Bender Arena — Attraction in Washington

I went to Bender Arena for a Stony Brook Seawolves road basketball game when they traveled to Washington DC to face the American Eagles on 12/17. The arena itself is ok. It is not big, but everything is close in so you can feel the action. The food is actually not as pricy as any other average sporting event food. The atmosphere is not very loud, but I believe the school is on winter break. I sat near the Stony Brook bench on the visitor side.

The most disappointing thing about my visit is how some of the other visiting fans were treated by the AU security. Three gentlemen sitting in front of me were cheering for Stony Brook and have a large flag representing their school. However, after the first timeout, the security guard came over and told them to put the flag away. I guess they didn't want to see the big Seawolves logo on the TV broadcast screen. The Stony Brook fans put their flag way, but continue to cheer for their team. However, after the second time out, the security card came and told them to move to a section behind the basket. Apparently they were cheering too loud for the visiting team. COME ON!!! What a disgusting act by the the school.

So just a warning if you are a visiting fan cheering for the visiting team. The school doesn't like it if you cheer louder than the home crowd. I also think this is a violation of the...

The Arena was very nice and spacious. The seats were lined up perfectly and the televised screens where available at every angle. You could see the graduation without having to get up and move closer to the stage. However the bleachers were uncomfortable to sit on for a long period of time. Without the back support the seats caused backaches,...

I went there to see the Dalai Lama and it was obvious they were not prepared for the crowd. I arrived 40 minutes before the talk was due to start and I got to my seat just as the talk was starting. It looks like normally they use the arena for school basketball and volleyball games which i'm sure has...