The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments will come to Norfolk for at least the next three years, officials will announce at a news conference Thursday morning at Scope.
The MEAC and Norfolk have agreed to a three-year contract, with a two-year option to renew, to play the tournaments at Scope beginning in March 2013, according to sources who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to release the information.
City officials, led by Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot, have long tried to attract the MEAC tournaments to Norfolk, saying it will fill hotel rooms and restaurants and increase the city's profile.
Norfolk State and Hampton University play in the MEAC, whose champions gain automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. Its men's basketball championship game is televised on ESPN2.
Hampton won both the men's and women's tournaments last year. Norfolk State currently leads the MEAC men's basketball race.
The tournament has not attracted large crowds in recent years, but Norfolk officials have contended that moving the tournament to Scope could change that - noting that two league members are in Hampton Roads and seven others are within a 4-1/2-hour drive of Norfolk.
This year's tournaments will be played from March 5-10 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The city bid unsuccessfully for the tournament four years ago, when MEAC officials announced it would move from Raleigh, N.C., to Winston-Salem. Norfolk also bid for the tournament while it was in Richmond, from 1998 through 2005, and when it moved from Richmond to Raleigh in 2006.
The tournament was last played in Norfolk in 1997, the year before Norfolk State joined the MEAC.
However, the sources said Burfoot and Norfolk City Manager Marcus Jones cemented a deal recently with officials from the MEAC, whose office is in Virginia Beach.
It isn't yet known what incentives the city offered the conference. Three years ago,the city's enticements included rent-free use of Scope. Media reports in Winston-Salem indicated that the conference received more than $100,000 in incentives to hold the tournament there.
The conference also pledged that all teams will stay in Norfolk hotels.
Scope, which seats about 10,000 for basketball, is a 40-year-old facility that is home to the Norfolk Admirals hockey team and the Norfolk SharX indoor-soccer team, but is vacant much of the year.
The city has poured more than $12 million into renovating Scope in recent years, replacing its seating, adding new scoreboards, lighting and sound systems and renovating locker rooms and concession stands.
Four years ago, the conference asked the city to consider helping the league host the tournament at Old Dominion University's Ted Constant Convocation Center, which is more modern and offers luxury suites that Scope does not have. However, city officials said they would provide no incentives unless the tournament was held at Scope.
Staff writer Rich Radford contributed to this story.
Harry Minium, 757-446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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I'm no sure what all the
I'm no sure what all the fuss is about. People want to criticize Scope as a dump, yet they'd be the first to scream if their tax money were spent on another "white elephant." So what's the point?
The Admirals
get priority in scheduling I hope.
"The city has poured more
"The city has poured more than $12 million into renovating Scope in recent years, replacing its seating, adding new scoreboards, lighting and sound systems and renovating locker rooms and concession stands."
Quite frankly, Scope is a dump. The only redeeming feature is the video boards, however, the center hung board isn't totally adequate for basketball. All these additions are akin to putting lipstick on a pig...
"the center hung board isn't
"the center hung board isn't totally adequate for basketball"
But it is great for hockey, if basketball doesn't like it, the door is over there.
The artile said it best
The arena is vacant much of the year. Instead of Norfolk lobbying for events to use scope, to prove to people this city is on the up rise, they kept it empty. Hosting High school tournaments was nice, but I'm 32 and I figured that they needed to do that 10 years ago (what geniuses).
Its hard to lobby for a new arena when you do not make use of your smaller one for what it is. I seriously doubt ALL options are waiting for bigger venues as someone may suggest. But again, the article says "the arena is vacant much of the year", just like I expected.
That's a Norfolk management/scope issue. You could host all types of events, not just the convention space. MMA, Local MMA, Local boxing, Cheerleading events, dance/step, even a local talent show.
I hear you brikkman... but
I hear you brikkman... but don't you think they would get the things that the TED gets if they had the better stadium. I see them stealing all the shows and plays and tourneys if they have a new stadium. The Ted hosted the Women NCAA's. Norfolk could at least be a host for the 1st round. A nice size new tech arena would steal all events from the Coliseum, Ted and all of the other theaters. I think new would win long enough to corner the market. They should knock waterside down and put up a monster. There's nothing like that close. Verizon center in DC and Charlotte.
no brainer
If the city was thinking. They would already be knocking waterside down to put in a arena that holds 20,000 with all the new stuff in it... Then you can blow up scope after its built and put a new world trade center or something there. Then you make that area the center of the city. Come on Norfolk it's sitting in your lap. Glad the MEAC will be coming. Its can be a real good thing for Norfolk.
More Revenue = Less Taxes
Norfolk has a wonderful opportunity to cash in on the MEAC. These fans love to travel and have a good time. The last time the tournament was at Scope; restaurants & rooms reserved all the way to the ocean front. Norfolk needs to continue to invest in their infrastructure; encourage tournament related events to be held at the Half Moon or Chrysler Museum. These fans will spend money! Couple this with the home & home series of ODU/NSU football and other significant events and Norfolk will be clipping a nice coupon!
Great move
Great move, considering how much downtown Norfolk has grown since 1997. There's more nightlife options for students and alums (Macarthur, Granby, shows at the Norva/Attucks, etc.), and it helps that NSU and HU have built bigger fan/alumni bases, and have had basketball success since joining the MEAC.
However, I agree that Scope is beyond obsolete. While an arena replacement is expensive (even the one recently proposed), it's still worth considering in order to keep this tournament in Norfolk.
Thanks for the laugh
"While an arena replacement is expensive (even the one recently proposed), it's still worth considering in order to keep this tournament in Norfolk."
Build an arena to keep the THIRTIETH ranked conference's basketball tournament.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/preview2011/story/_/id/7208556/ranking-college-basketball-conferences-2011-12-season