kepdawg
05-24-2007, 10:17 PM
Arlington to host Big 12 title games
08:53 PM CDT on Thursday, May 24, 2007
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- If you build a $1 billion stadium, they will come.
First, the 2010 Cotton Bowl. Then the 2011 Super Bowl. Now, the Big 12 football championship game.
Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg announced Thursday the Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington will host the Big 12 football title games in 2009 and 2010.
While workers build the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, its event schedule grows as well.
“There’s always an attractiveness to these new facilities,” Weiberg said. “All of us are intrigued, just as the NFL seems to be with the Super Bowl award, in the new Arlington stadium and seeing how that will work as a potential site.
“We see the potential for that facility as a revenue enhancer for the conference. Again, all of this is subject to finishing some negotiations. But hopefully we can finish those in a satisfactory way.”
Weiberg said the negotiations would include things like the stadium rental fee and other enhancements the Cowboys’ could provide to the league.
The bid from the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Sports Commission was based on an 80,000-seat configuration in the Cowboys’ new stadium. Weiberg said the league stands to generate additional revenue from the Cowboys’ multitude of suites and club seats.
“We had a great experience hosting their championship game at Texas Stadium in 2001 and look forward to this new opportunity in 2009 and 2010,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “I think this week what an asset our new stadium in Arlington is going to be for all of north Texas.”
Championship sites were announced in football and basketball for three academic years – 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. League officials could have awarded sites for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years but chose to hold off until they see how the Cowboys’ new stadium works for football and how the new Sprint Center in Kansas City works for basketball.
Kansas City will host the 2008 football title game at Arrowhead Stadium, and the $276 million Sprint Center will host the 2010 and 2011 conference basketball tournaments.
Oklahoma City was awarded the 2009 Big 12 basketball tournament, when the men’s and women’s formats will change.
Beginning in 2009, the men will start on Wednesday and finish on Saturday, with the men’s final aired on ESPN, most likely between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., before the Big East final.
The women will begin on Thursday and finish on Sunday. In the past, the women began on Tuesday and finished on Saturday with a day off on Friday. The off day will go away.
Previously, the men started on Thursday and finished Sunday. The men’s coaches pushed for a Saturday finish to allow teams playing in the final an extra day of rest leading up to the NCAA Tournament.
Coaches hope an earlier finish will lead to more accurate NCAA Tournament seedings. The NCAA’s Selection Committee is usually done with its work by the time the Big 12 basketball final is completed late Sunday afternoon.
“If (the Big 12 basketball tournament) is going to reside somewhere, we think Oklahoma City is the place,” said Tim Brassfield, executive director of the Oklahoma City All-Sports Association. “We’re the epicenter of the conference as far as the fans. Our arenas are 58 steps from each other.”
The Big 12 women’s tournament in Oklahoma City generated $300,000 more in ticket revenue than any other Big 12 women’s tournament in league history.
Thursday’s announcements mean Dallas won’t host the Big 12 basketball tournament for the next four years. The planned demolition of Reunion Arena probably hurts Dallas.
A proposal to host the men’s event at American Airlines Center and the women’s event at SMU’s Moody Coliseum was rejected. Weiberg said school administrators don’t want the women’s event being played at a non-member school.
“We have a strong desire to continue to promote basketball in the state of Texas,” Weiberg said. “We are going to continue to work to bring NCAA championship events to Texas during this time period. We are interested in working with the new Cowboys’ stadium on bringing in a Final Four.”
Both Weiberg and Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman, who chaired the Big 12 Board of Directors at this week’s league meetings, said the awarding of championships to Arlington and Kansas City on a two-year basis should not be read as a move toward anchoring those events.
“There was a strong desire by the board to express that they are still interested in rotating these events,” Perlman said.
Weiberg and Perlman, however, said if Arlington and Kansas City did well with football and basketball there’s a chance they could be awarded those events in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
08:53 PM CDT on Thursday, May 24, 2007
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- If you build a $1 billion stadium, they will come.
First, the 2010 Cotton Bowl. Then the 2011 Super Bowl. Now, the Big 12 football championship game.
Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg announced Thursday the Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington will host the Big 12 football title games in 2009 and 2010.
While workers build the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, its event schedule grows as well.
“There’s always an attractiveness to these new facilities,” Weiberg said. “All of us are intrigued, just as the NFL seems to be with the Super Bowl award, in the new Arlington stadium and seeing how that will work as a potential site.
“We see the potential for that facility as a revenue enhancer for the conference. Again, all of this is subject to finishing some negotiations. But hopefully we can finish those in a satisfactory way.”
Weiberg said the negotiations would include things like the stadium rental fee and other enhancements the Cowboys’ could provide to the league.
The bid from the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Sports Commission was based on an 80,000-seat configuration in the Cowboys’ new stadium. Weiberg said the league stands to generate additional revenue from the Cowboys’ multitude of suites and club seats.
“We had a great experience hosting their championship game at Texas Stadium in 2001 and look forward to this new opportunity in 2009 and 2010,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “I think this week what an asset our new stadium in Arlington is going to be for all of north Texas.”
Championship sites were announced in football and basketball for three academic years – 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. League officials could have awarded sites for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years but chose to hold off until they see how the Cowboys’ new stadium works for football and how the new Sprint Center in Kansas City works for basketball.
Kansas City will host the 2008 football title game at Arrowhead Stadium, and the $276 million Sprint Center will host the 2010 and 2011 conference basketball tournaments.
Oklahoma City was awarded the 2009 Big 12 basketball tournament, when the men’s and women’s formats will change.
Beginning in 2009, the men will start on Wednesday and finish on Saturday, with the men’s final aired on ESPN, most likely between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., before the Big East final.
The women will begin on Thursday and finish on Sunday. In the past, the women began on Tuesday and finished on Saturday with a day off on Friday. The off day will go away.
Previously, the men started on Thursday and finished Sunday. The men’s coaches pushed for a Saturday finish to allow teams playing in the final an extra day of rest leading up to the NCAA Tournament.
Coaches hope an earlier finish will lead to more accurate NCAA Tournament seedings. The NCAA’s Selection Committee is usually done with its work by the time the Big 12 basketball final is completed late Sunday afternoon.
“If (the Big 12 basketball tournament) is going to reside somewhere, we think Oklahoma City is the place,” said Tim Brassfield, executive director of the Oklahoma City All-Sports Association. “We’re the epicenter of the conference as far as the fans. Our arenas are 58 steps from each other.”
The Big 12 women’s tournament in Oklahoma City generated $300,000 more in ticket revenue than any other Big 12 women’s tournament in league history.
Thursday’s announcements mean Dallas won’t host the Big 12 basketball tournament for the next four years. The planned demolition of Reunion Arena probably hurts Dallas.
A proposal to host the men’s event at American Airlines Center and the women’s event at SMU’s Moody Coliseum was rejected. Weiberg said school administrators don’t want the women’s event being played at a non-member school.
“We have a strong desire to continue to promote basketball in the state of Texas,” Weiberg said. “We are going to continue to work to bring NCAA championship events to Texas during this time period. We are interested in working with the new Cowboys’ stadium on bringing in a Final Four.”
Both Weiberg and Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman, who chaired the Big 12 Board of Directors at this week’s league meetings, said the awarding of championships to Arlington and Kansas City on a two-year basis should not be read as a move toward anchoring those events.
“There was a strong desire by the board to express that they are still interested in rotating these events,” Perlman said.
Weiberg and Perlman, however, said if Arlington and Kansas City did well with football and basketball there’s a chance they could be awarded those events in 2011-12 and 2012-13.