The arena replaced McNichols Sports Arena as the home of the Avalanche and Nuggets. Groundbreaking for the arena was held on November 20, 1997, on the 4.6-acre (19,000 m2) site. Its completion in October 1999 was marked by a Celine Dion concert.[4] Also included in the complex are a basketball practice facility used by the Nuggets, and the Breckenridge Brewery Mountain House[12], a restaurant accessible from within and outside the Center itself. The atrium of the building houses a suspended sculpture depicting various hockey and basketball athletes in action poses.[citation needed]
Prior to the 2013–14 season, the octagonal scoreboard that was in use since the arena's opening was replaced with a new four-sided rectangular scoreboard. The two center faces measure 27 by 48 feet (8.2 m × 14.6 m) long, while the two end faces measure 21 by 25 feet (6.4 m × 7.6 m) wide.[13]
From its opening through 2020, the naming rights to the arena were held by PepsiCo, under which it was known as Pepsi Center. On October 22, 2020, the naming rights were sold to Broomfield-based Ball Corporation as part of a global multi-year agreement with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), which also makes it the exclusive "sustainability partner" of the arena. As part of the agreement, all KSE-owned sports teams and venues will employ recyclable aluminum products provided by Ball to reduce plastic waste, with Ball Arena to transition to serving concessions in aluminum packaging by 2022.[14][15]
Events
The inside of Ball Arena during a Colorado Avalanche game in 2023
UFC held its first event at the arena, UFC 135, on September 24, 2011.[17] It also hosted UFC 150 the following August.
Professional wrestling
The arena has hosted various WWE (and in the past, WCW) television broadcasts.
The "Denver Debacle"
The then-named Pepsi Center's interior during the 2008 Frozen Four hockey tournament, with the scoreboard used from 1999 to 2013.
On May 18, 2009, WWE cancelled and moved three events it had scheduled in Colorado, including a WWE Raw taping on May 25, 2009 at Pepsi Center, after the Denver Nuggets were scheduled to play Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on the same date. The affected events were all moved to the Lakers' home arena of Staples Center, while WWE rescheduled an August 7 taping of Raw for Pepsi Center.[18][19]
In an appearance on KUSA, WWE chairman Vince McMahon accused the "inept management" of team and arena owner Stan Kroenke as having led to the conflict. A KSE spokesperson stated that "despite the propaganda campaign launched by WWE and Chairman Vince McMahon, the KSE team maintained a professional manner throughout this process. We had hoped for, and worked hard toward an amicable resolution - which we verbally had on Tuesday."[20]
The conflict would be referenced during the ensuing May 25 Raw, which opened with a skit between impersonators of Kroenke and Lakers owner Jerry Buss. "Kroenke" boasted about the Nuggets and his indifference to WWE and its fans. Mr. McMahon subsequently entered the ring, jokingly proposed the formation of his own basketball league, the XBA (a reference to his ill-fated XFL), and shoved "Kroenke" down — threatening that people who "push" WWE's fans would get "pushed back". In the main event, a 5-on-5 tag team match was held, where a face team wearing Lakers jerseys (John Cena, Batista, Jerry Lawler, MVP, and Mr. Kennedy) defeated a heel team wearing Nuggets jerseys (Randy Orton, The Miz, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, and Big Show).[21][22]
Other events
During the week of July 2–8, 2007, the arena hosted the International Convention and Contests of the Barbershop Harmony Society, a men's singing organization.
^"Coaches and Staff". THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE COLORADO AVALANCHE. October 2017. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
^ abcde"Arena Facts". Pepsi Center Official Website. May 2009. Archived from the original on July 5, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
^ abMcNicholas, Brendan; Bernstein, Danielle (January 2019). "Executive Staff"(PDF). 2017-2018 Colorado Avalanche Media Guide. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: 6. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 5, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via NHL.
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