Why St. Louis Was Snubbed by the NCAA
As many of you know by now, the NCAA awarded future men’s basketball Final Fours to five cities on Wednesday, and St. Louis didn’t survive the final cut.
The five winners were: New Orleans (2012), Atlanta (2013), Dallas-Ft. Worth (2014), Indianapolis (2015) and Houston (2016).
I can’t say I’m surprised by the results…except for the exclusion of Glendale, Arizona and the superb venue, Phoenix Stadium, which I thought was close to a lock),
But I didn’t think St. Louis would win this bid. I never had a good feeling about it,
In no particular order, here are my theories as to why STL lost out:
* The chairman of the selection committee (Mike Slive) is from the Southeastern Conference. Notice the geography in these picks. Four of the five sites are based in the South, and two are in the SEC territory. This continues the current cycle; from 2007 through 2011, three of the five cities that received men’s Final Fours were based in the South. (Atlanta in ‘07, San Antonio in ‘08, Houston in 2011).
* The only non-South pick for this new cycle is Indianapolis, and that doesn’t really count for this reason: Indianapolis is the home of the NCAA headquarters and will host a men’s Final Four at least once every five years, which all but wipes St. Louis off the map. When a Midwestern city such as Indy is locked into a permanent hosting cycle, this dramatically reduces the prospects of other towns based in the Midwest. Especially St. Louis, simply because another Midwestern contender (Detroit) has a newer and better facility. The 2010 and 2015 Final Fours will be the sixth and seventh for Indy. The 2009 Final Four is in Detroit.
* Three of the five chosen cities have a newer stadium in place compared to the Edward Jones Dome. The new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is spectacular. Houston’s Reliant Stadium is one of the best in the nation. And Jerry Jones’ new Dallas Cowboys palace (which will host in 2014) is an extraordinary billion-dollar venue that will set the industry standard as soon as it opens next year.
* Let’s be honest: the Edward Jones Dome is a drab place. It has little appeal. Its location doesn’t help; there isn’t enough vast open space outside the facility to give the event that sprawling street-festival feel.
* New Orleans has more tradition going for it than St. Louis. New Orleans is one of the biggest party cities in the world, and the Final Four is basically a non-stop party. The Final Four last was in NOLA in 2003, and I’d have to believe that the NCAA likes the idea of helping out the post-Katrina economy there.
* St. Louis has done a fine job of hosting sports events, but Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics and has more hotel space for visitors. Plus, the Georgia Dome is a brighter, more hospitable venue, with wide-open spaces surrounding it.
* I mentioned hotel rooms. That is definitely a minus in the St. Louis profile, though I’m sure the CVC will have a different spin. But trust me, it’s an issue.
* Let’s also talk air travel. Frequent fliers based in St. Louis know that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find non-stop flights to and from this city. Because American Airlines has cut back so dramatically in St. Louis, it’s becoming a real chore to find an easy to way to get here, and leave here. This really hurts our city. It’s a shame.
* A couple of years ago, a friend (and a higher-up) at the NCAA told me that the organization was stunned by the staggering labor-related costs of staging the 2005 Final Four in St. Louis. This was a very expensive place for the NCAA to do business. I assumed that this problem had been alleviated. Perhaps not as much as the NCAA would have liked, but I doubt that anyone will come out and say it. (Update: my friend and Post-Dispatch writer-columnist Vahe Gregorian informs me the that the NCAA said labor costs were NOT a factor in the decision.)
That’s my instant reaction.
I’ve seen people mention St. Louis-city crime as a negative, something that might have given the NCAA pause. But I have absolutely no reason to believe that was a factor in this decision. In fact, I’d say that’s a cheap shot.
Why?
Simply because the NCAA continues to award sporting events to St. Louis.
This has been a regular stop on the NCAA Tournament circuit and that hasn’t changed. And that won’t change. The hockey Frozen Four was just here. The NCAA Wrestling championships has made St. Louis a partner. The 2009 women’s basketball Final Four will be at The Ed Scottrade Center. The difference? Compared to the men’s Final Four, these are much smaller events and hotels, air travel and street-festival capacity aren’t nearly as important.
Moreover, the NCAA had no crime-related problems in 2005. Our brave men and women of the St. Louis Police Department do a terrific job of keeping the downtown safe for visitors during conventions and big sporting events.
More than anything, this is about the facility and the geography.
Thanks for reading …
-B
Did Arizona make a bid with the University of Phoenix Stadium?
Dweebe - Phoenix/Glendale was a finalist. I’m assuming it was w/ the University of Phoenix Stadium. The other unsuccessful finalists (besides Phoenix & St. Louis) were: Detroit, Minneapolis, & San Antonio.
Bernie - can you expound on what you meant in regards to the NCAA incurring high labor costs? And is this is a bid situation where cities put in a bid for the right to host the Final Four - or are they merely awarded?
Bernie,
Yes the labor costs are higher in STL. We pride ourselves in providing our workers with livable wages and benefits…and no, they are not exhorbitant. You will notice that ALL the cities chosen are in “right to work”(for less)states. The NCAA is simply trying to go cheap. The labor costs in all the chosen cities will be less, but the hotel rooms and steak dinners will be more. Who wins? The NCAA and the city elite! The workers lose.
It all makes sense to me Bernie. Given all that you said though, I would be hard pressed to support a new facility in this town at this time. I know we need one for these premier events and to retain the Rams, but the Ed is still a functional facility with plenty of useful life left in it…
Interesting also (to me, at least) that every successful locale and every other non-successful locale for this cycle was also an NBA locale. STL seems to have been the only locale in the running lacking an NBA “partner”. Too bad — Frank Viverito and the Sports Commission, which does a great job, will probably catch undeserved heat for this “loss”.
Unions cost St. Louis again.
Good points Bernie.
As a former St.Louisan who resides on the west coast, my travels take me to other locales around the country, but return to my “home” at least once a year. Proud to be from St. Louis, my wife and I often bring friends along with us for sporting events, among other things, to “show” them all what the show-me-state has to offer.
To hear this news about the Final Four decision, while not catastophic, is indeed disappointing, and helps demonstrate a deeper problem involving the St. Louis region as a destination point.
Much has been written and debated on what St. Louis is, and where it’s going. While I agree losing a three day event pales in comparison to the overall economic times this country is facing, such a decision is helping add fuel to an already growing perception that St. Louis isn’t such a great place to visit to the novice traveler. Without going into econ101, this is a shame, and there needs to be a change somehow with the way corporate decisions are made, how the city and region is marketed, etc…decisions which may, sadly, be too complex given the political climate which has poisened the region for far too long.
The dome, in hindsight, was a hastily built facility designed to attract a football team, with funds greatly financed by a voter approved bond issue which never would have passed without tying the facility to the convention center. As we are finding out, there were design flaws right out of the gate which affects the asthetics of any event held there. Who needs to go to Meramac Caverns when you’ve got one downtown? Unless you’re into caves.
The hotel situation has long been an eyesore for staying in St. Louis, downtown or otherwise. While the situation has improved in recent years, there is still a long way to go in terms of sheer numbers, quality of rooms and emenities, and level of service as compared to other cities. Travelers, business and vacationers get a vibe about a place based on their experince with where they stay. I won’t even get into the experience of arriving at Lambert and making the drive down I70 to downtown…still very depressing with the all the vacant, burned out, left-for-dead houses and factories which dot the main thorough-fare which is a visitors first impression of the region.
Again, I visit St. Louis because of family, a love for St. Louis for what is good, and despite my rant above, there are many things about the region which are worthwhile. There is a need for some type of leadership regionally to change how things are done to attract businesses, both from leaving and to bring in new ones. Market the region as a place to meet and entertain, eat at as fine a resturants as you’ll find. Affordable, stable housing. Being a Chicago, New York, or L.A. as a destination is not going to be in St. Louis’s future any time soon, but staying ahead of Nashville, Charlotte, San Antonio, even Kansas City, as a vibrant, entertaining, and cosmopolitan city to visit should be a goal, in real terms and perception. Heck, I’d like the Lou to be mentioned as affectionately as Phoenix, Dallas, and Atlanta!
St. Louis needs some positive national pub as a region, and by and large it’s been on the negative tilt (crime, eroding city population, potential sale and speculation of Rams franchise, corporate exodus) for some time. The slide needs to stop….wish I had an answer!
I don’t think the problem is paying a union member a fair wage. I think the problem is paying three union members a fair wage when only one is needed.
why this has turned into a union bashing blog is beyond me,but anybody who is non-union thinks they are getting paid their good wages and benefits because of the good hearts of their employer is truly living in fantasy land..wake up and understand they are paying you what they do so you won’t go union…i have worked on both sides of the fence,and always knew i received what i did because of the unions..want a union free country..see china,russia etc….now to get back to the true purpose of the blog…why would a major event come here when there is nothing else to do escept go to the event?..would you want to sit in a hotel room waiting for the game to start…oh yeah,we could go on the arch…get real people…
I’m all for unions but if you ever had to pay union rate for someone to come and plug in an overhead projector you would be upset also. The union at the Ed is nothing but a racket.