Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 27 augusT 2019
Safe Bet: Vegas set to bid to host numerous NCAA events

NEW YORK (AP) — Las ested in, we'll try and get
Vegas is going to take a as many yeses as possible,"
chance on hosting major he said. "We'll bid for mul-
college sporting events. tiple years. It probably will
The city is set to bid on depend on the different
nearly a half dozen differ- sports we bid for. We think
ent NCAA championship there are benefits to being
events, including women's a known place you come
basketball. back every year."
The NCAA will start accept- The NCAA said it would
ing bids Monday on nearly help Las Vegas and other
two dozen sports champi- cities learn the details of
onships over all three divi- putting in bids. The college
sions. This is the first year governing body is hosting a
that Las Vegas is eligible NCAA Championship Host-
to bid after the governing ing Symposium on Sept. 18.
body for college sports in- Women's basketball future
definitely suspended a ban sites will be announced in
last year that prevented October 2020.
events from being hosted While the men's basketball
in states that accept wa- Final Four isn't in this bid cy-
gers on single games. cle, regionals are available
George Kliavkoff, who is This Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, file photo shows the Las Vegas skyline. Las Vegas is set to bid on from 2023-26. The men's
MGM's President of Enter- nearly a half dozen different NCAA college championship events, including women’s basketball. basketball committee vis-
tainment and Sports, told Associated Press ited Las Vegas earlier this
The Associated Press last year and toured the new
week that his group — in flights from almost every- said. "It's new ground we're mat to help with television Oakland Raiders football
conjunction with the Las where in the country." treading. Moving from four windows for their partner stadium that will be ready
Vegas Convention and Moving to a two-site for- to two sites for regionals." ESPN. MGM also operates next year, as well as T-
Visitor Authority — plan on mat, the committee not- While Holzman wouldn't say the arena in Springfield, Mobile Arena. Las Vegas
bidding to host women's ed, would elevate and whether Las Vegas has a Massachusetts, so the com- would be interested in host-
basketball as well as at enhance the student-ath- leg-up on other cities, she is pany could bid for an East ing those regionals as well.
least five other sports. Those lete experience, enhance very familiar with basketball Coast site, as well. Potentially they could host
could include the Frozen broadcast coverage, cre- tournaments being played Mohegan Sun, which has the men's and women's re-
Four, wrestling and wom- ate opportunity for growth there. She was commission- hosted many college bas- gionals in the same year.
en's volleyball champion- of the sport and champi- er of the West Coast Con- ketball events, as well as a "Basketball is slowly realizing
ships. onship, build the brand of ference, which has played WNBA team, has said it is that Las Vegas is the sec-
"We're looking for scaled women's basketball and its tournament in Las Vegas considering bidding for the ond home for basketball in
opportunities. Sports that expand programming tar- for the last decade. regional, too. the United States," Kliavkoff
attract lots of fans and geting strategic plan initia- Las Vegas would have no With regionals available said. "We have the summer
some places we can re- tives that were announced problems hosting eight from 2023-26 and the Final league, the G-league. We
configure the way the in the NCAA Women's Bas- teams and their fans in the Four in 2025 and 2026, Klia- are in discussion on bring-
events are held to attract ketball Strategic Plan. new format. It would make vkoff said that he expects ing more here. We have
more fans," he said. "We'll see how it falls out sense for the NCAA to look Las Vegas to put in a series the Aces. We have more
Kliavkoff thinks Las Vegas is as bids come in," NCAA at having one site on the of bids for them and other and more college tourna-
positioned well for women's vice president for women's West Coast and one on the NCAA events. ments. This is the home for
basketball and its potential basketball Lynn Holzman East Coast for the new for- "For the sports we're inter- lots of AAU tournaments,
new regional format. The high school tournaments
NCAA women's basketball and 3-on-3 basketball. We
committee suggested ear- think of this as one of the
lier this month changing best basketball homes in
the format for the regionals the country and continue
starting in 2023 by having to build on that. We'll put in
two cities host eight teams bids for the years that are
each in the Sweet 16 in- available. By definition, the
stead of having four sites. men's and women's bas-
"Nevada is such a great ketball will be overlapping
place and Las Vegas is a few years and we will be
such an excellent place bidding on them."
to hold a championship With over 100,000 hotel
or regional," Kliavkoff said. rooms on the strip and the
"We're uniquely positioned three venues, hosting both
since we have T-Mobile the men's and women's re-
Arena, MGM Garden Are- gionals wouldn't be a prob-
na and Mandalay Bays. We lem.
have three event centers. The College Football Play-
We have knowledge how off has two more champi-
to do this. There are dozens onship game sites still to be
of hotels in town that have chosen during the 12-year
price points for every fan. In this June 4, 2019, file photo, construction cranes surround the football stadium under construc- contract with ESPN that
We're a city that's easy to tion in Las Vegas. runs through the 2025 sea-
get to with direct non-stop Associated Press son. q