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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE DAILY DEBATE
Do you agree with the NCAA decision to move Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games back into arenas rather than football domes?
By Jacob Clemen
@]Clemn9
"NO"
NCAA basketball appears to be moving away from playing its regional games in domed football stadiums. The 2014 tournament featured just a single region with a domed stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Last Friday, the sites for the 2017-2021 Final Fours were announced with Phoenix, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Indianapolis as future hosts cities. Each city features a domed football stadium that will serve as a stage for the Final Four contests.
These domed stadiums, which are meant to accommodate football crowds that are much larger than typical basketball arena crowds, offer the size and accommodation that is necessary for an event as prestigious as the NCAA basketball championship.
Smaller basketball areas would not be able to provide the seating for the high demand that the Final
Four draws. Also, the larger domed venue creates a larger spectacle around the games and a greater magnitude for the cities, teams and fan bases participating in the final games of the tournament.
Having larger stadiums for Final Four games is good for the NCAA and the host city as each can expect a greater revenue. When more basketball fans have access to the games there will be more money spent on seats, merchandise and the entertainment and hotels surrounding the stadium. It can also draw more attention regionally and create new fans that may have otherwise been uninterested in college basketball.
Because arenas are designed specifically for basketball, they are often better suited to the players and more aesthetically pleasing to the fans. Still, there is something about a large football stadium that creates a sense of awe and importance for the games that can't be replicated in the smaller arenas.
Some teams struggle with the atmosphere of a domed football stadium when they
must make a switch late in the tournament. According to thecrunchzone.com, formerly known as cardsandcats.com, a site dedicated to Louisville and Kentucky athletics, noted that since 2005, teams that advanced out of a region played in a dome held a 13-4 record over teams that advanced out of a region played in an arena. Seven of the last nine champions came from regions played in domes despite the fact that only 15 of the 36 regional sites over those nine years utilized domed stadiums.
Clearly, the venue plays a factor in the outcomes of the tournaments and gives a distinct advantage to teams that can get acclimated to the environment of a larger venue. This will draw more interest and money to the NCAA and will allow for more consistency among tournament venues.
The NCAA should continue to play its biggest games in the biggest venues. The ability to accommodate as many fans, media members and personnel far outweighs the aesthetic advantages of a basketball arena setting.
Edited by Amelia Arvesen
By Nick Couzin
@NCouz
"YES"
The NCAA has decided to change their format of
location for the 2017 Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games. In recent years, they have played the majority of the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite eight games in retractable roof football domes.
Past games have been played in Georgia Dome, Lucas Oil Stadium, University of Phoenix Stadium, Ford Field and Cowboys Stadium.
I like this decision because of the money the NCAA will be gaining for the future.
These games lost the NCAA a majority of status quo. They thought they could attract more fans and more advertising with these games, but it lost them profit because they would use such a big space for a couple games, and games weren't being sold out for either pair of nights.
The only venues in which they made money were when they played in arenas in smaller-market big cities. A great example is Kansas City, Mo., and the Sprint Center. In March of 2017, they will be hosting the Midwest Regional Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games.
Even Wichita will be hosting first- and second-round games in their own Chris Koch Center in March of 2018. Wichita was one of the 60 cities also in the running for the same position.
This is a smart move by the NCAA for another reason, as well. It attracts more viewership nationwide. If they continue to have tournament games in these smaller-market cities like KC and Wichita, in the long run, it will benefit because more of the locals in smaller markets will get to see games.
Other games locations starting in March of 2017 for March Madness include Milwaukee, Wis.; Tulsa, Okla.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Raleigh, N.C.; Omaha, Neb.
and Pittsburgh, Pa. These are all smaller-market cities with fans that have been eager to see a tournament with the nation's best college basketball teams, and they will have front row seats. Some of the football kingdoms will take a backseat to a more fan-friendly experience to a place where actual basketball should be played, a low-level hardwood floor. Leave the elevated man-made floor to the Final Four, and its bigger venues where the NCAA decided to keep the final round in a more unlikeable setting — on the football field.
Let's leave basketball to its original playing surface. The right move was made by the NCAA. They keep most of the money in the Final Four, but they effectively get it done by adding more early round games to smaller markets. Slowly but surely, the NCAA will profit due to selling out these arenas.
- Edited by Emily Brown
DAILY DEBATE RESULTS: NOV. 19,2014
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