Jay, here.

Last night, One Click Sports News (Duck Sports News & Beaver Sports News) made the trip to Corvallis for the Civil War. While the Ducks and Beavers were playing something referred to as “basketball” on the court, my mind wandered while I was sitting in the stands trying to watch the game.

Before last night’s game, I had only been to Oregon State University’s Gill Coliseum for a Civil War on one previous occasion, five or six years ago. A group of us drove up and had pretty good seats for what I believe was an Oregon loss. Other than getting something to drink, I really didn’t walk around Gill all that much.

Yesterday was a different story. RW and I got to Gill about forty-five minutes before the game started and walked around bit. But with about fifteen minutes to go, RW wanted to secure his position on the baseline amongst the press photographers. So, I was on my on my own.

While making the drive to Corvallis, RW and I started talking about our photography and video strategies for the game. When do we shoot stills? When do we shoot video? Who do we shoot? What kind of short video piece do we want to produce? Within the first few minutes of the game, most of our plans fell apart. Except for one: focus on Maarty Leunen.

[Check out the DSN photo gallery here. And you can take a look at the BSN photos here. We also have a short video of Quick Hits here.]

As soon as the Leunen storyline became clear, I checked out of trying to come up with anything remotely clever. Surprisingly, my attention turned Gill Coliseum because I kept saying to myself, “This isn’t a bad place to watch a game.”

In the absence of a better idea, I decided to compare the University of Oregon’s MacArthur Court to Gill Coliseum. Now, I understand that OSU basketball is not in the best condition right now. And I took that into consideration. But most of these comparisons are not subject to the quality of the play on the floor.

So, here’s the question: if an unaffiliated college basketball fan fell out of the sky and landed in Monroe, what building would that fan prefer to watch game in (regardless of the teams on the floor)? Mac Court or Gill Coliseum?

VENUE CIVIL WAR: MAC COURT vs. GILL COLISEUM

Parking:

As much as I enjoy walking through the University neighborhood with my wife on the way to Mac Court, parking for University of Oregon basketball games is a problem. Parking at Oregon State? Not a problem. RW and I arrived forty-five minutes early and parked in a parking structure across the street from Gill Coliseum for $5. And after the game was over, we were on 99 within five minutes. Ducks, that’s hard to beat.

Advantage: OREGON STATE

University of Oregon’s MacArthur Court.

Aesthetics:

Kind of like the game last night, neither school is going to win beauty points here. Both are heavyweights. But I’m going to have to give the advantage to Oregon here. Even though the windows on Mac Court are barely functional, they at least take the eyes upwards on the exterior, as opposed to the windowless downward feel of the bulky, bunker-like Gill. At Mac Court, there is also a sense of immediacy. If you’re walking by Mac Court during a game, you know there is something going on there. I don’t think that’s the case at Gill.

Advantage: OREGON

Oregon State University’s Gill Coliseum

View:

This is what surprised RW and I the most: there really isn’t a bad seat in whole place, except just to the right of where the above photo was taken. I guess I’ve simply gotten acclimated to the claustrophobic feel of Mac Court. The obstructed views. The overhangs. The eaves. In a lot of cases, you have to be a contortionist to fit into your seats and get a good view of the action. As far as a viewing experience, the openness of Gill Coliseum was actually kind of refreshing. Unfortunately, the play on the court kind of stunk.

Advantage: OREGON STATE

Restrooms:

The logic of the placement of the restrooms at both places is equally messed up at both places. That being said, I think Gill has more, and more modern facilities than Mac Court.

Advantage: OREGON STATE

Concessions:

On price, selection, and quantity, Oregon State gets the advantage here. At Gill, there’s simply more to choose from in more locations for a little bit less money.

Advantage: OREGON STATE

The “Pit Crew” at a University of Oregon basketball game.

Student Sections:

This was very clear last night. It’s not a good sign when the opposing school’s student section is close to the same size as the home school’s student section. Even though they received some well-deserved bad press earlier this season, the Pit Crew respectably showed up last night in Corvallis. I understand the Beavers are not the team the students would like to see. But Oregon State’s student section was pretty lifeless. And I just can’t imagine the Pit Crew ever getting to that point of lifelessness.

Advantage: OREGON

Donor Sections:

This was also pretty self-evident, and not a good sign for OSU’s Athletic Department. Best guess, the donor section (the seats behind the team’s benches) at Gill was only about 75% full. Again, regardless of the performance on the floor, Oregon’s donor section is usually full.

Advantage: OREGON

Press Row:

Just so that we’re clear, I have never sat in Press Row for a game. Even though we have received Press Credentials for photography, we do not have Press Row credentials because some do not consider us a credible member of “the media”. Actually, we’re not sure we want to be thought of as part of “the media”. And, honestly, we like sitting where we always have: with everyone else. Having said that, Oregon’s Press Row is kind of sad. And kind of uncomfortable for everyone (fans included). Press Row at Gill looked smaller (even though there are two rows) than Mac Court’s Press Row, but provided easier access for the media and looked a lot more comfortable for everyone.

Advantage: OREGON STATE

Seats:

I was sitting on a bench in Section 12 on Row 20. So, my “seat” wasn’t exactly comfy. But I will say this, my knees weren’t killing me like they usually are after an Oregon game. Even though it was a bench seat, there was plenty of leg room. Even though the fold-down seats in the lower sections of Gill are not padded like the seats in Mac Court, they’re not terrible.

Advantage: OREGON STATE

Atmosphere:

This question isn’t even close. When Mac Court is rocking, there isn’t a better venue for college basketball in the country. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a long time before an OSU crowd comes to life like an Oregon crowd. But even if they do, Mac Court has structural advantages that intensify that energy, making the atmosphere even better.

Advantage: OREGON

Overall:

When an Oregon crowd gets going, there’s no place I’d rather be than at Mac Court. But…I can’t believe I’m writing this…And that’s only because I didn’t expect to come away from Gill yesterday believing this…Game-in and game-out, I believe Gill Coliseum is a much more comfortable experience for your average college basketball fan. Just like most things Oregon, Mac Court is an acquired taste. But if I were a college basketball fan moving to the area without any knowledge of the Ducks and Beavers, I would probably prefer to go to games on a regular basis at Gill over Mac Court.

OREGON STATE WINS THE VENUE CIVIL WAR

Architectural rendering of the University of Oregon’s new basketball arena.

Future Civil Wars:

While Oregon State holds the venue edge over Oregon at the moment, Duck and Beaver fans know that’s going to change in a couple of years. However, Oregon State has a chance to lessen that gap. For some reason, Gill Coliseum reminds me of the University of Washington’s Hed Edmundson Pavilion. Having seen the Ducks lose at Hec Ed, I can comfortably say that Hec Ed is a nice facility. If Oregon State could remodel Gill Coliseum in a similar fashion, Beaver Nation will have a building that they can be proud of.

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