"It's a little threatening:" UW-Milwaukee officials, students, athletes concerned over Bucks arena rumors
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee Bucks say they'll announce where they plan to build a new arena soon. As we wait, one group is saying "not here." UW-Milwaukee officials, students and athletes want to keep the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee -- but they say they're not happy to hear rumors the Bucks could destroy the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
"I don't think the Bucks should just be able to come in here and take that from us," a UW-Milwaukee freshman said.
UW-Milwaukee officials just spent more than $3 million for naming rights and the promise of a 10-year commitment for priority scheduling at the former U.S. Cellular Arena.
"It's a little threatening. (The Bucks) are a bigger basketball team. They have more money than us," Ryan Sorenson said.
Sorenson is the student body president at UWM. Before the Panthers took the court on Wednesday, November 19th, his group passed out fliers and stickers.
"It's really that uncertainty right now. We don't know what would happen. We just want to let people know we are here, and we want to stay," Sorenson said.
UW-Milwaukee officials aren't the only ones pumping money into their arena. The Wisconsin Center District just spent more than $1 million on the scoreboard.
"I mean, we just got this place, so for us to give it up so fast, is kind of -- I'm not okay with that. I'm not okay with that at all," a UW-Milwaukee freshman said.
UW-Milwaukee students say they love the Bucks, and want to see them build a new arena -- just not here.
"We do want to get along, but we are still the little guy. Little guys can still get along with bigger guys too," Sorenson said.
UW-Milwaukee officials have met with Bucks officials and school officials say the two meetings went well.
The UW-Milwaukee Panther arena may not be an easy location for the Bucks to build, because it is run with public money -- meaning politicians would be involved.
There are still questions about how a new Bucks arena would be paid for, and of course, where it would be built.