Clippers reward loud fans – that’s how spectacular the new arena is

follow me

When a new sports stadium opens in the USA, it usually sets new standards. They are state-of-the-art arenas where everything always has to be a little bigger, contain groundbreaking technology and be better than everything else in existence. Of course, this is also the case with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Like in the football stadium in the city, the screen is oval and goes around the field. It is around 4,000 square meters in size and, in addition to statistics and information about individual players, can also show great special effects, for example to announce the start of the game or the second half. The screen also provides entertainment during breaks.

Nevertheless, the new Clippers arena is different than many other US stadiums. This is mainly about sport. Team owner Steve Ballmer attached great importance to this, as he explained on the CBS show “60 Minutes” before the first game in the Intuit Dome – on Tuesday night the Clippers won a preseason game against Dallas 110:96.

This is what the full stadium looks like from the inside.Bild: www.imago-images.de

“I hate queuing,” said Ballmer and proudly reported that there are 1,400 toilets for the 18,000 spectators. In addition, the drinks and food stands are contactless, so fans can grab their own food and then pay. The goal is to have people in their seats instead of having to wait in line somewhere while the game is going on. This is a shame for the fans and also looks stupid on TV when there are a lot of empty seats.

There is also no sports bar and the boxes are very sparsely equipped. There is a freely accessible basketball field in front of the stadium where fans can also get in the mood for the game. Everything shows: This is about basketball. In Europe you would say that it is a stadium for lovers of sports and not for event fans.

The European influence in the new Clippers stadium can also be felt in “The Wall”. Here, similar to Liverpool or Dortmund, for example, a steep stand made up of 51 uninterrupted rows is intended to create a special atmosphere. What is also unique in US professional sports is that only home fans are allowed on “The Wall”. Anyone who cheers on the opponent or wears fan merchandise will be thrown out.

What is surprising are the prices. A season ticket for “The Wall” costs $1,300. Calculated over 41 home games, this is a good 30 dollars or 27 francs. These prices are quite low, especially for Los Angeles, especially since there is free choice of seats from the 3rd row onwards. If you come early, you can sit almost on the sidelines – these seats usually cost several thousand dollars.

Ballmer hopes that the improved atmosphere will also help win games. In order to improve the home advantage, there are also incentives for the fans. In this way, the Intuit Dome can be used to measure who is loudest. The Clippers owner indicated that the loudest fan at the next game would receive, for example, a free hamburger or discounts in the fan shop.

The fact that Ballmer, who is popular with fans, can afford all of this is due to his estimated fortune of around $126 billion. He was CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, then took over the NBA team from Los Angeles for $2 billion from Donald Sterling, who was forced to sell due to public racist comments.

Since then, his dream has been to build the Clippers their own home. Previously, the team, which was ridiculed as a “little brother,” played in the same stadium as the big Los Angeles Lakers. During home games, the titleless Clippers had to cover the Lakers’ championship banners so that it didn’t seem as if they were playing in a foreign stadium. This is now over.

The new NBA season begins next week, with the Los Angeles Clippers in action against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. And right in their new arena. Then, of course, sports enthusiast Steve Ballmer will sit on the sidelines and cheer with his team – together with up to 18,000 fans.