While I was sitting in the club level section at Philips Arena last night for the Thrashers/Rangers game (thanks, Brian, for the kickass 8th row blue line seats), several thoughts went through my mind that I’ve always wanted to get on paper but never had. If there was ever a case of “class distinction”, sports arenas are one of the biggest practicers of it. This is not a rant on how unfair it is for suiteholders versus the regular seats, rather a commentary on how different people are treated.

Corporate suites have been the financial lifeblood the past 20 years in pro sports. Companies pay through the nose for these suites to schmooze clients and reward employees. New stadium designs in the past 2 decades have almost always incorporated 1-3 levels of corporate suits between the upper and lower deck. This has relegated the everyday fan to dizzying heights for all sports. Comiskey Park (I refuse to call it by it’s new name) is a perfect example of a stadium where this design is completely out of hand. There are 3 levels of suites between the upper and lower decks, making the upper deck tilt at such a steep angle that it is not recommended you look down when walking down the stairs.

The same could be said of the United Center. Long gone are the intimate (and intimidating, for visiting teams) dimensions of the old stadiums where the upper deck was almost literally on top of the ice. I was very spoiled in Chicago to have a mother-in-law who worked for a group of doctors who had a lower level suite at the United Center. We saw 5 or 6 Blackhawks and Bulls games (when Jordan was in his prime) each year for free. When my wife’s mom moved to Atlanta, that gravy train ended and I had to return to the “commoner” section. I remember buying an upper deck seat with my friend and being so disoriented from sitting up so high away from the action. Even the front row in the upper deck there is a rotten vantage point.

Another thing I’ve noticed in new arenas and stadiums is the availability of cup holders. If you’re in the lower level, you always have a cupholder at your disposal. If you’re in the upper deck, you are not worthy of an inanimate piece of plastic to hold your beverage. As a commoner, you will hold your own damn beer or take the chance of setting it on the ground and having someone (yourself included) accidentally kick it over. It’s not like the distance between seats is that much more on the lower level where it would impede on the leg room to add a cupholder. Yes, I know that corporate seats are the moneymakers and they should get an additional level of service, but I think a cupholder is an odd thing to omit at a place where almost everyone buys a beverage.

There’s nothing more depressing (and infuriating) to see at an arena, especially at the start of a game, than looking at the lower level and noticing most of the seats are empty while the cheap seats are filled up. Yes, most of these seats are already paid for by companies and they might not have been able to give away tickets for that game, but it always looks tacky. The real fans are relegated to the corners of the arena while the superficial, fake-titted, born-into-riches crowd preens and primps and pays no attention to the game itself.

Philips Arena in Atlanta has actually found a way to cater to both the regular fan and the corporate ticket holder. One entire side of the arena contains all the suites. It’s a wall of 7 stories of suites. The seats below those are considered the club section and you have to have a ticket in that section to even enter that area. While it’s not great to not be able to walk entirely around the arena, not having suites on 2/3 of the arena means the upper deck seats on those sides are much closer to the ice than any new arena that I know of.

When you go to the suiteholder’s entry section, you are greeted as if you were royalty. The demeanor of employees on that side is completely different. Instead of soggy fries and lukewarm hotdogs, you can choose sushi or a panini sandwich or calamari. As much as I wanted a crabcake sandwich, I couldn’t bring myself to eat one at a hockey game so I ordered a cappicola pizza (not exactly a “blue collar” pizza, but a pizza nonetheless). Even the pizza on that side is twice as good. Instead of a gelatinous mass of cheese and soggy dough, they make your pizza on the spot when you order it and then toss it into a stone oven. I’ve been on this side of the arena maybe 5 times since I’ve been in Atlanta and I can’t get over how much better the food selection is. It’s like the difference between high school cafeteria food versus a Wolfgang Puck take out joint.

An interesting side note to last night’s game was the presence of Atlanta rapper Lil’ Jon sitting in the front row with his family. I don’t follow rap anymore but I know who Lil’ Jon is, as a dreadlocked guy with platinum teeth and sunglasses sort of sticks out at a hockey game. While Atlanta Hawks games bring out every black rap/R&B/soul/actor VIP in the metro Atlanta area (and there are tons of them, as Atlanta is right in the middle of it’s own golden age for current rap royalty), you don’t see them at Thrashers games (surprise).

Now, back to Lil’ Jon. Most VIPs at any sporting event arrive late and leave early, staying just long enough to get recognized on the jumbotron to feed their egos. John and his family all had the inflatable hockey sticks that you bang together to make noise and they not only paid attention the entire time, they stayed for overtime and the shootout. So while many people on that side were looking who was sitting behind whom, a VIP guest was paying rapt attention to the game and his whole family really seemed to be enjoying themselves. For that fact alone, I'll give him credit. I hate it when people leave sporting events early and most celebrities are the worst offenders of this.

Here is a pic on ESPN from that game. We were sitting 7 rows behind him to his left. Kudos to him for wearing a retro Atlanta Flames jersey.