This place has the potential to be wonderful. I was fortunate enough to visit this arena many years ago when I was being recruited. I came back recently for a game against my Alma Mater and have to say that this place was rocking for a little bit. It's too bad that Wes Miller is incapable of coaching a basketball team because the crowd was booing before we ever got to halftime. I met a kind manager named Stewart or something along those lines. He is a great example of what every team should look for in a manager: fluffy, capable of grabbing balls, and on top of it! The seats weren't that comfy but oh well. This place has the chance to move to 5 stars if they start winning some ball games. I don't see that happening with Wes Miller, but who knows. An arena is only as good as its fans make it. Edit: Upon more recent developments... Another thing that was a bit off putting was when Stewart (the manager) asked if he could "top me off." At first, I thought he was offering me another beer, but his persistence to contact me through my socials -- I'll spare the details -- has lead me to believe he meant something else. Idk kinda weird. Fifth Third was still sweet. Creepy kid though. read more

I volunteered for an event here (graduation ceremony for the online university I work for) so I got to see behind the scenes. It's an intimate arena with pretty decent sightlines. They even have a bar area, which is still odd to me as a college arena, but hey, gotta make money. I actually thought the food options weren't as varied as I thought they would be, but then again it was offseason. I wouldn't mind seeing a basketball game here. read more

The home of the Cincinnati Bearcats. I have been going to Fifth Third Arena since the year it opened the venue after the renovation has created bigger concourses, great beer selections with the various bars and added several food stands, such as Skyline, Frischs and a Wings and Rings. After that the quality falls of quickly for any food choices. What a place to watch the Bearcats!! read more

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Won tickets for a game through a work raffle. Great seat, fun atmosphere, easy wayfinding, plenty of concessions, beer vendors serving the stands. I even had a t-shirt land in my lap during the t-shirt toss when I wasn't looking! They also do a Skyline parachute drop with coupons for cheese coneys. I paid for parking in advance at the Campus Green garage. read more

Great venue. Nicely organized. Plenty of men's facilities but a little challenging for the ladies. That said the seats were excellent, access was superb and the acoustics were outstanding. The jumbo tron is yooge but among the crispest displays around! Easy to see the dais from just about anywhere! read more

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Had a awesome time watching the UC game, even though they lost. The staff were all very friendly and the place was as clean as it could be for a full house. The facilities were very nice as well. 100% recommend! read more

Fifth Third Arena - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Here for first game in the newly remodeled fifth third arena - WOW!! They did a great job - it is a totally new place - great seating and decor and concession and restroom and layout are all 100% better!! read more

Fifth Third Arena - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

My first experience in the newly remodeled arena was pretty good. I will say that the layout is much better and more open than the previous arena. Views, even from the nosebleeds where we sat, were fine and apart from the surprisingly terrible camera crew (seriously some of you need to learn how to focus and shoot wider), were fine and complimented with multiple gigantic screens. Walking around the plaza level, I did find it odd that there were not tvs showing the action on the court. This is a brand new design right? I never used the bathroom because the lines, yes even for the guys, were way out the door so I am not sure if if was poor design or everyone synchronized their bathroom visit. Waiting in line for beer at a sporting event is typically not enjoyable and while I was in line at the the busiest time (halftime), I only waited about 10-15 minutes. Their selection of beer was great. There were the usual Cincinnati craft breweries (Madtree, Rhinegeist, etc) and the lesser quality (cheaper) beers. Expect to pay ~$8-10 dollars per beer. If you are hungry, they have you covered with offerings from BW3, Skyline, Frisch's, and even Taste of Belgium. Chicken and waffles and all that other good stuff. Not bad. The only other aspect to consider is parking. Clifton is notorious for a few things and crappy parking is one of them. Plan ahead and either suck it up and pay $10+ for garage parking or take your chances by parking in the surrounding neighborhood. Do not leave ANYTHING visible in your car and try to park so that the other cars do not have to give you the "Clifton Bump" to extricate themselves from the spot. ;) read more

The 2018 renovation definitely added some life to this arena. Considering the structure is over 40 years old, it looks pretty good. I hope it was $80 million dollars well spent. 2 years after the renovation, some of the features are already starting to show their age. In the champions club lounge some of the light fixtures are crooked and the corners and drywall sections have been well abused showing scratches and dents. The champions level seats are pretty comfortable. The embroidery on the seat back is pretty nice. read more

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Been going to UC Games since the Big O days in the really old Armory Fieldhouse. 5/3 @ The Shoe is ok but the renovation will be a great step forward. When the House is a Rockin' it's fantastic but when the fat cats at floor level court side sit on their hands or leave early, it's depressing. They should let us cheap skates in the nosebleed sections come on down at halftime to the empty seats so the Cats get some love. read more

Oh 5/3rd. I love you. I love you so much. This place, no doubt, is rockin' when full. It's an experience like any other. However, it's obviously in need of renovation on almost every level (especially if they want to charge what they are charging currently for seats). Try to sit on the lower level, in the student section (if you can get a guest ticket), or at least a chair-back seat in the upper level. Steer very clear of the corners. Reference catstix.com for parking information - it's not totally bad, usually between $10-$15 to park on campus. Go Cats!! read more

Not the oldest, nor the newest of the arenas in the area, but quite possibly the worst! The place was built primarily for basketball, yet has the charm of a convention center. The lower level seats are narrow, and on the endzones are the bleachers. The upper deck seats are permanent, but no better. I know the place is used for practice courts for the basketball teams, but still, I just think this place was not designed for people, with all the steps you have to climb, even to get to the lower seats! It was built on the cheap, I'm sure, and seems to be kind of an eysore, if not a dud, when compared to the signature starchitecture and classic older buildings in the vicinity. There has been talk of a new basketball arena on campus somewhere, but considering UC athletics doesn't have a huge pile of money, and pretty much every parcel of land on campus has been developed, it won't be soon. But I don't see "The Shoe" being the best asset to draw recruits to the Bearcats (who I really support and believe in!) read more

13,176. To the average person, that five digit number means nothing, but to me it means a lot...a sell out crowd at UC's Fifth Third Arena to be exact. For all the restaurants and places in Cincinnati I love, there is no place I would rather be than at a Bearcats men's basketball game. Being a die-hard UC fan and only going to a game or two each year, it always a special place each time I step in the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center. While the word arena may have originated from the circular or ovular center area of a Roman amphitheatre (see dictionary.com definition), UC's gym is actually shaped like a shoebox, and coincidentally named after a man named Shoemaker. Round or not, the arena opened in 1989 and for most of the next 16 years under Bob Huggins, the Bearcats' home was one of the toughest in the nation for opposing teams in which to win games. Between 1997 and 2005, UC won 334 of its 399 home games. Although I strongly feel UC needs a new round arena to replace its current box of a gym renamed in 2004 after Fifth Third Bank, it still is one of the nicest gyms in the country. Fifth Third Arena has 16 private suites (very unique to college teams not playing in an NBA arena) and a restaurant and lounge area for athletic boosters overlooking Ed Jucker Court. They have also done a great job commemorating all-time UC greats with large signs just inside the doors (see photo) and a display of the names of Bearcat All-Americans above one of the student sections. While the Bearcat teams have been struggling through a rebuilding process for over two years, when the team does get back to typical UC form, Fifth Third Arena again will be a scary place for opposing teams to play. When it is sold out, the place gets rockin', and when Fifth Third Arena is rockin' there ain't no stoppin' the 'Cats. Although I love Fifth Third Arena, I will withhold a bit of my bias and drop one star from its rating, in part due to its shape and resulting bad seats in the corners of the arena. read more

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The upgrades made to this arena were well done. I was at the venue for a work meeting in the Mercedes Benz lounge. The lounge is nice but your can definitely hear whoever's on the court from that room. I can't wait to return to check out a game! read more

Ah... Fifth Third Arena, aka the "Shoe". How I love thee... How I hate thee... The Shoe is full of contradictions that lead to this love-hate relationship. It's biggest plus is that it definitely is perfectly situated in the middle of campus. However, it also becomes a drag because when you're going to basketball games in the middle of winter, the parking garages seem miles away. It's pretty spacious for a gym, but then again looks are deceiving. There's a lot of dead air in the gym from an older design, and the upper decks feel like you're watching the game on a 13" television. Beer is actually served here which is always a plus. But you're going to be waiting in line for awhile. And students and the team are kind of ebb and flow too, but you just can't root against the Bearcats when you're here. So if it's love-hate, why 4 stars? Because when you love something, you just have to overlook it's faults.... read more

This is going to be a biased review because I went to the fifth third arena for my first US basketball game ever... And wow, what an experience! I felt like I was dropped into a US movie about basketball and cheerleaders etc. Turns out it's all real. The game was sold out, so there was a great vibe in the arena and on top of that the Bearcats won! Amazing evening. In terms of the venue itself, it's what I expect from a sports venue - not very comfortable, floors dirty with beer, junk food... The stewards were very friendly though and we had great seats so no complaints about the visibility of the field. It did feel like it was quite an old arena but I don't have any complaints other than that. It's nice that people can drink beer (apparently this is not that normal for a sports game in the US - it is in Belgium). Great first experience of American basketball in this 5th 3rd arena! read more

Knowing a full blown renovation is coming probably helps. As a UC student many moons ago, this arena was new at the time, but it was already outdated, which was sad. It hasn't changed much, which if you're nostalgic, you'll love visiting. The seats in the upper level may be the worst place in the World to watch a basketball game. The climb up there is straight up, you sit on a bench with no back and you have to look through the rafters to watch the game. In addition, there are no concessions or bathrooms up there, if you're claustrophobic, steer clear, you are so close to the ceiling you will hate it. I'll still go to games until the renovate, but it can't come soon enough. Go Cats! read more

Having been to games here and sitting in each different section like the upper level, behind the benches, and now student section I agree with a lot of reviews saying the sight lines are bad. While it's cool that students stand behind the basket I would love to have a student section like Duke, where the student section is on the court opposite the bench. I agree that UC should build a new basketball arena, but where? The campus doesn't have room build a new arena. Plus when a big east foe like St.Johns only draws 8300 fans while build a new 15k arena. I show up for every home game and stand and cheer on the bearcats to victory. Heck it seems I even get on TV a few times a game when going to a game. ooh ooh ooh let's go UC! read more

The home of the Bearcats, period! The arena itself is not the best, but when the crowd is on their feet this place is awesome! I have been coming to Bearcats games for my entire life and this arena holds so many great memories! My wife and I come to several games a year and we look forward to continuing the tradition with our children someday. Tickets are aways available (with exception to The CrossTown Shootout and maybe a select few Big East games) so you should definitely go whenever you can! Go Cats! read more

Fifth Third Arena gets the job done. There are many BAD seats in the arena. Some deep in the corner and some that make you feel like you are watching a baseball game. They serve beer though, and it usually is not too crowded so you can move down to an acceptable seat. Catch a good game though, and the stands will be packed! read more

Visited UC's Arena for my brother's graduation ceremony. Can't speak to the normal game-time accommodations, but the sound was good and I'm not sure there was a bad seat in the whole place. Plenty of visibility to the court. The bleachers were plastic and a tad uncomfortable (felt sorry any long-legged spectators) but overall a good experience with sight & sound! read more

I love it here! This school is always the home of the UC Bearcats! UC Bearcats are awesome and always winners to me! LETS GO BEARCATS!!!!!! I LOVE THE BEARCATS SO SO SO MUCH!!!!!!!!! read more