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Post by aggiejazz on Jan 25, 2007 11:05:52 GMT -5
I have been to Richmond when the MEAC Tournament was there and I was in Raleigh last year.. Richmond had some better years in attendance than Raleigh did last year (its first year there).
Last year in Charlotte was the CIAA first year there. The CIAA Basketball Tournament has been featured often in black publications and this year is no different. The tournament is featured in Ebony's February magazine. One of the reasons, the CIAA moved to Charlotte was to get younger followers by making it more of a celebrity event similar to the NBA Allstar game. There were a lot of 'old heads' who didn't like it when they heard the CIAA Tournament was moving to Charlotte and some threaten not to go to Charlotte. I told a few people locally that they will be missing out and the CIAA wouldn't miss them because the younger people were going to buy their tickets. All of their preminum seats were gone by December!
The MEAC should not have moved to Raleigh, not yet, because the venue is way too large and you don't get a festive feel when you are in the arena. I think the MEAC will soured the Raleigh area for future opportunities there because of the meager attendance. The Raleigh area business community that backed this move to Raleigh lose a lot of money last year and will lose money for the next two years. I don't think they will be willing to offer another package until both NCCU and WSSU are participating in the tournament.
I think the ideal place would have been Norfolk for now with two MEAC members in the immediate area and the VA Beach resort nearby. Once you get WSSU and NCCU on board as elgible members then you make the move to Raleigh.
The MEAC conference leaders don't know the concept of cultivating your product until it out grows a venue and then move on to a larger venue. No they took the money without thinking about the consequences. The MEAC jumped from a 10,000 seat arena they could hardly half-filled to a 20,000 seat arena that felt like mortuary while you were in there watching the games last year. Even if A&T ends up being one of the top 6 seeds for both men and women, the attendance will only look slightly better not a lot better due to playing in a huge arena.
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Gator
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Post by Gator on Jan 25, 2007 13:45:57 GMT -5
I disagree Jazz only because I went to the tournament when it was in Norfolk back in the mid-90s and it was totally weak. If it wasn't for the visitors coming in from the institutions nobody would have been there.
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Aggie E
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Post by Aggie E on Jan 25, 2007 14:03:30 GMT -5
I disagree Jazz only because I went to the tournament when it was in Norfolk back in the mid-90s and it was totally weak. If it wasn't for the visitors coming in from the institutions nobody would have been there. Gator, The attendance in Norfolk was pretty dismal that year, but the main reason is that neither Norfolk State or Hampton were in the MEAC then. I agree with jazz on this one...regardless of where the tournament is held a smaller venue would benefit the event in the long run! Although the Norfolk Scope is old, it could be sold out after a 3 year stint, which would create a demand for tickets. Then the event could move to a larger venue.
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Post by Aggie Monster on Jan 25, 2007 14:51:13 GMT -5
I went the last year it was in Norfolk. No hype what so ever! I did not here one radio ad or DJ mention that the tournament was even going on.
At least Raleigh is trying. A very lame attempt, but an attempt none the less. I just heard that Hop Scotch ad again about 10 minutes ago. I almost threw the radio out the window. LOL
Winston and Central will make a difference. It may not weaken the CIAA, but it will definitely boost the attendence at the MEAC. Come on, a Central vs A&T, Winston vs Central, A&T vs Winston Final or Semifinal. That beats Hampton vs Coppin any day in NC.
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Post by aggiejazz on Jan 25, 2007 15:52:48 GMT -5
You cannot compare the early 1990's with today. In early 1990s, the CIAA just left Norfolk, VA and its 9,600 seat arena for Richmond which is about 11,600.
The MEAC with a so-so A&T basketball team came limping into Norfolk and Norfolf half-assed the promotion just like they half-assed it with the CIAA. Neither Hampton nor Norfolk State were in the MEAC then. After three years the city of Norfolk said good-riddance with poor foresight and Richmond made an offer. Even though Norfolk didn't realized the money that they made from the CIAA they could have had at least a two-thirds filled arena three years later and now the city of Norfolk has nothing.
Richmond made an offer to bring in the MEAC into the Richmond Arena after the CAA Men's Basketball Tournament concludes each year. The MEAC in Richmond always played second fiddle to the CAA. MEAC's largest fan based universities (A&T and Norfolk State) had bad to so-so teams going into the tournaments that translated into low attendance and the same was true last year in Raleigh.
The key question is will the Raleigh business community push to offer another three-year contract in 2008 with NCCU still about three years away from being elgible for the tournament.
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Post by Aggie Monster on Jan 25, 2007 16:11:22 GMT -5
MEAC aint going no-where unless the ACC replaces it. Raleigh dont have anything to replace it with right now. If anything changes it will be that the MEAC leaves on it own because another city offered more money. In my opinion it will continue to grow and be renewed for another 3 years at least.
I'm sorry, I meant to say that I went the last year it was in Richmond.
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DECKS
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Post by DECKS on Jan 25, 2007 18:05:06 GMT -5
The MEAC tourney will never draw well as long as 90% of the teams have a losing record come tourney time. No one wants to come out to watch 9-10 teams with losing records play. The only thing that can change it even a little is a strong A&T team that can make a deep run. Most Aggies are like me in that if we're still alive on Friday I'm there. If not I won't bother to make the trip.
As for the CIAA tourney, NCCU & WSSU probably won't make a dent. Those folks aren't coming for the basketball. They come for the parties and social events. If you've ever been to a CIAA tourney then you know half the folks hang out in the concourse during the game.
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Gator
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Post by Gator on Jan 26, 2007 12:50:19 GMT -5
There is one thing we're not considering. The CIAA is how old, and the MEAC is how old? I think it will be years before the gap is closed. No disrespect to my people in VA, N. Carolinians just supports the turnament more. Isn't the tournament held on spring break weekend? That would be a factor too.
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Post by Aggie Monster on Jan 26, 2007 13:32:32 GMT -5
I dont think the age has much to do with it. We are forgetting that the CIAA tournament was just as small(if not smaller) as the MEAC is now a mere 13-15 years ago. They were in that little Winston Salem colliseum before moving to Raleigh. They just had an aggressive marketing and campaign plan that worked.
We didn't fill up Richmond, so how are we going to fill up Raleigh? They need to do better marketing and promotions. Winston and NCCU will help because they are in-state, but the MEAC has to make some better choices on who is marketing this thing.
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bluehaze
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Post by bluehaze on Jan 26, 2007 13:53:59 GMT -5
I dont think the age has much to do with it. We are forgetting that the CIAA tournament was just as small(if not smaller) as the MEAC is now a mere 13-15 years ago. They were in that little Winston Salem colliseum before moving to Raleigh. I know you aren't seriously comparing the CIAA in 1990 to the MEAC now It's not even close. That "little" Coliseum in Winston holds 15,000 people. And it was SOLD OUT. That's not taking into account the parties and festivities. CIAA is the Gold Standard for Basketball Tournaments, not only for Black Colleges but for all of basketball outside of the ACC
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Aggie77
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Post by Aggie77 on Jan 26, 2007 14:42:47 GMT -5
I dont think the age has much to do with it. We are forgetting that the CIAA tournament was just as small(if not smaller) as the MEAC is now a mere 13-15 years ago. They were in that little Winston Salem colliseum before moving to Raleigh. I know you aren't seriously comparing the CIAA in 1990 to the MEAC now It's not even close. That "little" Coliseum in Winston holds 15,000 people. And it was SOLD OUT. That's not taking into account the parties and festivities. CIAA is the Gold Standard for Basketball Tournaments, not only for Black Colleges but for all of basketball outside of the ACC I agree. The first time I went to the CIAA (still in high school) was 1972 in the sold-out Greensboro Coliseum and it was a destination event back then. People still plan there lives around it year in and year out, because it not about basketball, it's a party. Like Dex says half the people in the arena hear who won by word of mouth, because they in the concourse most of the time. The people in the arena are probably about a third of the people that actually come to town for the events, the other two-thirds are out doing whatever. I too think the Norfolk would be a better site for the event. The Scope, shopping, restaurants, hotels are all downtown. You have 5k cheering fans in the Scope you can’t hear PA or the whistle, you get 5,000 cheering fans in RBC it has no impact. If my memory serves me right the Scope is were the CIAA first really took off, in the middle to late 60s, when WSSU, A&T, NSU, and ECSU all had great teams and it was about the “basketball”.
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Post by aggiejazz on Jan 26, 2007 15:12:59 GMT -5
Checkout my thread on the growth of the CIAA. People's memory sometimes aren't that accurate. The CIAA Tournament wasn't always as big as it is today. It just seemed that way because the venues were smaller and packed. 17 years ago the CIAA couldn't fill a 20,000 seat arena now it can. The CIAA was filling up a 9,600 seat arena something the MEAC has not done since A&T's and Howard's glory days of the 1980's.
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Post by Aggie Monster on Jan 26, 2007 15:29:22 GMT -5
My original point was in regards to the marketing. The MEAC just needs to do better. I have been to both tournaments in Raleigh and the MEAC last year and this year(so far) does not have the type of marketing teams that the CIAA has. It pales in comparison. That's all I'm saying.
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Post by aggiejazz on Jan 26, 2007 15:54:21 GMT -5
My last post wasn't in disagreement with you Aggie Monster. The CIAA event is a lot more fun. The statements of who has been around the longest isn't the reason why it is a lot more exciting to be at the CIAA versus the MEAC. The difference is the leadership and their planning of each event.
I can have just as much fun with 5,000 people in attendance as I can with 20,000 but it is hard to have a festive atmosphere in a 20,000 seat arena with only 5,000 people that are scattered around inside. It is how you plan the event and how you run the event. Aggie Monster, you and I are in agreement on that.
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Post by Aggie Monster on Jan 26, 2007 15:59:32 GMT -5
I know, I just thought the point was getting to another subject. It's all good. I just hate that damn commercial. That's how this post started. LOL
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