Though it still has a number of blue-clad critics, acclaim for the KFC Yum Center continues to roll in as the arena marches along in its fourth year of existence.
The most recent honor comes from Rolling Stone, which names the Yum as the 7th-best arena/stadium in America.
Terrible name, great arena. (After the fast-food chicken chain bought the naming rights for $13.5 million, one local columnist wrote: "We're going to have to retrofit the arena's fountain nozzles to accommodate gravy.") But the three-year-old, $238 million home of the University of Louisville's sports teams is state-of-the-art everything, it's built near a waterfall on the Ohio River and its glass façade, wavy interior ceilings and art installations give it a modern feel. It gets big-name headliners, too, and not just last year's NCAA hoops champions. The Eagles played the first show here in October 2010; Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood and Justin Bieber came later.
Capacity: 17,500
Website: http://kfcyumcenter.com
Fun fact: Populous, the stadium-designing specialists responsible for London's Wembley Stadium, New York's Yankee Stadium and numerous others, handled the architecture.
A little bit off on the capacity, but we'll let it slide.
Madison Square Garden, Louisville basketball's home away from home, checks in at No. 1 on the list.