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What to know about UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, one of the RNC venues

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What to know about UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, one of the RNC venues


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UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, one of the city’s oldest sports complexes, will play a critical role in the Republican National Convention this month.

The arena is one of three main venues for the four-day event, alongside Fiserv Forum and Baird Center. All three are part of convention security’s “hard zone,” meaning the area will be controlled by the Secret Service and require credentials to enter.

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But Panther Arena is no stranger to major events, including presidential speeches. Here’s everything you need to know about the venue ahead of the RNC.

Where is the Panther Arena?

The arena is in downtown Milwaukee, at 400 W. Kilbourn Ave.

Has Panther Arena hosted political events before?

Though former president Donald Trump will likely deliver his convention speech from Fiserv Forum, the Republican presidential candidate has actually spoken at Panther Arena previously.

In January 2020, Trump hosted a campaign rally at the arena as part of his re-election bid. His remarks at the time largely focused on national security.

On top of thousands attending the rally, Trump’s speech also drew a few hundred anti-Trump protestors outside the venue. Ahead of the event, Trump’s visit sparked campus controversy at UWM, given the arena bears the university’s name. The school’s chancellor eventually issued a statement clarifying that UWM neither owns nor controls booking decisions at the Panther Arena, beyond its own events.

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How old is Panther Arena?

Panther Arena is Milwaukee’s original sports and entertainment complex, according to the arena website. 

Built in 1950, it was initially named Milwaukee Arena. It became the Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena in 1974 and the U.S. Cellular Arena in 2000. The arena got its current name in 2014, when UW-Milwaukee bought the naming rights for the venue.

Alongside 8,910 permanent seats, the arena has a total capacity of 12,700 people — about two thirds of the size of Fiserv Forum, which has a total of 17,500.

Which teams play at Panther Arena?

The Panther arena is currently home to basketball, hockey and soccer teams: the Panthers, the UWM men’s basketball team; the Milwaukee Admirals, the city’s National Hockey League team; and the Milwaukee Wave, the Major Arena Soccer League team.

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But the arena’s history in professional sports goes far beyond these three teams, according to its website. It has also hosted international sporting contests, including a 1998 Davis Cup semifinals match, part of the international men’s tennis tournament, and a Golden Gloves Boxing match versus Russia in 1996.

Closer to home, it hosted the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships in 2003.

What are concerts like at Panther Arena?

According to its website, the arena was “born in the era of rock ‘n’ roll” — and celebrated it hard.

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The venue has hosted stars including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, the Beastie Boys and Run DMC, among others. Iconic singers, like Frank Sinatra and Neil Diamond, have also played the venue. 

Panther Arena still regularly hosts live music events, from the Milwaukee Public Schools music program’s annual festival to R&B artists KEM and Ledisi earlier this year.



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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee father sentenced to life in prison in death of his 4-year-old son

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Milwaukee father sentenced to life in prison in death of his 4-year-old son


A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Ralph Taylor on Thursday, April 23 to life in prison without the possibility of extended supervision, in the July 2025 fatal shooting of his 4-year-old son, Ralph Taylor III.

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Milwaukee Bucks to hire Taylor Jenkins in bid to keep Antetokounmpo this summer

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Milwaukee Bucks to hire Taylor Jenkins in bid to keep Antetokounmpo this summer


The Milwaukee Bucks became the first NBA team to hire a new coach this offseason, targeting and landing former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins to succeed Doc Rivers.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jenkins and the Bucks’ front office were finalizing a deal on Thursday afternoon to bring the 41-year-old former Milwaukee assistant back to serve as the franchise’s fourth coach since parting ways with Mike Budenholzer in 2023.

Jenkins served as an assistant under Budenholzer in 2018-19 after serving under him for five seasons in Atlanta. 

Rumors of Jenkins being spotted with Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who faces a decision regarding his own future this summer, made the rounds on social media this week as unconfirmed sightings suggested the Bucks’ franchise star was helping the coach tour schools.

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Bobby Portis, under contract for next season and holding a player option for ‘28-’29, was on popular NBA show “Run it Back and believed landing him to lead the team going forward would be a positive in convincing Antetokounmpo to stay put.

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“What helps is that (Jenkins) was in Milwaukee during Coach Bud’s stint in Milwaukee. He was one of the assistant coaches on the roster,” Portis said. “I think that kind of relationship with Giannis and that kind of relationship with (GM) Jon Horst sits well with the franchise, and I think that kind of helps”

Horst and Bucks ownership courted Jenkins in Memphis and clearly zeroed in on him as the top target in the coaching search. Although what Antetokounmpo is going to do is anyone’s guess, keeping the “Greek Freak” in Milwaukee has been the franchise’s primary objective over the last few years as rumors he was growing dissatisfied with the direction of the team intensified, so it’s clear that the team’s leadership views Jenkins as an asset in retaining Antetokounmpo’s services.

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ESPN’s Charania reported that Antetokounmpo wasn’t involved in Jenkins’ hiring and has had no communication with the Bucks.

Jenkins went 250-214 in six seasons with the Grizzlies, but was fired late in the 2024-25 season with a postseason berth lined up. He was linked to the New York Knicks opening last summer that Mike Brown ultimately filled and was going to be a candidate for the vacancies in Chicago and potentially Orlando if the Magic move on from Jamahl Mosley after their postseason run ends.

Jenkins was already in Memphis when the Bucks broke through to win the NBA Finals in 2021, but he reportedly had a great relationship with Antetokounmpo and helped set the foundation for the last big winner in Milwaukee. The Bucks lost 50 games this past season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16 under then-head coach Jason Kidd.

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Tempers flare, fans get involved in ugly end to Wave-Sockers Game 1

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Tempers flare, fans get involved in ugly end to Wave-Sockers Game 1


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  • A physical altercation between the Milwaukee Wave and San Diego Sockers marred the end of Game 1 of the MASL championship series.
  • A Sockers player was issued a red card for violent conduct after the game and will be suspended for Game 2.
  • The San Diego Sockers defeated the Milwaukee Wave 5-4 in the first game of the series.

Shoves escalated between the Milwaukee Wave and San Diego Sockers and fans got involved in the unpleasantries, turning the conclusion of Game 1 of the MASL championship series ugly.

In the final seconds of the Sockers’ 5-4 victory April 22 at the UWM Panther Arena, Wave defender Tony Walls took a kick to the groin on a play that ended any chance for a traditional exchange of handshakes and hugs.

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Spirited jawing turned into jostling between players, and then fans joined in the altercation by pelting Sockers players with debris and drinks. Players retaliated. As the situation grew more chaotic, a security officer requested the presence of police who were at the Arena.

At the same time, officials were reviewing the play. Several minutes after the game the announcement came that Sockers defender Cesar Cerda had been issued a red card for violent conduct, making him ineligible for Game 2 on April 24 in Oceanside, California.

“It just got heated at the end [between] two high-level teams,” veteran Wave forward Ian Bennett said. “They’re very competitive, and who wants to win it? The rest, it was a hard game to ref, right? Because it’s a big game. It’s big final. Emotions are there.

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“To be honest, our emotions got the best of us, because we’ve got to be smarter than that, right? We don’t need to play in their hands, but kudos to them, they won, and we just got to regroup and lick our wounds and come back on Friday ready to go.”

A loud and larger-than-usual crowd turned out for the final home game of 2025-26.

Two quick goals by Bennett early in the fourth quarter pulled the Wave within a goal at 4-3, but Milwaukee couldn’t maintain the spark, and Sockers midfielder Leonardo De Oliveira turned the momentum back around with 5 ½ minutes left. The Wave killed a two-minute San Diego power play resulting from too many men on the field, but by the time goalkeeper Jerry Perez gave the Wave another goal, just 33 seconds remained.

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So now for the Wave to win an eighth arena soccer title, it must win back-to-back against the team that finished the regular season with the best record.

Milwaukee lost the opening game of its quarterfinal and semifinal series and won a regulation game followed by a quarter-length knockout game each time to advance. But those were at home; this time they’ll go on the road to play against the team that finished with the best record in the regular season. Game 3 would be a full-length game April 27.

“Very difficult,” first-year Wave head coach Marcio Leite said of the challenge that awaits.

“We’ve done it before. We beat them in their house. But we need to be smarter. And we need to play better. … We need to create better chances, then we need to make sure our shots are on target.”

(This story was updated to add new information.)

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