Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden
MSG, The Garden
The current Madison Square Garden in 2005
Location	4 Pennsylvania Plaza (8th Avenue & 33rd Street), Manhattan, New York City, NY 10001
Opened	Former locations: 1879, 1890, 1925 Current location: February 11, 1968
Owner	Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Operator	Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Construction cost	$123 million USD
Architect	Charles Luckman Associates
Capacity	Ice hockey / Lacrosse: 18,200 Basketball: 19,763 Concert: 20,000 Boxing / Wrestling: 20,789 WaMu Theater: 5,600
Tenants
New York Rangers (NHL) (1968–present) New York Knicks (NBA) (1968–present) New York Liberty (WNBA) (1997–present) New York Titans (NLL) (2007–2009) New York Knights (AFL) (1988) New York CityHawks (AFL) (1997–1998) Big East Men's Basketball Tournament (NCAA) (1983-present) St. John's Red Storm (NCAA) (1969–present)

The Seventh Avenue entrance to Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station. Opening on February 11, 1968, it is the longest active major sporting facility in the New York Metropolitan area, and is the fourth incarnation of the arena in the city. One Penn Plaza stands at its side.

Several other operating entities related to the venue share its name.

Madison Square Garden is the third busiest arena in the world in terms of ticket sales, behind only the The O2 Arena, London and the M.E.N. Arena, Manchester both in England.^[1][2]

Madison Square Garden refers to itself in its advertising campaigns as "The World's Most Famous Arena."

As of the start of the 2010–11 NHL season, & 2010-11 NBA season The Garden will be the oldest arena in the NHL, and the second oldest in the NBA, following only Oracle Arena, in Oakland,CA which was extensively renovated in 1997.

History

On February 11, 1968,^[3] the current Madison Square Garden (sometimes referred to as "Madison Square Garden IV") opened after the Pennsylvania Railroad tore down the above-ground portions of Pennsylvania Station and continued railway traffic underneath. The new structure was one of the first of its kind to be built above an active railroad system and the platforms of an active railroad station. It was an engineering feat constructed by R.E. McKee of El Paso, Texas.

Public outcry over the demolished Beaux-Arts structure led to the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The current Garden is the hub of Madison Square Garden Center in the office and entertainment complex formally addressed as Pennsylvania Plaza and commonly known as "Penn Plaza" for the railroad station atop which the complex is located.

In 1972, the Garden's Chairman, Irving Mitchell Felt, suggested moving the Knicks and the Rangers to what was a proposed venue in the New Jersey Meadows (now completed and known as Meadowlands Sports Complex or Izod Center). This location would eventually host its own NBA and NHL teams (the New Jersey Nets, and the New Jersey Devils respectively). The NFL's New York Giants were the only established New York–named team that actually did move there, and they were later joined by the Jets. Felt's efforts fueled controversy between the Garden and New York City over Real Estate Tax. The scenario again flared in 1980 when a reported threat by the Garden supposed a similar move of popular sports teams in an effort to again challenge property tax. Efforts were ignored by city leaders.

MSG was the home arena for the NY Raiders/NY Golden Blades of the World Hockey Association.

In 1991, Garden owners spent $200 million to renovate facilities and add 89 suites. The process involved hundreds of upper-tier seats being removed to make way. The project was designed by Ellerbe Becket.

In 1994, the Garden was the center of the sports universe as the Knicks and Rangers reached the finals of their respective leagues. While the Rangers won the Stanley Cup on their home ice against the Vancouver Canucks (and thus reversed the Curse of 1940), the Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets in a seven-game NBA Finals, despite being up 3 games to 2 after winning two out of three in the Garden. Although that 1994 Finals loss occurred in Houston, the Knicks also lost the 1999 NBA Finals on their home floor, against the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

In 2004–2005 Cablevision battled with the City of New York over proposed West Side Stadium which would compete with the Garden. New stadium proposals halted; and Cablevision announced its own plans to raze the Garden, replace it with high-rise commercial buildings and build a new Garden one block away at the James Farley Post Office site in conjunction with the Moynihan Station project. However, on April 3, 2008 MSG executives announced plans to once again renovate and modernize the current Garden in time for the Knicks and Rangers' 2011–12 seasons,^[4] though the vice president of the Garden says he remains committed to the original Moynihan project - the installation of an extension of Penn Station in the Farley Post Office.

Present operations

The present Garden hosts approximately 320 events a year. It is the home of the New York Rangers of the NHL, the New York Knicks of the NBA, and the New York Liberty of the WNBA, which are, like the arena itself, owned by Madison Square Garden, L.P. The arena is also host to the Big East Men's Basketball Conference Tournament. Other regular events include the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus when it comes to New York City (although the Izod Center and Nassau Coliseum also host the circus each year), selected home games for the St. John's men's Red Storm (college basketball), the annual pre and postseason NIT tournaments, the NBA Draft, the Millrose Games track and field meet, and almost any other kind of indoor activity that draws large audiences, such as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and the 2004 Republican National Convention. It has previously hosted the 1976, 1980 and 1992 Democratic National Conventions, and hosted the NFL Draft for many years (now held at Garden-leased Radio City Music Hall). In 2007, over 13,000 fans enjoyed the National Lacrosse League's New York Titans inaugural home opener at Madison Square Garden. In 2008, the Titans played five home games at the Garden.

The Garden during "Mark Messier Night", January 12, 2006

MSG is also known for its place in the history of boxing. Many of boxing's biggest fights were held at Madison Square Garden, including the Roberto Durán-Ken Buchanan affair, and the first Joe Frazier–Muhammad Ali bout. Before promoters such as Don King and Bob Arum moved boxing to Las Vegas, Madison Square Garden was considered the mecca of boxing. The original 18½' × 18½' ring, which was brought from the second and third generation of the Garden, was officially retired on September 19, 2007 and donated to the International Boxing Hall of Fame after 82 years of service. A 20' × 20' ring replaced it beginning on October 6 of that same year.

Many large popular-music concerts in New York City take place in Madison Square Garden. Particularly famous ones include George Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh, The Concert for New York City following the September 11 attacks and John Lennon's final concert appearance (during an Elton John concert on Thanksgiving Night, 1974) before his murder in 1980. The Garden usually hosts a concert each year on New Years Eve, with the Knicks and Rangers usually playing on the road. The Police played their final show of their reunion tour at the Garden in 2008. To this day, Elton John currently holds the all-time record for greatest number of appearances at The Garden with 60 shows (the 60th occurring on his 60th birthday, March 25, 2007), and Billy Joel set his own record in 2006 during his 12 performance run, achieving the title “Longest Run of a Single Artist.” In an interview (MSG Press Release, published by Business Wire, Dec. 21, 2009), the two piano men spoke about their affinity for playing concerts at the Garden. “Madison Square Garden is my favorite venue in the whole world,” said Elton John. “I chose to have my 60th birthday concert there, because of all the incredible memories I’ve had playing the venue.”

“Madison Square Garden is the center of the universe as far as I'm concerned. It has the best acoustics, the best audiences, the best reputation, and the best history of great artists who have played there," said Billy Joel. “It is the iconic, holy temple of Rock and Roll for most touring acts and being a New Yorker, it holds a special significance to me. I'm honored to hold the record for Most Consecutive Nights Ever Sold at this world famous venue."

The Knicks in action at MSG in the 2008-09 season

In 2010, Madison Square Garden chose Michael Jackson's 1988 concert during the Bad World Tour as the greatest concert ever held at its venue.^[5]

The arena is also used for other special events, including tennis and circus events. The New York Police Academy, Baruch College/CUNY and Yeshiva University also hold their annual graduation ceremonies at Madison Square Garden. It hosted the Grammy Awards in 1972, 1997 and 2003 (which are normally held in Los Angeles) as well as the Latin Grammy Awards in 2006. The Garden also hosted the 2005 Country Music Association Awards (normally held in Nashville).

The Big East Conference men's basketball tournament has been held at MSG every year since 1983 making it the longest period a conference tournament has been held at a single location. The PBR has even made annual stops each year since 2007, when its inaugural Built Ford Tough Series event was won by J. B. Mauney.

Connecticut-based World Wrestling Entertainment considers it a home arena as well, due to the fact that all generations of the McMahon family, including Vince McMahon's father and grandfather, have promoted shows at the Garden.^[6]

Seating

Seating in the present Madison Square Garden is arranged in six ascending levels. The first level, which is only available for basketball games and concerts, but not for hockey games and ice shows, is the "floor" or "court-side" seating. Next above this is the loge seating, followed by the 100-level and 200-level promenades, the 300-level promenade, and the 400-level or mezzanine. The seats of these levels originally bore the colors red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, respectively. For hockey, the Garden seats 18,200; for basketball, 19,763; and for concerts 20,000 center stage, 19,522 end-stage. The arena features 20,976 square feet (1949 m²) of arena floor space.

Court set for St. John's basketball game

Because all of the seats, except the 400 level, are in one monolithic grandstand, horizontal distance from the arena floor is significant from the ends of the arena. Also, the rows rise much more gradually than other North American arenas, which can cause impaired sight lines, especially when sitting behind tall spectators or one of the concourses.

This arrangement, however, also creates a significant advantage over newer arenas in that seats have a significantly lower vertical distance from the arena floor.

Other venues

Today's Madison Square Garden is more than just the arena. Other venues at the Garden include:

• The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, which seats between 2,000 and 5,600 for concerts and can also be used for meetings, stage shows, and graduation ceremonies, and was also the traditional home of the NFL Draft until 2005, when it moved to the Jacob Javits Convention Center after MSG management opposed a new stadium for the New York Jets. It also occasionally hosts major boxing matches on nights when the main arena is unavailable. No seat is more than 177 feet (54 m) from the 30' × 64' stage. The theatre has a relatively low 20-foot (6.1 m) ceiling at stage level^[7] and all of its seating except for boxes on the two side walls is on one level slanted back from the stage. There is an 8,000-square-foot (740 m²) lobby at the theater. When the current Garden opened in 1968, the Theater was known as the Felt Forum, in honor of then president Irving Felt. In the early 1990s, at the bequest of Garden owner Paramount Communications, the theater was renamed the Paramount after the Paramount Theatre in Times Square had been converted to an office tower. The theater received its next name of The Theater at Madison Square Garden in the mid-90s, after Viacom bought Paramount, and sold the MSG properties to a group consisting of ITT and Cablevision, which each owned 50% of the Garden. In 1997, ITT sold their share to Cablevision, giving the cable company full control of the venue. The fall 1999 Jeopardy! Teen Tournament as well as a Celebrity Jeopardy! competition were held at the theater. In 2004, it was the venue of the Survivor: All Stars finale. On May 17, 2007, the theater received its current name due to a naming rights deal with Washington Mutual. Since Washington Mutual is no longer a bank after being seized by the Office of Thrift Supervision and FDIC and sold to JP Morgan Chase, the fate of the name is currently unknown.^[8] Since 2001, the WaMu Theatre has been the site of the NBA Draft.
• The 36,000-square-foot (3,300 m²) Expo Center (formerly known as "The Rotunda") is used for trade shows, cat shows, stamp shows, often in combination with the arena, banquets, and receptions.
• A 9,500-square-foot (880 m²) terrace and two restaurants: the Garden Club and the Play-by-Play.

Notable firsts and significant events

The Garden hosted the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals simultaneously on two occasions: in 1972 and 1994.

MSG hosted the following All-Star Games:

• 1994 NHL All-Star Game
• 1998 NBA All-Star Game
• WNBA All-Star Games in 1999, 2003, and 2006

MSG also hosted games in the finals:

• NBA Finals:
  • 1970: The Knicks won their championship at Madison Square Garden.
  • 1972
  • 1973
  • 1994
  • 1999

• Stanley Cup Finals:
  • 1972
  • 1979
  • 1994: The Rangers won their championship at Madison Square Garden.

MSG has hosted several WrestleMania (I, X, XX) and SummerSlam events (1988, 1991, 1998), two Survivor Series (1996, 2002) events and the 2000 and 2008 Royal Rumble. More WWE Championships have been won at MSG than any other arena. In 2005, WWE severed business ties with the arena because WWE felt that increased rental costs would prevent them from making a profit in the building. However, over a year later, World Wrestling Entertainment temporarily patched things up with MSG and the hiatus ended with a September 11, 2006 edition of Raw and HEAT. Though they pulled the 20th installment of SummerSlam, which would have been held at the Garden on August 26, 2007. (It was held at the Continental Airlines Arena instead.) WWE continues to make occasional appearances at MSG, and returned for the 2008 Royal Rumble in January. RAW returned to the MSG on November 16, 2009 and WWE held a house show there on June 19, 2010.

Film, television and popular culture

Food court at Madison Square Garden

As an iconic figure, Madison Square Garden has made various appearances in film and television programs. It was featured in the 1979 Robert Redford film The Electric Horseman. Madison Square Garden is featured in the opening scenes of Highlander (1986), which included footage of former tag team The Fabulous Freebirds. (It is worth noting, however, that only the exterior was used; the interior shots were from the then Brendan Byrne Arena). The Garden's marquee is seen in the 1984 comedy film, Top Secret! advertising a concert by the protagonist, Nick Rivers. In 1988 it featured scenes in the cult comedy hit Coming to America.

A boxing scene in Batman: The Animated Series takes place in a venue called "Gotham Square Garden".

Madison Square Garden was the "nest" for the carnivorous Godzilla babies and was later destroyed by F/A-18s in the Americanized version of Godzilla (1998). Madison Square Garden was featured in the films Glitter, Forget Paris, Finding Forrester, and the Adam Sandler remake of Mr. Deeds. In Paternity, Burt Reynolds plays the manager of the Garden.

In the movie Rocky III, the rematch between Clubber Lang and Rocky Balboa is in the Garden.

The Wings' song, Rock Show mentions the arena in the chorus of its lyrics. (If there's a rock show at The Concertgebouw/They've got long hair at the Madison Square...)

Led Zeppelin's 1976 concert movie The Song Remains The Same was filmed during the band's three-night concert series at Madison Square Garden in 1973, which also provided the soundtrack to the film.

The American sitcom Friends has used shots of Madison Square Garden several times. In the episode The One with George Stephanopoulos, Chandler, Joey, and Ross go to see a Rangers game, in The One with the Late Thanksgiving, Joey and Ross are late to Thanksgiving dinner because they go to see a Rangers game and in The One Where Rachel's Sister Baby-Sits Mike proposes to Phoebe on the big screen during a Knicks game. The Garden was also frequently featured on Seinfeld, as characters sporadically attended Rangers or Knicks games; David Puddy's face-painting as a fan of the New Jersey Devils features the infamous Blue seats.

The 1996 film Eddie starring Whoopi Goldberg, in which die hard Knicks fan Edwina Franklin (Goldberg) becomes the coach of the team, takes place at Madison Square Garden. Interior scenes were filmed inside the Charlotte Coliseum, which was re-dressed to look like the MSG interior.

The arena has also made various appearances on television. The television series Futurama, set in the year 3000, features "Madison Cube Garden" which appears like a cube standing on one partially-buried corner.

In episode 409 of South Park, Something You Can Do With Your Finger, Cartman has a dream where he, Stan, Kyle and Kenny perform there in their boy band dubbed "Fingerbang".

The garden's front rail was frontside boardslided by skateboarder Brian Anderson in Girl Skateboards' Yeah Right!

One of the concert venues in the video game Rock Band is a fictitious New York concert hall called "Empire Square Garden", a clear reference to The Garden.^[9]

In the anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, the character Ryohei Sasagawa, obsessed with boxing said he always saw stars and the Madison Square Garden, even when it was the afternoon.

Madison Square Garden was also featured in Madonna's 2006 CD/DVD I'm Going to Tell You a Secret. The DVD is a documentary that follows Madonna on her 2004 Re Invention Tour. It was also featured in Madonna's 2009 CD/DVD/BLU-RAY disc Sticky & Sweet Tour.

The demolition of Penn Station to make way for Madison Square Garden was featured in the Mad Men Season 3 episode "Love Among the Ruins".

A scene in the romantic comedy Hitch takes place at Madison Square Garden during a Knicks basketball game.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• McShane, Larry. "Looking Back at 125 Years of Madison Square Garden". NYC.gov. http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=1255. Retrieved August 7, 2005. 
• "MSG: Corporate Information". http://www.thegarden.com/inandaroundgarden_corporate.html. Retrieved August 7, 2005. 
• "Rent The Garden". http://www.thegarden.com/Rentthegarden/general_venue_capacity.html. Retrieved August 7, 2005. 
• Bagli, Charles V. (September 12, 2005). "Madison Square Garden's Owners Are in Talks to Replace It, a Block West". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/12/nyregion/12garden.html. 
• Huff, Richard (August 22, 2006). "Arena's the star of MSG revamp". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/441545p-371931c.html. 
• Anderson, Dave (February 19, 1981). "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; DUES FOR THE CITY". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/19/sports/no-headline-011498.html?&pagewanted=print. 
• "WaMu Buys Naming Rights to MSG Theater". San Francisco Chronicle. The Associated Press. May 17, 2007. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/17/financial/f034003D65.DTL. 
• "WaMu Theater at MSG". Madison Square Garden. June 24, 2007. http://www.wamuatmsg.com/. 

External links

• The Garden.com
• "A Garden Built For Tomorrow," Sports Illustrated, January 2, 1967.

Links to related articles Events and tenants Preceded by MSG III Home of the New York Rangers 1968 – present (MSG IV) Succeeded by current Preceded by MSG III Home of the New York Knicks 1968 – present (MSG IV) Succeeded by current Preceded by first arena Home of the New York Liberty 1997 – present (MSG IV) Succeeded by current Preceded by first arena Home of the New York Titans 2007–2009 (MSG IV) Succeeded by Amway Arena Preceded by New York Knights New York CityHawks 1997–1998 Succeeded by Hartford Civic Center Preceded by Cow Palace Gund Arena Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1968 1998 Succeeded by Baltimore Civic Center The Arena in Oakland Preceded by Metropolitan Sports Center Montreal Forum Host of the NHL All-Star Game 1973 1994 Succeeded by Chicago Stadium Fleet Center Preceded by The Forum Oakland Coliseum Arena WTA Tour Championships Venue 1977 1979–2000 Succeeded by Oakland Coliseum Arena Olympiahalle Preceded by First Venue Host of WrestleMania (I) 1985 Succeeded by Nassau Coliseum Rosemont Horizon L.A. Sports Arena Preceded by Caesars Palace Host of WrestleMania X 1994 Succeeded by Hartford Civic Center Preceded by Safeco Field Host of WrestleMania XX 2004 Succeeded by Staples Center Preceded by AT&T Center Home of the Royal Rumble 2008 Succeeded by Joe Louis Arena Preceded by Arrowhead Pond Home of the Royal Rumble 2000 Succeeded by New Orleans Arena Preceded by Miami Beach Convention Center The Omni Host of the Democratic National Convention 1976, 1980 1992 Succeeded by Moscone Center United Center Preceded by First Union Center Host of the Republican National Convention 2004 Succeeded by Xcel Energy Center Preceded by Hollywood Palladium Shrine Auditorium Staples Center Host of the Grammy Awards 1972 1997 2003 Succeeded by Tennessee Theatre Radio City Music Hall Staples Center Preceded by Shrine Auditorium Host of the Latin Grammy Awards 2006 Succeeded by Mandalay Bay Events Center New York Knicks Founded in 1946 • Based in New York City, New York The Franchise Franchise • All-Time roster • Head coaches • Seasons • Current season Arenas Madison Square Garden III • 69th Regiment Armory • Madison Square Garden IV Head Coaches Cohalan • Lapchick • Boryla • Levane • Braun • Donovan • Gallatin • McGuire • Holzman • Reed • Holzman • H. Brown • Hill • Pitino • Jackson • MacLeod • Riley • Nelson • Van Gundy • Chaney • Williams • Wilkens • Williams • L. Brown • Thomas • D'Antoni General Managers Podesta • Boryla • Donovan • Holzman • Donovan • DeBusschere • Stirling • Bianchi • Checketts • Grunfeld • Layden • Thomas • Walsh D-League Affiliate Springfield Armor Administration Madison Square Garden, Inc. (Owner) • James Dolan (Chairman & CEO) • Donnie Walsh (President & GM of Basketball Ops.) • Mike D'Antoni (Head Coach) Retired Numbers 10 • 12 • 15 • 15 • 19 • 22 • 24 • 33 • 613 NBA Championships (2) 1970 • 1973 Rivals Chicago Bulls • Philadelphia 76ers • Boston Celtics • Los Angeles Lakers • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • New Jersey Nets • Toronto Raptors Culture and Lore Willis Reed limping onto the court • Eddie • Spike Lee • Disputed Foul Against Scottie Pippen • 1994 NBA Finals • 1999 NBA Finals • Knickerbocker • Knicks–Nuggets brawl • Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray? • Mike Walczewski • George Kalinsky Media TV: MSG Network • Radio: WEPN-AM • Current announcers: Mike Breen • Walt Frazier • Mike Crispino • John Andariese • Kelly Tripucka • Former announcers: Marv Albert • Marty Glickman • Gus Johnson • Bob Wolff New York Liberty Founded in 1997 • Based in New York City, New York The Franchise Franchise • Most recent season Arenas Madison Square Garden Head Coaches Nancy Darsch • Richie Adubato • Pat Coyle • Anne Donovan • John Whisenant Administration Owner: Madison Square Garden, Inc. Sponsor: Foxwoods Resort Casino General Manager: Carol Blazejowski • John Whisenant All-Stars Shameka Christon • Becky Hammon • Kym Hampton • Vickie Johnson • Rebecca Lobo • Tari Phillips • Cappie Pondexter • Ann Wauters • Teresa Weatherspoon • Sue Wicks • Sophia Witherspoon Seasons 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 Playoff Appearances 1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2004 • 2005 • 2007 • 2008 • 2010 Conference Titles 1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 WNBA Titles None Rivals Connecticut Sun • Detroit Shock • Houston Comets • Indiana Fever • Los Angeles Sparks Media TV: MSG Network • Announcers: Kenny Albert, Mike Crispino, Mary Murphy New York Rangers The franchise Franchise • History • Seasons • Records • General managers • Head coaches • Players • Award winners • Draft picks • Broadcasters Arenas Madison Square Garden III • Madison Square Garden IV Culture and lore Original Six • Curse of 1940 • Atlantic Division rivalries • GAG line • Messier's Guarantee • George Kalinsky • Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Key personnel Owner: Madison Square Garden, Inc. • Managing Partner: James Dolan • President and General Manager: Glen Sather • Head Coach: John Tortorella • Team Captain: Chris Drury Rivalries Philadelphia Flyers • New York Islanders • New Jersey Devils • Boston Bruins Media TV: MSG Network • Radio: WEPN • Announcers: Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti Minor league affiliates Connecticut Whale (AHL) • Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL) Current arenas in the National Hockey League Eastern Conference Air Canada Centre · BankAtlantic Center · Bell Centre · Consol Energy Center · HSBC Arena · Madison Square Garden · Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum · Philips Arena · Prudential Center · RBC Center · St. Pete Times Forum · Scotiabank Place · TD Garden · Verizon Center · Wells Fargo Center Western Conference American Airlines Center · Bridgestone Arena · HP Pavilion · Honda Center · Jobing.com Arena · Joe Louis Arena · Nationwide Arena · Pepsi Center · Rexall Place · Rogers Arena · Scotiabank Saddledome · Scottrade Center · Staples Center · United Center · Xcel Energy Center Current arenas in the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Air Canada Centre · American Airlines Arena · Amway Center · Bradley Center · Conseco Fieldhouse · Madison Square Garden · The Palace of Auburn Hills · Philips Arena · Prudential Center · Quicken Loans Arena · TD Garden · Time Warner Cable Arena · United Center · Verizon Center · Wells Fargo Center Western Conference American Airlines Center · ARCO Arena · AT&T Center · EnergySolutions Arena · FedExForum · New Orleans Arena · Oklahoma City Arena · Oracle Arena · Pepsi Center · Rose Garden · Staples Center · Target Center · Toyota Center · US Airways Center Current arenas in the Women's National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Allstate Arena · Conseco Fieldhouse · Madison Square Garden · Mohegan Sun Arena · Philips Arena · Verizon Center Western Conference AT&T Center · BOK Center · KeyArena · Staples Center · Target Center · US Airways Center Current basketball arenas in the Big East Alumni Hall (Providence women) • Allstate Arena (DePaul men) • Bradley Center (Marquette men) • Carnesecca Arena (St. John's) • Carrier Dome (Syracuse) • Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence men) • Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati) • Gampel Pavilion (Connecticut) • Joyce Center (Notre Dame) • KFC Yum! Center (Louisville) • Louis Brown Athletic Center (Rutgers) • Madison Square Garden (St. John's men) • McDonough Gymnasium (Georgetown women) • McGuire Center (Marquette women) • The Pavilion (Villanova) • Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh) • Prudential Center (Seton Hall men) • Sullivan Athletic Center (DePaul women) • USF Sun Dome (South Florida) • Verizon Center (Georgetown men) • Wells Fargo Center (Villanova) • Walsh Gymnasium (Seton Hall women) • WVU Coliseum (West Virginia) • XL Center (Connecticut) Sports venues in the New York metropolitan area Active The Bronx Draddy Gymnasium • Gaelic Park • Rose Hill Gymnasium • Van Cortlandt Park • Yankee Stadium Brooklyn Athletic, Recreation & Wellness Center • Aviator Sports and Recreation • MCU Park • Pope Physical Education Center • Schwartz Athletic Center Manhattan Icahn Stadium • Madison Square Garden • Wien Stadium • Fort Washington Avenue Armory Queens Aqueduct Racetrack • Arthur Ashe Stadium • Belson Stadium • Carnesecca Arena • Citi Field • Louis Armstrong Stadium • Metropolitan Oval • USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center • West Side Tennis Club Staten Island Richmond County Bank Ballpark • Spiro Sports Center • Staten Island Cricket Club Long Island Belmont Park • Citibank Park • Island Garden • Mitchel Athletic Complex • Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum New Jersey Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium • FirstEnergy Park • Freehold Raceway • Jersey City Armory • Louis Brown Athletic Center • Meadowlands Racetrack • Mennen Arena • Monmouth Park • New Meadowlands Stadium • Old Bridge Township Raceway Park • Princeton University Stadium • Prudential Center • Red Bull Arena • Rothman Center • Rutgers Stadium • Sun National Bank Center • TD Bank Ballpark • Waterfront Park • Wall Township Speedway • Yanitelli Center • Yogi Berra Stadium • Yurcak Field Defunct 69th Regiment Armory • Bloomingdale Park • Boyle's Thirty Acres • Bronx Coliseum • Capitoline Grounds • Coney Island Velodrome • Eastern Park • Ebbets Field • Elysian Fields • Dexter Park • Downing Stadium • Giants Stadium • Hilltop Park • Hinchliffe Stadium • Island Garden (Original) • Izod Center • Long Island Arena • Madison Square Garden (1879) • Madison Square Garden (1890) • Madison Square Garden (1925) • Madison Square Garden Bowl • Metropolitan Park • Palmer Stadium • Polo Grounds • Ridgewood Park • Roosevelt Stadium • Rutgers Stadium (1938) • St. George Cricket Grounds • Shea Stadium • Singer Bowl • Union Grounds • Washington Park • Yankee Stadium (1923) In progress Barclays Center Proposed Bergen Ballpark Never built Brooklyn Dodgers proposed domed stadium • West Side Stadium WrestleMania venues Madison Square Garden (I, X, XX) · Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (2, VII) · Rosemont Horizon (2, 13, 22) · Nassau Coliseum (2) · Pontiac Silverdome (III) · Trump Plaza (IV, V) · Skydome (VI, X8) · Hoosier Dome (VIII) · Caesars Palace (IX) · Hartford Civic Center (XI) · Arrowhead Pond (XII, 2000) · FleetCenter (XIV) · First Union Center (XV) · Reliant Astrodome (X-Seven) · Safeco Field (XIX) · Staples Center (21) · Ford Field (23) · Citrus Bowl (XXIV) · Reliant Stadium (XXV) · University of Phoenix Stadium (XXVI) · Georgia Dome (XXVII)