAA basketball tournament means it’s show time for the venues who host the games. Attendance is expected to soar to over 700,000 this year, making March Madness a mini stimulus package for the host city and a prospect for venues to shine on a national stage. The Road to the Final Four plays through 13 cities. Here’s a quick venue tour of the final rounds of the NCAA tournament: TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts East Regional – March 26 & 28, 2009 Boston has a long and successful history as a sports town and the NCAA East Regional Championship games will, no doubt, build on Boston’s reputation for being a top-notch host for big events. Inside the TD Banknorth Gardens is the Sports Museum of New England. For $6 for adults, $4 for children and $15 per family visitors may see Larry Bird’s locker, a Boston Garden penalty box, lots of Red Sox memorabilia and more. When you arrive inside the Garden you have to take a few minutes to look up at all the championship banners hanging inside this building. With the Celtics winning 17 NBA titles and the Bruins winning 5 Stanley Cups and a lot of division titles, TD Banknorth Gardens is fancified with lines of banners hanging proudly above the crowd. Remember your ID when you head to TD Banknorth Gardens. To buy alcohol you must have a Massachusetts ID that shows you are 21 years old. If you have an out of state ID you will have to be 25 years old and formulate another form of identification along with your license. They’re tight with this rule so you are forewarned to have your drinking credentials ready. University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona West Regional – March 26 & 28, 2009 The University of Phoenix Stadium is designed to represent a Barrel Cactus. It’s a pretty stadium with big metal panels that catch the desert light.
The University of Phoenix Stadium in known for taking care of their disabled guests. The staff goes out of their way to accommodate guests with special needs beginning with over 2000 spaces for disabled guests to park. Speaking of parking, you will want to make sure you have a parking pass before you arrive. They’re ordinarily included in the ticket price, but if you don’t have one you may end up in a far away lot, riding a bus to the entrance. When you visit, check out the roof. The roof is retractable and translucent. Guests get enjoyment from natural light even when the roof is closed. The strong, dark trusses on the roof look great outlined by the bright fabric cover. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana Midwest Regional – March 27 & 29, 2009 Lucas Oil Stadium likewise has a retractable roof, but theirs has a distinguishable feature. Instead of opening end to end, the roof at Lucas Oil Stadium opens side to side. The enormous steel trusses that support the roof are 760 feet long. Stand the trusses upright-end to end-and they’d reach higher than the tallest skyscraper in Indy. Take the time to visit the Bud Light Zone at Lucas Oil Stadium. It has an extra big window with awful views of the stadium and downtown Indianapolis. This is the best place in the stadium to receive pleasure from a drink. You may park around Lucas Oil Stadium and you’ll still have sufficient cash left over for that drink in the Bud Light Zone. This area is full of good, cheap parking. It will cost you $5 to $30 to park near the stadium and if you get there early you may even be capable to nab a free space. There’s a finish listing of parking on Know Your Venue. FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee South Regional – March 27 & 29, 2009 Even even though tickets for the NCAA Men’s Basketball were sold out at FedEx Forum months ago you may not be exclusively out of the game. The FedEx Forum will host an open exercise showcasing the talent of all four teams. Head to the Forum on Thursday, March 26 for an open exercise all day long….and it’s free. One of the best things regarding the FedEx Forum is it is location. Just steps from widely known and esteemed Beale Street, the emplacement offers fans plentiful prospects to eat, drink and be merry. If you like live music with your basketball just take a walk down Beale and your Air Jordon’s will be tapping. Inside the Forum fans will find the theme is more music than basketball. Reflecting the city’s Blues heritage, visitors will take delight in murals of great musicians and entertainers like B.B. King, Johnny Cash and, of course, Elvis Presley. Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan Final Four – April 4 & 6, 2009 The Motor City is the end of the Road to the Final Four. The Championship teams will make it official here and Ford Field expects a giant basketball crowd. Ford Field may accommodate 80,000 fans for basketball games; most basketball arenas have a capacity of around 20,000. The fun and excitement of the March Madness starts the Friday before the game. Fans may head over to Cobo Center and take delight in the NCAA Basketball Experience at Hoop City. Fans have a prospect to win prizes, play ball, learn new moves and get autographs. It’s $8 if you’re over 12 and $6 for under 12, college students, military and seniors. On Friday fans may catch a championship team practice. All four teams will be practicing at Ford Field beginning at 12 pm on Friday and it’s free. And you won’t want to miss The Big Dance. On the Detroit Riverfront fans may receive pleasure from a festival full of entertainment, celebrities, games and more. The best percentage is that it’s free. Head down near the Renaissance Center April 3rd – 5th to celebrate ‘The Big Dance’ of March Madness. Over 700,000 fans are expected to attend NCAA tournament games this March. More than 70,000 humans have tickets to the final games at Ford Field. Millions will watch the games on television and still more will view the games streaming on their computers. Whatever way you tune in, let March Madness be your distraction for all the craziness going on in the world. Check out a game, get enjoyment from a venue, get in on an office pool, root for the underdog, root for the top dog, and enjoy. Reality will be waiting when the Madness stops. |
