Is it time to move the tournaments to a neutral site?

[Umista]

Dog House. Pure and simple. Some Big Sky teams must play in a damn Dog House! How Fun is that?

News said PSU vs U of M had just over 1000 in the ladies championship game last night.

Big Dog House Sky League.

 

[stubbins]

the tourney is a reward for the regular season champ...and well earned. But, if it's in vegas I'm going every year until I die.

 

[mtgrizrule]

the tourney is a reward for the regular season champ...and well earned. But, if it's in vegas I'm going every year until I die.

Me too........ :thumb:

 

[GrizBBIsKing]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Playing for the rights to host is very important to the regular season. And they earned the right to have the games in front of their home crowd. The problem has been the officiating, especially this year. Didn't home games use to mean just that you got to play with your home crowd and didn't have to travel? When did it become that you got an unfair officiating advantage?

I agree with you.

I am totally against having a tournament at a neutral site.

but, the one major reason that they would have it at a neutral site is because there are way to many schools in this conference that would have a hard time hosting the tournament. Not every expense is paid for by the conference, and some of the facilities are bad. by hosting it at a neutral site every year, the conference can rely on good facialities every year. In addition, fans make plans earlier.
Las Vegas would be the best place to have it for a neutral site because there are at least somethings people can do as a fallback plan if their teams do not make it to the tournament or very far into the tournament.
But letting the regular season champion is always the most ordeal. It may not be the most financially ideal when a team with lousy facilities hosts it though.

 

[Gaeilge1]

Rather than a neutral site, why not just import officials that are not BSC for the tournament?

I realize that it is a busy week in all conferences but there are two or three conferences that have their tounaments prior to the start of championship week. In addition the BSC is scheduled early enough in the week that some officials would be available that might not be later in the week. I am sure the league could find 10 to 12 officials from other conferences that would be available. This might also better prepare the tourney winner for the NCAA tournament, as they certainly are not going to see BSC officials in the NCAA's.

 

[Bengal1]

The Fresno newspaper, perhaps a little biased because Fresno State is leaving the WAC for the MWC, featured a column comparing the WAC tournament to the MWC tournament. Both are in Vegas, and while there were scalpers and crowds galore at the MWC tournament, the WAC's was relatively quiet.

The Reno newspaper wrote how the WAC's neutral site tournament is losing money.

The WAC fully expected a neutral-site tournament to be more costly because it doesn't draw nearly as well as when hosted by a member school.

Final numbers won't be in until after today's championship games, but it appears clear the cost will be substantial.

For starters, the first two days of the four-day tournament drew about 3,500 fans per day, according to the WAC. Last year in Reno, the average daily attendance was 4,469, and that was about half of the average (8,400) from 2006 to 2009.

The WAC's contract with Orleans owner Boyd Gaming was for one season, but WAC commissioner Karl Benson said Friday that he expects to return in 2012.

"I think we'll be back," he said. "But the terms might be different."

That's code for, "The Orleans might want to re-work the contract to make sure they don't lose money."

http://www.rgj.com/article/20110312/COL0301/103120318/-1/TT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Idaho State's former (crooked) athletic director, Paul Bubb, was trying to make the neutral site a go. He actually was pushing for it in Boise, to be held at Qwest Arena downtown. They were very receptive to it, but the rest of the conference wasn't. Many of the reasons have already been listed, and the other is the fear of competion, much like the WAC experienced from the MWC.

 

[Gallatin Griz]

I think Missoula should host it for the men and women for the next 10 years and then reevaluate. All the teams can book their travel and lodging at the start of the season and those not making it can cancel appropriately. Sure it is not a neutral site but the Griz fans are so friendly that it would seem like a neutral site for all but the teams playing UM.