[shane453]

We can post about the Big XII tournament here.

This is the first time the men's and women's tournaments have been held outside of Dallas or Kansas City. Here in OKC, the banners are up, the skybridges are wrapped with huge welcome signs, and people are starting to roll into town for the action. More tickets have been sold than ever before for the Women's tournament.

All 6 of Oklahoma City's downtown hotels (half of which have opened within the last 4 months) are booked solid. The ones that are still u/c must be feeling sorry.

The Cox Center Arena for the Women's Tournament and the Ford Center for the Men's are only "58 steps" apart. ("58 Steps" is the theme of the event, and they also have signage noting how many steps to other DT OKC attractions)

200,000 visitors expected from Tuesday to Saturday.

$40 million impact on economy.

Restaurants are doubling staffs and preparing "quick food menus." With other concerts and festivals this month, it could be a record for Bricktown business.

More pictures etc to come.

[Mopacs]

Hopefully Texas can make some waves in the BIG tourney, though its almost a foregone conclusion that A&M and KU will play for the conference title. Time will tell!

Overall I'm very excited about BigXII basketball this year... having two teams in the top 7, and Texas in the top 15.

[Tex1899]

I still can't believe A&M's a basketball school. I got an email from someone this morning saying this is helping our football recruiting...taking guys to baskeball games. We're up to 20 recruits for '08.

I'm surprised the Big XII allowed the same city to host both the men's and women's. Maybe this happens all the time.

I lived in Indianapolis for 2 years and they hosted the Big 10 tournament once...you'd see people from all over there. Hosting these events truly has an ecomonic impact on the city because hotel occupancy rates increase. With NFL, MLB, etc., the impact is more difficult to measure.

[houston19514]

I still can't believe A&M's a basketball school. I got an email from someone this morning saying this is helping our football recruiting...taking guys to baskeball games. We're up to 20 recruits for '08.

I'm surprised the Big XII allowed the same city to host both the men's and women's. Maybe this happens all the time.

I lived in Indianapolis for 2 years and they hosted the Big 10 tournament once...you'd see people from all over there. Hosting these events truly has an ecomonic impact on the city because hotel occupancy rates increase. With NFL, MLB, etc., the impact is more difficult to measure.


The Big XII Men's and Women's tournaments are always in the same city. One of the requirements for hosting the men's tournament is to have a separate suitable facility for the women. And my understanding is that the Big XII prefers they be as close as possible to each other, which makes OKC's setup pretty perfect.

[BG918]

OKC is well setup for this with the two arenas across the street from each other downtown, Bricktown district two blocks away with dozens of restaurants and bars, and 6 hotels all within a few blocks walking distance. They are building a 10 story Hampton Inn in Bricktown which will put the total number of rooms downtown at 1,500, which is pretty impressive for a city the size of OKC. They have plans to redevelop the area just to the west of the Ford Center (Bricktown is to the east) into a mixed-use district along the new downtown blvd. that will replace the elevated I-40 with another hotel and more retail, which is needed in downtown especially for visitors.

[Tex1899]

The Big XII Men's and Women's tournaments are always in the same city. One of the requirements for hosting the men's tournament is to have a separate suitable facility for the women. And my understanding is that the Big XII prefers they be as close as possible to each other, which makes OKC's setup pretty perfect.

I did not know this...logical requirements. Do cities bid for the tournaments? I wonder if the sum of the parts is greater than the whole?

[bombermwc]

The city does have to "bid". You tout the facilities and amenities and tell why your city is a good choice and all. There really haven't been many good choices before since Kansas City was the only place that had 2 arenas close to each other....but that won't be true anymore when their new arena opens....good news for OKC. You can't really beat OKC in having them across the street from each other and the Cox Center is much much much nicer than Municipal Auditorim in Kansas City. Everything is so close in OKC...it's just right there downtown...hence the "steps" program showing how many steps to each attraction. Give us another 5 years to get the I-40 relocation done and get all the development built up where the highway currently is, and you'll have even more reasons to choose OKC!

[Mopacs]

Can't beat OKC's central location, relative to the Big XXII schools. I'm sure that doesnt' hurt your chances of landing such events either. It beats driving 600-700 miles from Austin to Kansas City to catch a UT game in the tourney!

[BG918]

With OSU's upset of A&M yesterday there will be a ton of fans downtown today for the OSU-Texas semi-final game. Kansas-Kansas State will also be a popular game as there are lots of KU and KSU alums in the OKC area.

[Mopacs]

Hopefully Texas can make some waves in the BIG tourney, though its almost a foregone conclusion that A&M and KU will play for the conference title. Time will tell!

Oops.. well I got it half right. UT-KU tomorrow for the conf championship. Hooke 'Em!

[shane453]

All over... Go OU girls! and Kansas, I guess. And of course we're already talking about how we can have the Big XII again in 2009 or 2011-2013. They are supposed to make announcements on locations for the Big XII tournaments up to 2013 this summer. But really, geographically in the Big XII, hotel rooms in proximity, quality of closely grouped venues, nearby restaurant selection big enough to handle huge numbers of fans... You can't beat OKC.

[houston19514]

The city does have to "bid". You tout the facilities and amenities and tell why your city is a good choice and all. There really haven't been many good choices before since Kansas City was the only place that had 2 arenas close to each other....but that won't be true anymore when their new arena opens....good news for OKC. You can't really beat OKC in having them across the street from each other and the Cox Center is much much much nicer than Municipal Auditorim in Kansas City. Everything is so close in OKC...it's just right there downtown...hence the "steps" program showing how many steps to each attraction. Give us another 5 years to get the I-40 relocation done and get all the development built up where the highway currently is, and you'll have even more reasons to choose OKC!


Agreed that OKC's setup is ideal and very hard to beat. However, it is not true that KC was the only place with 2 arenas close to each other. Kemper Arena and Municipal Auditorium are not close to each other. KC's new arena will be much closer to the site of the women's games than was Kemper Arena (the former site of the men's tournament).

[bombermwc]

But they wont be using Kemper. Their bid says that they would keep the women in Municpal....which I think is insane. I'd rather have the women play in a newer, much nicer facility than municipal...even if it is farther.

[houston19514]

But they wont be using Kemper. Their bid says that they would keep the women in Municpal....which I think is insane. I'd rather have the women play in a newer, much nicer facility than municipal...even if it is farther.

LOL I know they won't be using Kemper, that was part of my point. They will be using the much-closer Municipal Auditorium, whatever its condition. You told us in the previous post that KC would no longer have their two arenas near each other once they move to Sprint Center. The fact is, for the first time ever, KC will offer two arenas that are near each other - Sprint and Municipal Auditorium. (I wonder if they plan to improve Municipal in order to address the strong competition from OKC)

[KCtoBrooklyn]

I think Municipal is a great arena for hosting the women's games. Its a beautiful, historic building which has hosted 9 men's Final Fours and currently hosts UMKC basketball and the NAIA tourney. You don't need 17k seats for the women's games.

I know I'm biased, but I beleive the Big XII tourney belongs in KC. The history of the tourney is there. I think its a shame they're moving it around and ruining the tradition. Hopefully, after its return next year, it will stay for good.

[TDoss]

I used to be a huge fan of televised sports until I heard Alex Jones' analysis on how the bread and circus distractions of sports are used to steam valve the natural instinct to fight tyranny that all Americans once had.

Bread and circuses
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


“Bread and circuses” has come to be a derogatory phrase that can criticize either government policies to pacify the citizenry, or the shallow, decadent desires of that same citizenry. In both cases, it refers to low-cost, low-quality, high-availability food and entertainment that have become the sole concern of the People, to the exclusion of matters that the speaker considers more important: e.g. the Arts, public works projects, human rights, or democracy itself. The phrase is commonly used to refer to short-term government palliatives offered in place of a solution for significant, long-term problems.

This phrase originates in Satire X of the Roman poet Juvenal of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries CE. In context, the Latin phrase panem et circenses (bread and circuses) is given as the only remaining cares of a Roman populace which has given up its birthright of political freedom:

... Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man,
the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time
handed out military command, high civil office, legions - everything, now
restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things:
bread and circuses

[TexasBoi]

I think Municipal is a great arena for hosting the women's games. Its a beautiful, historic building which has hosted 9 men's Final Fours and currently hosts UMKC basketball and the NAIA tourney. You don't need 17k seats for the women's games.

I know I'm biased, but I beleive the Big XII tourney belongs in KC. The history of the tourney is there. I think its a shame they're moving it around and ruining the tradition. Hopefully, after its return next year, it will stay for good.

So basically have the big 12 basketball tourney in KC every year and have the big 12 championship game in football in Dallas every year??

[KCtoBrooklyn]

So basically have the big 12 basketball tourney in KC every year and have the big 12 championship game in football in Dallas every year??

I would take that arrangement.

[bombermwc]

Good thing you don't get to vote then. Don't you think it's better to have the tournament games in cities that actually have BigXII teams in them? Wow, what a concept. I have a huge problem with one city ever getting a contract to be the only place to host something.

We get better performance out of the cities because they have competition. Otherwise, it would be stagnant and boring. What's the motivation to improve if you know you are going to win?

Kansas City is about as far away as you can get without being outside of the BigXII. There's nothing conventient about that at all. As someone noted, with the tournament being in OKC, it was the first time it was within a 1 day driving distance of everyone in BigXII. Granted most people fly and it doesnt matter if its the next state or 3 states away, but a lot of people from Tulsa, Dallas, Wichta, St. Louis, etc. etc. drive in because it's only a 4 hour drive from the most distant of those large cities. And at only 4 hours, it's actually faster then doing the whole airport nonsense.

Municipal may be historic, but it's a terd pile compared to pretty much any good arena out there. Bleachers??? Really??? I agree that they don't need a 20K seat arena for the women's games, but they shouldn't get the crud of the pile either. After playing in something like the Cox Center or AA Center, Municipal is going to feel like a dirty slap in the face.

[KCtoBrooklyn]

No, the tourney should not be in a city with a Big XII team in it. No college towns have the adequate facilities, hotels, and amenities. Furthermore, the tourney needs to be at a neutral sight to make it a more level playing field.

KC is not as far away as you can get. It is closer to MU, KU, KSU, ISU, NU and CU then any city an OK or TX.

Most of the Muni is not bleachers, that is just a small portion. And the women didn't play at the AA center in Dallas.

[JEMack]

I have to admit, having the tournament in Oklahoma City makes the most sense. Not only does OKC have great facilities but it's literally in the middle of all Big XII cities.

[TexasStar]

... And the women didn't play at the AA center in Dallas.

No, they play at Reunion Arena.
Still a first class facility.

[bombermwc]

Never said the women played in AA, I sayed they are trying to get it approved for them TO play both men and women there....glasses are great.

And the close factor....I believe this little map will show you how much more central OKC is to the over all big12. Hmmm, amazing what a visual aid can do for you huh?

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t72/bombermwc/map.jpg

[Shasta]

This whole disagreement shows the downside of the Big 12. The 8 teams from the former Big Eight feel like they expanded the conference to allow the 4 Texas schools in. The Texas schools feel like it's an entirely new conference. There is growing resentment out there from the two sides and the balance of power in most sports has definitely shifted to the South (football, men's and women's hoops, and baseball) it seems.

[bombermwc]

Well, the Big12 has had a tough time the last few years in football and b-ball. Teams that have historically been really good have had a down turn. But things will be picking up across the board. You'll see Nebraska definitely making a come back in football. They made a huge jump back in this year and can continue to improve. Kansas is better than they have really ever been in football, and K-State can make a jump back into things with a good recruiting class.

With B-Ball, you've got OU that has a first year coach that lost some of the people that had signed, and didn't bring any of his recruits. Look at how well VCU did with the kids he recruited there. Give him a little time and OU will be back in it. OSU made a push at the end, but Stutton will have to greatly improve the team after such a lacluster season...the Sutton name doesn't automatically mean you can coach...cough cough.

I'm kind of ignoring the improvements made in the south so I'm not repetetive to other posts. But I'd say give the north a few years and they'll be back on their feet. The overall Big12 is just in a rebuiding phase on most teams.