The Golden State Warriors' new San Francisco arena will probably not look like a toilet when finished (via SocketSite).

A professional sports team can go in several directions when designing a new stadium. Many go for function over form, opting for a fairly standard layout with a few cautiously eccentric design choices to add a modicum of character. Others turn the stadium into something out of a child's imagination, packing in goofy details with no regard for a cohesive overall concept. A select few will even do something impressive, balancing the modern with the classic to end up with a structure that pleases fans and architecture critics alike.

It is still too early to critique the new San Francisco arena for the Golden State Warriors estimated to open in 2018. What we do know, though, is that the latest designs make the building look like a giant toilet.

View photos An alternate view of the arena (via SocketSite). More

The latest mockups, hosted on SocketSite, are low on detail and do not involve any ground views, which is obviously how most people will experience the arena. It's likely that the final product will involve a greater contrast between the terrace area and the roof (and not make it off-white in color), thereby changing the fact that the bird's-eye view looks exactly like a closed toilet seat resting on top of the toilet itself. Why, it's even likely that the actual structure will be different enough that the very obvious "Toilet Bowl" nickname will not persist past this initial design release. Unless, of course, the Warriors turn into a draft lottery mainstay by the grand opening, in which case the nickname can work without any relation to the arena's design.

Perhaps the new lavatory look is Warriors' ownership's way of telling San Franciscans that they're not too happy about the way this arena project went down. In 2012, the Warriors unveiled plans to build and move to a new arena along the city's waterfront by 2017. That plan was altered after complaints about the arena blocking views and increases in the estimated price compelled citizens to pursue a ballot measure that would restrict any waterfront construction projects. Under considerable pressure to find a workable solution, the Warriors abandoned their plans for the waterfront project and eventually settled on building the arena in San Francisco Mission Bay neighborhood, not far from the Giants' gorgeous AT&T Park but in a considerably less attractive spot. Owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber will get their desired move from Oakland to San Francisco, but they didn't get exactly what they wanted.

The building is designed by the architecture firm Snøhetta, which also worked on the earlier waterfront project and the ongoing expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. As of this writing, the firm has not explained why they released these designs without realizing that they look exactly like a toilet dropped into a world-renowned city. Maybe they fell in.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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