NCAA signage Nazis hit March Madness venues

[Silvertip]

We all recall that when UM hosts playoff games the NCAA swoops in and requires all corporate signage and logos to be hidden from view. Don't know that I ever noticed it before, but every single first round venue this week has a uniformly black floor apron with the facilities name in the same type style - blue and black - and the ever present NCAA on the mid court jump circle. Besides attacking un-PC school
mascots the chrome domes in Indy have seemingly made imprinting their brand on everything except booze and smokes a major priority. Not a big deal - but still, rather heavy handed and mildly annoying.

 

[GRZFTBL]

Nice catch. Said the same thing to my business partner this morning. All floors painted the same w/ the venue on one end and city on the other.

 

[Grizbacker1]

There are some that picked up on the fact the NCAA is a business long ago tip. Doesn't make it right, but it isn't changing anytime soon. MANY of their decisions are a direct result of "how do we (NCAA) profit the most.

 

[bengal]

I did a paper for one of my athletic administration classes a few years ago, and interviewed the guy who manages the NCAA tournament when it's played at Boise State. He sent me a copy of the NCAA "manual" for host sites. It sets out guidelines for everything imaginable, including, as noted above, the arena and floor signage. The NCAA sends out a team a couple of weeks before the tournament to inspect each host facility and make sure everything is in compliance. The NCAA is probably the most bureaucratic and anal-retentive organization ever. They call the NFL the "no fun league," but nobody clamps down on fun or originality like the NCAA.

 

[GrizMontana]

They have a billion dollar property, keeping control so the sponsors who pay through the nose are happy is a major priority. Whether its floor signage or TV time they want to make sure there are no pissed off sponsors and more importantly no one is getting anything for free......there is a lot of money to be made selling $30 t-shirts and $50,000 tv ads?

 

[bengal]

Oh yes, there is no question the NCAA is all about money. We will see that soon when they expand the NCAA tournament, after the most exciting opening weekend in tournament history, to 96 teams in order to "increase inventory." $$$ and TV definitely drive the NCAA, of that there is no doubt.

 

[grizpack]

The NCAA actually brings in new floors to each venue for the men's tournament. After the tournament, the floors are either sold as is (usually to the championship team for the Final 4 venue), or sanded down and sold to other arenas or universities.

It is just a matter of time before they do it for the women too.

 

[bengal]

Yes, it tells you something about how lavish the NCAA tournament has become when they can supply brand new floors to the venues. Here's an interesting article about the company that makes the floors:

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2010/02/15/story12.html?b=1266210000%5E2880101&s=industry&i=sports_business