40th Anniversary Sports: From One MECCA to Another

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Game day atmosphere can mean everything, and there were certainly drastic differences between venues where Milwaukeeans watched their teams in 1982 compared to today. By the start of the 1981-82 winter sports season, the Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Admirals, and then-Marquette Warriors men’s basketball team were playing their home games at the MECCA Arena, known today as the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. By that point, the building was 32 years old, and was regularly utilized for college basketball, IHL hockey, and the NBA, as well as a robust entertainment schedule.

A 1980 renovation put the MECCA at 11,052 seats, then the second-largest capacity for the building since it opened in 1950. At that time, the most expensive seat offered to the public for a Milwaukee Bucks game would cost $11, and you could get in the door for just $4.50, or a dollar less on “bonus nights” throughout the season. Milwaukeeans took some interest in the team, as the Bucks finished 11th out of the 23-team NBA in attendance that year. Glass seats at an Admirals game went for just $6, and the team’s season was proudly presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon. The city certainly got their money’s worth, as well, seeing franchise legends like the Bucks’ Sidney Moncrief, the Admirals’ Danny Lecours, and Marquette’s Marc Marotta and Doc Rivers suit up. Even the floor at MECCA Arena was an attraction, with the vibrant paint job from pop artist Robert Indiana, transforming the basketball court into two “M” shapes that connected at the center circle. The aforementioned names, and many more, currently hang from the rafters at either the UW-Panther Arena, or the current home of the Bucks and Marquette men’s basketball, Fiserv Forum.

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A Neighborhood of its Own

Fast forward to today, and the sprawling nature of Deer District has become more than just an arena, but a neighborhood of its own. Fiserv Forum will enter its fifth NBA season this fall, with the Bucks finishing 12th of 30 NBA teams in terms of attendance this past year. What was introduced to Milwaukee as the “live block” of Fiserv Forum’s campus, now known as Deer District, recently announced plans to build over the lot that housed the MECCA Arena’s successor, the Bradley Center. In addition to the arena itself, Deer District is home to four bars and restaurants, a beer garden, rentable event space, and a plaza, where roughly 65,000 fans gathered to watch the Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 NBA title. Needless to say, the neighborhood has transformed immensely, and is well utilized.

The capacity of Fiserv Forum is approximately 7,000 seats higher than the UW-Panther Arena, depending on the configuration, and has already hosted professional and college basketball, college hockey and much more. The newest addition to Milwaukee’s array of venues has been designed for the best acoustics possible, which aide the Bucks and Marquette when it comes to crunch time in a close game. The building is considered amongst the gold standard for NBA arenas and is a core part of Milwaukee’s growth as a city overall.

While the Bradley Center was razed, the building once known as the MECCA still stands, often as a reminder of the roots of Milwaukee’s sports culture. Currently, the Milwaukee Admirals, Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer, Brew City Bruisers roller derby, and naming rights holders UW-Milwaukee Panthers men’s basketball utilize the building, which underwent its own $6.3 million renovation in 2016.

One thing is unmistakable; the atmosphere of taking in a game at either Fiserv Forum or UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is something truly special, with a city that has backed its teams in good times and bad. No matter the setting, Milwaukee sports fans have the privilege of seeing their city’s past and future represented just blocks apart in the heart of Downtown.