Guest KamUte Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I recently read in our local paper that 5 cities are bidding to host the PAC 12 tourney. The cities were Denver, Salt Lake, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles. As a past MWC member, I hated that Las Vegas hosted the tourney because the Thomas and Mack arena gave UNLV such a great home court advantage. Now that we are part of the PAC 12, I would love to have the tourney in Las Vegas as it is central to most of the schools in the conference, less expensive flights, hotels and the weather is nice in early March. Plus the food is good and other activities. Second choice would be Los Angeles area. As a Utahn, I prefer to get out of the snow. I am certain some would enjoy coming here for the skiing. Any other preferences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RobberBaron83 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I recently read in our local paper that 5 cities are bidding to host the PAC 12 tourney. The cities were Denver, Salt Lake, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles. As a past MWC member, I hated that Las Vegas hosted the tourney because the Thomas and Mack arena gave UNLV such a great home court advantage. Now that we are part of the PAC 12, I would love to have the tourney in Las Vegas as it is central to most of the schools in the conference, less expensive flights, hotels and the weather is nice in early March. Plus the food is good and other activities. Second choice would be Los Angeles area. As a Utahn, I prefer to get out of the snow. I am certain some would enjoy coming here for the skiing. Any other preferences? Las Vegas sounds good to me. But perhaps someone is going to chime in arguing that we shouldn't be funneling economic activity to a city in which we don't have a member. I never really liked that argument. Did UCLA and USC receive more support because the Staples Center made some bucks off of us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MrBug708 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 LA is the best setup to do it, but people just didnt want to show up and the local schools aren't interested in coming out to watch teams that they weren't supporting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest I.E. Bruin Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 It will stay in LA, you don't see the Big East moving their tourny out of NY, take advantage of the conference largest market when possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bendsinister Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 It will stay in LA, you don't see the Big East moving their tourny out of NY, take advantage of the conference largest market when possible. Correct me if I'm wrong, but people actually go to the Big East Tourney. Why not rotate ours around, so it continues to be a fresh event? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clpp01 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 3 Options I would be okay with 1. Have the tournament be rotated around amongst the universities (minus Stanford) so one year the tournament will be at Pauley Pavilion and the next it is at the McKale Center etc... I would rather have the tournament in a smaller capacity arena then see a game in an NBA venue that appears to be half-empty like we do every year at Staples. 2. Similar to above have the tournament played in the arena of one of the universities but the rotation to be determined by who wins the conference championship the previous year. For Arizona won the Pac-10 title last year so the 2011 tournament would be held at McKale, say Washington wins the 2011 title, the tournament would go to Hec-Ed in 2012. 3. Las Vegas - If the Pac feels that a set permanent location is best for the Pac-12 tournament then Las Vegas would be the best candidate. It is as centrally located as you can realistically get in the Pac-12 and as a major travel destination it has all the necessities already in place to support the tournament. The Option I would/will hate - Do nothing and keep the game at the Staples Center every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest I.E. Bruin Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Correct me if I'm wrong, but people actually go to the Big East Tourney. Why not rotate ours around, so it continues to be a fresh event? The BE tourny is better attended then the Pac 10 but it is not that well attended, the BE does have 16 teams with many of their better basketball programs located in the Northeast corridor relatively close to NYC. The conference tourny will always be poorly attended with the games being mostly being meaningless played in the middle of the week and in the middle of the day. Why take it out of a city with a large media market, a diverse population, has two fan bases, a diserable place to travel and a place where teams throughout the conference has a player from this region? Rotating the tourny will lower the profile of the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest I.E. Bruin Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 3 Options I would be okay with 1. Have the tournament be rotated around amongst the universities (minus Stanford) so one year the tournament will be at Pauley Pavilion and the next it is at the McKale Center etc... I would rather have the tournament in a smaller capacity arena then see a game in an NBA venue that appears to be half-empty like we do every year at Staples. 2. Similar to above have the tournament played in the arena of one of the universities but the rotation to be determined by who wins the conference championship the previous year. For Arizona won the Pac-10 title last year so the 2011 tournament would be held at McKale, say Washington wins the 2011 title, the tournament would go to Hec-Ed in 2012. 3. Las Vegas - If the Pac feels that a set permanent location is best for the Pac-12 tournament then Las Vegas would be the best candidate. It is as centrally located as you can realistically get in the Pac-12 and as a major travel destination it has all the necessities already in place to support the tournament. The Option I would/will hate - Do nothing and keep the game at the Staples Center every year. 1) Playing in smaller venues and rotating the tourny is something that a smaller conferences like the WCC and MAC do. Even though conferece tourny games are mostly meaningless it does serve some purposes; gives teams an opportunity to improve seeding; gives conferences an opportunity to get an extra team in the NCAA tourny; prepares teams for the NCAA tourny where they will be playing in mostly larger half empty venues; and the tournament is also a vehicle for the Pac-12 to promote and market the conference and LA and the Staple Center is the best venue to accomplish this. 2) How does this benefit the conference? 3) I like going to Las Vegas as much as the next guy but it is not the best venue for the Pac-12 tournament, to most schools in the conference traveling to Las Vegas is no different then traveling to LA, Las Vegas already hosts the MWC and WCC tournaments and LV is not a Pac 12 city with a Pac 12 school or fanbase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KamUte Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 1) Playing in smaller venues and rotating the tourny is something that a smaller conferences like the WCC and MAC do. Even though conferece tourny games are mostly meaningless it does serve some purposes; gives teams an opportunity to improve seeding; gives conferences an opportunity to get an extra team in the NCAA tourny; prepares teams for the NCAA tourny where they will be playing in mostly larger half empty venues; and the tournament is also a vehicle for the Pac-12 to promote and market the conference and LA and the Staple Center is the best venue to accomplish this. 2) How does this benefit the conference? 3) I like going to Las Vegas as much as the next guy but it is not the best venue for the Pac-12 tournament, to most schools in the conference traveling to Las Vegas is no different then traveling to LA, Las Vegas already hosts the MWC and WCC tournaments and LV is not a Pac 12 city with a Pac 12 school or fanbase. I agree with most of what you have to say except for not having a fan base in Las Vegas. Half the transplants are from within 6 hours of Vegas. I lived in Vegas for 3 years and half of my 3000 employees were California transplants with many from Utah and Arizona as well. If the MWC can fill an arena with non UNLV fans, I believe the the Thomas and Mack arena would be fuller than the Staples Center. Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, Utah fans travel well. San Diego or Anaheim would work as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RogueDuck Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I will say it until I'm blue in the face Seattle, Portland, SLC, Denver and PHX would pack out there NBA stadiums for the pac-12 tourney, LA could care less about it. It should rotate, but I doubt it ever will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clpp01 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 1) Playing in smaller venues and rotating the tourny is something that a smaller conferences like the WCC and MAC do. Even though conferece tourny games are mostly meaningless it does serve some purposes; gives teams an opportunity to improve seeding; gives conferences an opportunity to get an extra team in the NCAA tourny; prepares teams for the NCAA tourny where they will be playing in mostly larger half empty venues; and the tournament is also a vehicle for the Pac-12 to promote and market the conference and LA and the Staple Center is the best venue to accomplish this. 2) How does this benefit the conference? 3) I like going to Las Vegas as much as the next guy but it is not the best venue for the Pac-12 tournament, to most schools in the conference traveling to Las Vegas is no different then traveling to LA, Las Vegas already hosts the MWC and WCC tournaments and LV is not a Pac 12 city with a Pac 12 school or fanbase. 1. The Staples Center might be the best basketball venue on the west coast but it does nothing but negatively impact the Pac-12 with all of those empty seats. It is one thing for the opening round games and weekday games to underdraw but when Staples Center is over 35%+ empty for the championship game between Arizona and Washington this year it is an image problem. If this game were at McKale Center it would have been a guaranteed sellout which would have brought in another 2500 people to the game. This is the same reason why we are having the football championship game being played at the home field of the top ranked team. Placing the tournament at a university arena doesn't mean it will have the effect of playing in a high school gym (minus Stanford), I would rather sacrifice some capacity for a more involved environment (greater capacity % filled). Capacity Staples Center: 19,060 Huntsman Center: 15,000 McKale Center: 14,545 Wells Fargo: ~14,198 Pauley Pavilion: 12,819 Matthew Knight: 12,541 Beasley Coliseum: 12,058 Haas Pavilion: 11,877 Coors Events Center: 11,064 Gill Coliseum: 10,400 Galen Center: 10,258 Hec-Ed: 10,000 Maples Pavilion: 7,392 2. I know it won't happen, I just included it as an out of left field idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clpp01 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I will say it until I'm blue in the face Seattle, Portland, SLC, Denver and PHX would pack out there NBA stadiums for the pac-12 tourney, LA could care less about it. It should rotate, but I doubt it ever will. I don't know about the others but I doubt Phoenix would fill up either US Airways Center or Jobing.com Arena as Phoenix fans in general are as fairweathered/front runners as LA fans are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MrBug708 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Correct me if I'm wrong, but people actually go to the Big East Tourney. Why not rotate ours around, so it continues to be a fresh event? The problem is that if fans aren't going to travel to LA, they aren't going to travel anywhere else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bendsinister Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 The problem is that if fans aren't going to travel to LA, they aren't going to travel anywhere else A few other people have brought this up, but it's not so much traveling its fans we need to worry about, its locals who want to see an event (imo); People in LA have show they aren't interested for a decade. It would probably be better attended in Eugene than LA. Additionally, you're right in that LA is probably the most attractive location for the tournament from a travel perspective, and I say this as a guy that doesn't really like LA. However, because people might want to go there once, or twice, or three times, doesn't mean they want to go every year. Some people also just don't have opportunities to travel far, but might go see the tourney if was an hour from their house. Lastly, having it in the same place every year removes any sense of urgency associated with the event: As it is right now, it's very easy for someone on the fence about going to simply say "next year." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KamUte Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 A few other people have brought this up, but it's not so much traveling its fans we need to worry about, its locals who want to see an event (imo); People in LA have show they aren't interested for a decade. It would probably be better attended in Eugene than LA. Additionally, you're right in that LA is probably the most attractive location for the tournament from a travel perspective, and I say this as a guy that doesn't really like LA. However, because people might want to go there once, or twice, or three times, doesn't mean they want to go every year. Some people also just don't have opportunities to travel far, but might go see the tourney if was an hour from their house. Lastly, having it in the same place every year removes any sense of urgency associated with the event: As it is right now, it's very easy for someone on the fence about going to simply say "next year." Right on! I would rather travel to a warmer spot but know that if the tourney was held in Salt Lake City, it would be a big event here and the fans would flock to Energy Solutions Arena and pack 19,911 for most every game. The same goes for Portland. Both cities are crazy for basketball. The arena is downtown which means a lot of great hotels, bars, restaurants and is only 35 minutes to Park City and 8 ski resorts. I also believe that the PAC 12 would do well in Las Vegas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest I.E. Bruin Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 1. The Staples Center might be the best basketball venue on the west coast but it does nothing but negatively impact the Pac-12 with all of those empty seats. It is one thing for the opening round games and weekday games to underdraw but when Staples Center is over 35%+ empty for the championship game between Arizona and Washington this year it is an image problem. If this game were at McKale Center it would have been a guaranteed sellout which would have brought in another 2500 people to the game. This is the same reason why we are having the football championship game being played at the home field of the top ranked team. Placing the tournament at a university arena doesn't mean it will have the effect of playing in a high school gym (minus Stanford), I would rather sacrifice some capacity for a more involved environment (greater capacity % filled). Capacity Staples Center: 19,060 Huntsman Center: 15,000 McKale Center: 14,545 Wells Fargo: ~14,198 Pauley Pavilion: 12,819 Matthew Knight: 12,541 Beasley Coliseum: 12,058 Haas Pavilion: 11,877 Coors Events Center: 11,064 Gill Coliseum: 10,400 Galen Center: 10,258 Hec-Ed: 10,000 Maples Pavilion: 7,392 2. I know it won't happen, I just included it as an out of left field idea. You are absolutly right, if last year tournament was at the Mckale Center the arena would be packed, but what would happen when the tournament is at the Mckale Center and Arizona is upsetted in the first game and the final game is between Cal and WSU? Attendence will always be a problem. The main reason the tournament is held in LA is because it is the largest media market in the conference and provides the best opportunities to promote and market its' brand. The LA market is the main reason why the Pac 12 recieved such a lucrative TV contract so events such as media days, tournaments and CCG need to take place in LA. Yes the CCG in football will eventually be played in LA once the new stadium in downtown is built, I heard Tim Leiweke in an interview briefly mentioning bringing the Pac 12 CCG to Farmers Field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bone Crusher Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Based on the exprience of the Big 12 and roatating the sites between KC and Dallas, I will say this: KEEP THE TOURNEY IN LA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bendsinister Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Yes the CCG in football will eventually be played in LA once the new stadium in downtown is built, I heard Tim Leiweke in an interview briefly mentioning bringing the Pac 12 CCG to Farmers Field. The attendance and publicity for this would be about that of the ACC CCG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MrBug708 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Then PAC-12 will never be a football power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bone Crusher Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 The attendance and publicity for this would be about that of the ACC CCG. That's why the Pac-12 CCG going to the highest seeded team makes a lot of sense. Just because other conferences are doing it doesn't mean we have to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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