NCAA: No domed venues for NCAA Tourney except for Final Four

Submitted by Butterfield on

Shocking development:  the NCAA has made a move that will likely reduce revenues!

Domed venues (e.g. Ford Field, Jerryworld, etc.) will now only be used for Final Fours, not for Regionals.  I love this move.  The domes are just too big and impersonal for the regional finals, and empty seats were abound.  Hell, I'd love to see the Final Four return to non-domed venues. 

Great news for a lot of smaller cities that may now have a chance to host regionals also - with the old policy, the regionals were pretty much circulated amongst the same dozen cities year in and year out. 

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/22395089/report-ncaa-ditching-domes-prior-to-final-four 

Butterfield

June 12th, 2013 at 4:50 PM ^

Final four attendance has never been an issue, but attendance at 1st and 2nd weekend venues can be sparse especially if the teams playing aren't within driving distance.  This isn't going to increase attendance, it is likely to decrease it, but at least the teams will be more likely to play in front of full houses. 

ijohnb

June 12th, 2013 at 5:03 PM ^

Four should stay domed IMO.  That is packed every year and it is usually a pretty good atmosphere.  The regionals were getting a little awkward in domes, Michigan v. Florida comes to mind.  All in all, this would appear to be a good move.

backtoblu

June 12th, 2013 at 6:04 PM ^

Others beat me to the punch but ya, FF was never really the issue.  The headliners at each regional and location make big differences in the regional attendances.  FF has always done well with ticket sales (ESPECIALLY when big name programs and rabid fanbases are a part of it, like us and Kentucky).

MGoManBall

June 12th, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^

It's possible I'm being a homer here but I really enjoy the 1st and 2nd round (now 2nd and 3rd round) games at UD arena. I won't be upset if more games get played there.

Son of Lloyd Brady

June 12th, 2013 at 5:12 PM ^

Can't say that I disagree with you here (considering UD arena was about a 10 minute walk from my house on campus). Love the arena and the fact that they just set the record for the most all-time NCAA Tourney games hosted is pretty cool as well. Go Flyers!

WindyCityBlue

June 12th, 2013 at 5:14 PM ^

...who thinks bball games in domes suck ass, final four or not. I thought the seats at the Georgia dome were just plain bad for basketball. Sure, there were probably some good seats, but the stadium was not built for bball.



Putting business/money reasons aside, I would prefer all march madness games be at united center type venue.

LSAClassOf2000

June 12th, 2013 at 5:20 PM ^

I actually like this move as well. As I recall, the average game attendance for the NCAA Tournament for the past several years - regardless of round - actually hovers somewhere between 17,000 and 21,000 or so depending on the year. I seem to remember that this was the overall average anyway. That makes domes look almost vacant, which is rather sad on many levels, especially when you're getting these sort of figures in venues that can hold 3-4 times that number and you'll know that you'll have no issue filling those seats for a Final Four. 

StephenRKass

June 12th, 2013 at 5:30 PM ^

There are many variables at play (i.e., who is playing at the venue, how many people are in the surrounding community, what is the venue like itself.) Having said that, I think this is a great direction for the tourney. When I went to the Big 10 Tournament at the United Center this year, it worked just fine . . . but I can't imagine being still further away then where we were (the next to top row, a bit off the end line.)

Rupp Arena, Dean Smith Center, the United Center, the Palace of Auburn Hills, Wells Fargo (76ers,) American Airlines (Mavs,) Rose Garden (Trail Blazers,) Quicken Loans (Cavs,) are all arenas with capacity between 20 & 25,000, but are better suited for basketball. Between these arenas, and those ranging from 15 to 20,000, they are venues that work a lot better for viewing basketball games.

MI Expat NY

June 12th, 2013 at 5:47 PM ^

It seems like domed stadiums hosting regionals as dry-runs for final fours might still happen  if it's the stadium's first final four gig.  So these might not entirely go away.  Atlanta and Minneapolis are getting new stadiums soon and have been past host cities.  I wonder if they'll host regionals.

rdlwolverine

June 12th, 2013 at 5:55 PM ^

approximately 150 NCAA tournament games over the years, I applaud this move.  I have always avoided games in domes until the Final 4 this year.  After attending the games in Atlanta, I agree that they should keep the Final 4 in domes. Though the view is obviously less than ideal it allows so many more people to experience the fun and atmosphere.  If the games this year had not been in a dome, I would not have been there.  I paid about $500/seat just to get in the dome, with a venue about a third the size I can't imagine how much tickets would go for.

 

HELLE

June 12th, 2013 at 6:49 PM ^

but terrible for fans wanting tickets at an affordable price. I may sound crazy but I would rather sacrifice atmosphere for the opportunity of an increased number of fans getting to watch the game in person. Personally, I would not even think about a half empty arena if my team was playing to get in the Final Four.

Perkis-Size Me

June 12th, 2013 at 7:25 PM ^

Awesome news. Having the sweet 16 at jerryworld in front of only 20-30,000 people just isn't going to cut it anymore. Not sure how I even feel about having the final four there next year.