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p_d_swanson
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005
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 Posted: 06/22/14 8:10 am ::: |
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| acsuc99 wrote: |
If the committee picks New Orleans and Tampa again than you know no one even cares anymore.
Almost everytime they got back to a PREVIOUS host city, the crowd is a non sell out. St. Louis was a sell out in 2001. It had tons of empty seats in 2009. San Antonio had like 32,000 in 2002. In 2010 it had 20+. New Orleans was a sell out in 2004. Tons of empty seats in the empy deck in 2013, perhaps due to Baylor fans not going but still...non sell out. Indy who got about 29,000 in the RCA Dome in 2005, couldn't even sell out the smaller NBA Conseco Field House with Notre Dame there in 2011.
Now you got 2 more previous hosts coming up in 2015 and 2016 in Tampa and Indy again. I guarantee Tampa will have a non sell out next year unless Tennessee make it. They made up 80-90% of the crowd in 2008.
The best crowds I have seen lately at Final Fours- Boston, Denver, and Nashville. And you know why? They NEVER hosted before. There is always excitement by the locals for the first time. And than the novelty wears off.
It is a shame that such natural area for the sport never bid. Seattle, the Bay Area, NYC, Oklahoma City.
Out of the 7 finalists, if they have a clue and truly care about growing the sport...I'd pick, Dallas or Houston, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and I guess Nashville seeing they got great feedback. |
This is a really interesting point ... the Final Four is, as far as I can tell, more a women's basketball convention than a three-game tournament, in terms of the actual live event. (On TV, it's just basketball ...)
So it does make sense that the casual fan who attends most times would be less likely to return to a place he or she had already been. Then again, though, it does seem like eight to ten years is a long time, and would only have impact if the same group of people makes the trip over long spans of time. (Or, to put it another way, there aren't many newbies who go to the Final Four.)
Another aspect is the local fans -- high school coaches, players, etc. -- and perhaps once they seen the event, and spent the money, they are less excited. (I know that my desire to go to Final Fours was pretty much eliminated after the San Jose tournament in 1998. I'm basically interested only in the basketball, I'm not looking for a job, and I'm not partying before and after games -- so the attraction of actually being there isn't that great. And I can see the games better on TV.)
But of course, if cities don't bid, you can't just put the tournament there.
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dinkytown
Joined: 18 Sep 2011
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Phil
Joined: 22 Oct 2011
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| Posted: 06/22/14 9:59 am ::: |
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We were just discussing sites at the dinner table last night, and indirectly supported the point made by acsuc99
My spouse went with me to Indy the first time, declared she wasn't going back, but was cajoled into it by friends. However, she is drawing a line in the sand, and has declared that there is no way she will be back in 2016. Her arguments is that she is not going to spend 5 or 6 days in a city where she has seen all the major attractions. I'll go, but I'm not going for the local attractions. Some cities, like Boston, have enough to do that a return trip makes sense, but not Indy. I know the reasons for Indy, and that location may be, unfortunately, wired, but the committee should take this in, and maybe consider some new locations.
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beknighted
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
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Location: Lost in D.C.
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| Posted: 06/22/14 10:51 am ::: |
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I'm up for Minneapolis. It's a great city.
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Phil
Joined: 22 Oct 2011
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| Posted: 06/22/14 11:33 am ::: |
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| I agree. I seriously considered moving there.
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RedEqualsLuck
Joined: 28 May 2005
Posts: 4781
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| Posted: 06/22/14 12:50 pm ::: |
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I wonder about the "repeat" business also being a "they figured out what it takes to host" thang....
Clearly, a place that's warm in April is key. Snow in Denver may be a shock wbball fans may never recover from.
For my taste, I feel like the NCAA/Host do a horrific job of tapping in to the fan base that travels. There are coaches DRIPPING all over the host city. LEGENDS. And yet, there is little if any attempt to set up gatherings.
Suggestions: Join the 21st Century and use twitter/facebook/email to connect folks. Allow them to register for small (50) gatherings either at cost or for a small fee.
Gathering Ideas:
1) Lessons From Legends. A fabulous event that what hosted by Mimi Griffin, but open only to WBCA folks. Put a mike in front the WBHOF folk....
2) Tale of the Tape: Coaches host coaching clinics for the WBCA. Why not fans?
3) Gimme that Whistle: Let's do a mini officiating camp! Get some players going 3-on-3 and have fans call the game.
4) Meet my City: A local basketball legend speaks about the history of their City, maybe a tour.
5) Celebrity Trivia - teams of coaches and players (current and not) battle for bragging rights.
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acsuc99
Joined: 10 Jul 2013
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| Posted: 06/22/14 2:09 pm ::: |
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Ahhh the Target Center...the site that started it all in 1995  . Would love to see them back in the game. I remember Minnesota fans were so enthusiastic about their team when I went to the 2004 Final Four. Such a shame the program never sustained the momentum.
I mean 6-8 years between a city hosting again may not seem like a lot, but when the Final 4 is usually made up of UConn, Notre Dame, Stanford, and another team, than those 3 fan bases are not going to be as enthusiastic or motivated to return to a city they've already been to. Especially if it's not exactly the best city to visit like a St. Louis, Indy, Tampa. I would imagine ditto with the casual fan that travels.
Between 1990-2002 you had no repeat hosts. Knoxville, News Orleans, LA, Atlanta, Richmond, Minneapolis, Charlotte, Cincy, KC, San Jose, Philly, St. Louis, San Antonio. Than back to Atlanta and New Orleans after a decade. Than new again....Indy, Boston, Cleveland, Tampa. Since 2009 only 2 new ones, St. Louis, San Antonio, Indy, Denver, New Orleans, Nashville.
Another thing the committee picked New Orleans in 2013, the same year they hosted the Super Bowl in January of that year and a year after they hosted the men's Final Four. At that time they were probably so event burnt out that hosting the women's final four barely registered much excitement.
Sometimes you just need to use common sense. Is Tampa that big a women's hoop hotbed that it should host 3 times between 2008-2020? Should New Orleans, a city that gets to host Super Bowls and men's Final Fours and just had entire empty sections for the Women's Final Four be rewarded right away with a bid so soon?
Dallas bid last time and seeing Texas A&M and Baylor were coming off titles, it seemed absurd they were not selected to capitalize on the Lone Star success. Columbus is a big college town with Ohio State. And they seem to be taking women's hoop serious with their latest hire. Columbus is centrally enough located that fans from the south (Tennessee) Midwest (ND) and east (UConn) can drive and not fly. I would absolutely pick Dallas and Columbus. Pittsburgh has a brand new arena and hosted the Frozen Four. With Tennessee possibly making a Final 4 come back with DeShields and with the good reviewe Nashville the only repeat choice I'd make.
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