Tennessee Eyes Entertainment District to Connect Sports Venues

The reported proposal would be the first of its kind on a college campus

It's a lush time for Tennessee sports, relative to the recent past. The Volunteers went 11–2 in football, their best record since 2001, and won the Orange Bowl. The men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams both reached the Sweet 16.

With these accomplishments in mind and revenue in college sports at historic heights, Tennessee is reportedly kicking around an unprecedented architectural project.

Volunteers athletics are considering building an entertainment district between Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena, according to a Wednesday afternoon report from ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The proposal “is believed to the first on a college campus,” per Thamel, and is meant to resemble L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Sources: Tennessee is in the early stages of exploring building an entertainment district on campus that connects Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena. Think an LA Live type set up for college, which is believed to the first on a college campus.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) May 17, 2023

Knoxville, Tenn. has a population about 191,000, making it the third-largest city in Tennessee behind Nashville and Memphis.

Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena are both situated on Neyland Drive in Knoxville, across from the Tennessee River. A parking garage currently separates the venues.

According to a detailed report from Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel, that garage would be joined by “a boutique hotel, condominiums and a conference space,” and potentially “a tabletop area above the existing … parking garage for tailgating, restaurants, retail and other entertainment.” There is reportedly no timetable for the project, however.

Dedicated in 1921 under the name Shields-Watkins Field, Neyland Stadium is the eighth-largest stadium in the world with a capacity of 101,915. Thompson-Boling Arena, with a capacity of 21,678, is the third-largest university-owned arena in the country.