WVU Coliseum Review by Stadium Journey

So, sometime back, the great folks at Stadium Journey attended a game at the Coliseum. You can read about it here.

Keep in mind that they gave us an unbiased review, from a neutral standpoint. After the jump, I’m going to place their reviews of certain aspects of the Coliseum, as well as give my commentary on it.

Food & Beverage   3/5

"The WVU Coliseum has your standard arena foods such as hot dogs ($3.50), foot long dogs ($5), nachos ($4), popcorn ($4), pretzels ($3.50), and peanuts ($3.50). They also offer pepperoni rolls ($3.50), a grilled sausage sandwich ($4), and a BBQ Beef sandwich with slaw ($8).Sodas are $4 for a large and $4.50 for souvenir size along with 20oz bottles of water ($3).The concessions are run by Sodexho and are of decent quality. There are not a whole lot of stands and while lines moved quickly you should still plan your food run accordingly."

First 2 paragraphs are about right, even though they forgot about the ULTIMATE NACHOS… of course, the ULTIMATE NACHOS probably weren’t even available when they did this review. And, while I have to wait a few minutes to get some food/drinks, whatever… I know people that are back in their seat in less than 2 minutes when they get something from the concessions.

Atmosphere   5/5

"I was quite impressed with the atmosphere at the WVU Coliseum. The game I attended was sold out for a weekday contest, something most programs in the country only dream of. I witnessed multiple adult fans wearing mountaineer type hats and other extreme attire. Usually the costume type clothing is limited to student sections. The place was loud and electric, making for a nice game day atmosphere."

Nothing more to say here. Right on the point.

Neighborhood   2/5

"West Virginia University is located in Morgantown, WV. Outside of the school, there are not a whole lot of options for entertainment. One popular place seemed to be Kegler’s Bar. Everything else was chain type restaurants and a bunch of rundown places I wasn’t willing to visit. Morgantown just isn’t really a destination where you are going to spend a day or two exploring and shopping in. I’ve been here multiple times for various sporting events and have never enjoyed myself outside of the event itself."

Dude, you should have visited Crockett’s. Enough said.

Fans   4/5

"The fans are extremely into the game, constantly cheering their team and trying to rattle the opposition. They also make sure the refs are well aware of their displeasure if they disagree with a call. The only real downfall of the fans, and the reason I didn’t give them a 5 star rating was a few moments where they seemed to not know the rules, resulting in unnecessary berating of the referees."

Now, granted, some people don’t know the rules and make some rather stupid statements at the games (such as some of the people that sat near me.) But, when you have Tim Higgins, Jim Burr and Ed Hightower officiating your team’s games on a consistent basis, unnecessary berating of officials is usually warranted.

Access   3/5

"The traffic cops at WVU just seemed to stand around and allow you to park wherever you wanted. Cars were just pulling off of the road anywhere they could find an empty spot to park. I’m a sucker for free parking but it would be nice to have some signs or parking officials directing you to cut back on the number of times a car in front of you just dives off of the road.The bathrooms were easy to find and had plenty of room just as expected."

Parking alongside 705 is a damn hazard! Enough said on that. And, I’m glad he found the bathroom easily.

Return on Investment   4/5

"Attending a game at WVU Coliseum is worth the money, but it is going to cost you. Tickets for the game I attended against UConn were $35 face value. Tickets at most other programs are a little cheaper, however, when you are consistently selling out games you can charge whatever patrons are willing to pay. There were also a good number of scalpers on the street so you could find tickets if you were willing to pay."

Trick is to wait until right after the tip-off when scalpers just wanna get rid of their tickets. You’ll get a hell of a bargain at that point!

Extras   3/5

"Halftime entertainment was the dance team and a few shooting contests involving fans. Promotions during media timeouts were fairly limited. It made for a nice clean presentation. The staff was also very polite and helpful as I asked questions so I could get the full range of the WVU experience. Overall the WVU Coliseum is a great place to watch a collegiate basketball game, particularly when another great team is playing."

There have been some dandy halftime shows… the one he saw was not one of them.

Overall, I believe this was a fair review. I can’t wait for them to check out Mountaineer Field.