American Airlines Arena

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American Airlines Arena

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The AmericanAirlines Arena is an arena located in downtown Miami, Florida along Biscayne Bay and is used for basketball games and concerts. It was constructed as a replacement for the Miami Arena.

The AmericanAirlines Arena is home to the Miami Heat of the NBA.

The WNBA team Miami Sol played at the stadium from the team's birth in 2000 to the team's folding in 2002.

[edit] History

Approved by voter referendum in 1996, American Airlines purchased the naming rights in 1999 for $42 million over 20 years [1].

In November 1998, construction of the new arena was delayed following a fire in the upper section of the facility. On December 31, 1999, the AmericanAirlines Arena opened. The first event was a Gloria Estefan concert. Two days later, on January 2, 2000, the Miami Heat played their first game in the new arena.

The Miami Sol, a WNBA women's basketball team, began play at the AmericanAirlines Arena in 2000, but the team was folded by the WNBA following the 2002 season.

[edit] Other notes

The AmericanAirlines Arena is not to be confused with American Airlines Center, which is located in Dallas, Texas.
The AmericanAirlines Arena as well as the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas hosted the 2006 NBA Finals, in which the Miami Heat played the Dallas Mavericks. Because of this, the series was nicknamed by some as the American Airlines series.
As part of its sponsorship arrangement, American Airlines had a giant aircraft painted on top of the arena's roof, with an American Airlines logo in the center. The design is visible from airplanes taking off and landing at Miami International Airport, where American has a hub. The arena also has luxury skyboxes called "Flagship Lounges," a trademark originally used for American's premium-class lounges at certain airports.
The arena was the setting for the highly publicized MTV Video Music Awards, both in 2004 and 2005. Both events brought millions of dollars into the Miami-Dade County economy.
The AAA is scheduled to play host to 1st and 2nd round games in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Local sportscasters often refer to the arena as the "triple-A".
The arena is known for its unusual scoreboard, which changes colors depending on the atmosphere.
The Waterfront Theater is a theater within the arena that can seat between 3,000 and 5,800. It is Florida's largest theater and can be used for not only concerts but also family and Broadway and other stage shows.
For concerts in an arena configuration, end stage capacity is 12,202 for 180-degree shows, 15,402 for 270-degree shows, 18,309 for 360-degree shows. For center stage concerts the arena can seat 19,146.
The AmericanAirlines Arena hosted WCW Uncensored 2000 and the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s Royal Rumble event on January 29, 2006.
The AmericanAirlines Arena also hosted the first UFC event in the state of Florida, UFC 42: Sudden Impact, on April 25th, 2003.
Two shows of the US leg of Madonna's Confessions Tour recently took place at the arena, in late July.