League Tourney Just Down the Street?
Don't know if you saw it, but Salt Lake City is one of five finalist cities bidding to host the Mountain West Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments from 2011-2013.
The others?
Albuquerque, Denver, Las Vegas and San Diego.
The Utah Sports Commission is spearheading the bid, which is one of just two that would place the tournament at a neutral site -- in this case, either EnergySolutions Arena or the E Center. The Denver bid proposes to put the tournament at the Pepsi Center, something the league already tried, to decidedly unenthusiastic fan reviews from 2004-06.
Choosing a neutral site would eliminate the perennial problem of giving a team home-court advantage in the tournament, something UNLV has enjoyed at the Thomas & Mack Center in recent seasons, to the eternal disgust of the rest of the league's coaches and fans.
However, the league has always worried about holding the tournament in a wintery climate such as Salt Lake or Denver, fearing the lack of dependable sunshine and warm weather (or casinos) would dissuade fans from traveling to the event. That turned out to be true for Denver, where not even many local fans turned out -- though Salt Lake City presumably would draw more local fans because of a greater interest in Utah and Brigham Young.
The league said that 16 cities received a "request-for-bid" on the tournament last summer, before it whittled the list to the five finalists. A subcommittee will review the proposals and make a recommendation to the league's joint council in May, with the council's decision forwarded to the ruling board of directors for a final decision in June.
The others?
Albuquerque, Denver, Las Vegas and San Diego.
The Utah Sports Commission is spearheading the bid, which is one of just two that would place the tournament at a neutral site -- in this case, either EnergySolutions Arena or the E Center. The Denver bid proposes to put the tournament at the Pepsi Center, something the league already tried, to decidedly unenthusiastic fan reviews from 2004-06.
Choosing a neutral site would eliminate the perennial problem of giving a team home-court advantage in the tournament, something UNLV has enjoyed at the Thomas & Mack Center in recent seasons, to the eternal disgust of the rest of the league's coaches and fans.
However, the league has always worried about holding the tournament in a wintery climate such as Salt Lake or Denver, fearing the lack of dependable sunshine and warm weather (or casinos) would dissuade fans from traveling to the event. That turned out to be true for Denver, where not even many local fans turned out -- though Salt Lake City presumably would draw more local fans because of a greater interest in Utah and Brigham Young.
The league said that 16 cities received a "request-for-bid" on the tournament last summer, before it whittled the list to the five finalists. A subcommittee will review the proposals and make a recommendation to the league's joint council in May, with the council's decision forwarded to the ruling board of directors for a final decision in June.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 9:37 AM |
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