Officially Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl (formerly named Cox Arena), located on the San Diego State University (SDSU) campus in San Diego, California, is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball and women's basketball teams. Viejas Arena opened its doors to the campus and community in July 1997 and seats 12,414 for basketball and up to 12,845 for concerts. The facility also hosts SDSU's commencement ceremonies. Previously, the Aztecs played at Peterson Gymnasium also on the SDSU campus.
Viejas Arena was built on the site of the old Aztec Bowl football stadium (a Works Progress Administration project) on the SDSU campus, and the university (or its affiliated corporation) still owns the arena. It was originally named Cox Arena after Cox Communications, which owns one of the local cable television systems in the greater San Diego regional area, and which paid fees to become the arena's corporate sponsor. The arena was renamed to Viejas Arena under a 10-year naming rights agreement announced March 17, 2009. The naming rights agreement with the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians went into effect July 1 and will pay the university about $6 million over the next 10 years.
Viejas Arena hosted the men's NCAA basketball tournament first and second rounds in 2001 and 2006. In the 2006 tourney, the first-round games were delayed and the building evacuated due to a bomb-sniffing dog picking up scents of a potentially dangerous substance. These fears were unfounded, however, and play went on as scheduled. Because of its status as SDSU's home court, the Aztecs were not allowed to open the tournament at home (under "pod system" rules).
Viejas Arena has also hosted WCW Bash at the Beach in 1998. In 2007, the arena was the home of the San Diego Shockwave indoor football team for one season.
Viejas Arena is also used as a large concert venue where major acts perform, including the Foo Fighters, A Day To Remember, Linkin Park, Metallica, Van Halen, Green Day, Rise Against, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Tool, and Drake.
The arena was also host of filming Megadeth's live DVD Blood in the Water: Live in San Diego.
Famous quotes containing the word arena:
“Children treat their friends differently than they treat the other people in their lives. A friendship is a place for experimenting with new ways of handling anger and aggression. It is an arena for practicing reciprocity, testing assertiveness, and searching for compromise in ways children would not try with parents or siblings.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)