Patriots Cut Ribbon on New Balance Athletics Center
John "Stretch" Streicher remembers one of his first site visits to the New Balance Athletics Center.
The Kraft Group was well into construction on a training facility for the New England Patriots when he was hired by the team in January 2025, and one of Streicher's first major projects as vice president of football operations and strategy was to ensure the new building fit the needs of head coach Mike Vrabel's football program.
Streicher, Vrabel, and Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf suited up in hard hats and neon vests, navigated the freshly-poured concrete foundation behind Gillette Stadium, and climbed up some scaffold stairs to take in the view of the practice fields from what would become the coaches' offices.
"It was pretty much just a bunch of beams and some cement, and it was cool to look out and see the view on the second level and look out to the practice field and just envision the space at the time," Streicher said.
Sneak Peak Inside College Football's Most Expensive
The length of a standard basketball court — 94 feet — is central to the almost-completed, opulent home of Northwestern’s football program: New Ryan Field.
How so?
Because, as Pat Ryan Jr. tells a small gathering of reporters, the “worst” seat at the $875 million stadium — college football’s newest and most expensive stadium — is about one-and-a-half basketball courts from the end zone.
The canopied stadium, replete with chairback seats and cupholders for all — save the standing only ‘Wildcat Wall’ student section — opens Friday, Oct. 2, when Northwestern hosts Penn State.
Portland Finalizes Offer for New Trailblazers Arena
Amid raucous calls from protesters not to spend millions renovating the Moda Center, Portland City Council approved a lease term sheet to send to the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday, August 12.
The city is in the process of negotiating a 20-year lease agreement with the Blazers for the team’s use of the city-owned arena that will include a $573 million renovation of the venue. Under the newly approved term sheet, the city would chip in $120 million toward the renovation in the near-term and another $275 million toward the arena’s upkeep over the next 20 years. The Oregon Legislature has also approved $365 million toward the Moda Center renovation, with Multnomah County agreeing to pick up the tab for the remainder of the cost. Now it’s up to the team to accept the proposed lease terms.
The arrangement is similar to a commercial lease. The Blazers’ venue management company, Rip City Management, runs all events at the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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