Charlotte and Winston-Salem to bid for CIAA football championship game

[4_tattoos]

I'm going to assume rental cost in Salem, VA is cheaper than Charlotte and Winston-Salem (or even Durham). The two North Carolina cities may need to make their offers worth the conferences while.

https://hbcugameday.com/2024/02/22/c...pionship-bids/

[LegalRam]

I looked it up and Memorial Stadium in Charlotte doesn't seem too bad. Also, Charlotte wants the bball tournament back so they'd probably offer Memorial Stadium and find other concessions to try to get back in the CIAA's good graces.

https://mecknc.widen.net/s/hxlddwlss...rmation-packet

If Winston really wants the game they could also offer some decent incentives.

Personally, I think Charlotte is going to offer the best deal in hopes they can eventually land the bball tournament again.

[gsutiger2002]

I looked it up and Memorial Stadium in Charlotte doesn't seem too bad. Also, Charlotte wants the bball tournament back so they'd probably offer Memorial Stadium and find other concessions to try to get back in the CIAA's good graces.

https://mecknc.widen.net/s/hxlddwlss...rmation-packet

If Winston really wants the game they could also offer some decent incentives.

Personally, I think Charlotte is going to offer the best deal in hopes they can eventually land the bball tournament again.

Charlotte would have to literally have to show me a lot, because when they had the basketball tournament, they took it for granted with outrageous hotel prices and not enough scholarship dollars to the conference. They can't have it both ways.

[VSUTrojans]

I'm going to assume rental cost in Salem, VA is cheaper than Charlotte and Winston-Salem (or even Durham). The two North Carolina cities may need to make their offers worth the conferences while.

https://hbcugameday.com/2024/02/22/c...pionship-bids/

It’s questionable as to whether Salem wants to keep the game. I haven’t read or seen anything that says they do or intend to bid. Free stadium rental was part of the lure to attract the game initially and the city may have decided that it’s not worth it to offer that incentive again and feel they won’t win the bid without it. But whether they bid or not, I think the conference realizes that it’s time to move to a venue closer to its fan base. My vote would be Durham since the game was there previously and it’s in a HBCU rich area with Shaw, St. Aug and NCCU. Charlotte can pound sand. They can bid but won’t get it, in spite of the fact that the conference office is there. Who can forget the “black tax?” And, now that the CIAA tournament has partnered with the Ravens and Orioles in Baltimore you have to think that it’s there to stay since no city will be able to compete with the financial backing of the city’s two professional sports teams.

[4_tattoos]

And, now that the CIAA tournament has partnered with the Ravens and Orioles in Baltimore you have to think that it’s there to stay since no city will be able to compete with the financial backing of the city’s two professional sports teams.

I mean... in theory the Panthers and Hornets could do the same for Charlotte 🤷🏾♂️

[VSUTrojans]

I mean... in theory the Panthers and Hornets could do the same for Charlotte 🤷🏾♂️

How many years was the tournament in Charlotte??? And, they didn’t…because they took the CIAA for granted. Now that they know the value of what they lost, they are trying to crawl back into the conferences good graces. Hopefully, the commissioner and committee won’t fall for the okie doke! Durham had it before, did a great job and I hope they get it back. After the BLACK TAX, Never Charlotte!

[Eagle74]

I'll be surprised if Charlotte comes back with a real attractive bid for the football championship game at Legion Stadium (recent CIAA Playoff game attendance hasn't been great), and I know that time helps heal, but I'm not really sure everyone's that hyped up and on board in Charlotte for bringing back the basketball tournament.

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/fi...say/709003727/

[gsutiger2002]

I'll be surprised if Charlotte comes back with a real attractive bid for the football championship game at Legion Stadium (recent CIAA Playoff game attendance hasn't been great), and I know that time helps heal, but I'm not really sure everyone's that hyped up and on board in Charlotte for bringing back the basketball tournament.

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/fi...say/709003727/

Reading the article at the very beginning said it all: The parties they referred to had absolutely nothing to do with nor associated the CIAA conference. They were not CIAA sanctioned events. If they don't want it back, why are they bidding? I honestly think no one wants to be back in Charlotte.

[LegalRam]

A few of my thoughts:

1. Maybe I just lack the vision, but the conference needs to realize that the CIAA football championship game is not going to be some grand event in the world of HBCU sports. Having a convenient option for the participating teams' fans, and something that could possibly attract casual fans, is about the best the conference can hope for.

2. Bowman Gray stadium in Winston is way too large for this game and would look very empty if WSSU isn't in the game (and I don't expect us back in the hunt for awhile).

3. I really hoped it would work in Salem, but it's obvious that the game isn't really clicking there.

4. Durham and Charlotte seem like the best options at this point. Now that the renovations have been completed I feel like American Legion Memorial in Charlotte is the nicer venue, but Durham County stadium is the better location since it's pretty much the geographic center of the conference.

5. If Winston or Charlotte come with some amazing bid, then I can't fault the conference for going that route. However, being honest about expectations for this game, Durham County would get my vote. 8,500 is more than enough seats and there is a ton of space for parking and tailgating. Plus, it's location can't be beat for it's proximity to Northern and Southern member schools.

6. In relation to the Basketball tournament, blame can go all around. The conference created the beast and wasn't forward enough thinking to keep up with the times. All the conference cared about was packing out the arena (which it had done in Richmond, Winston, and Raleigh) even though the majority of people in those arenas were in the concourses socializing and not actually watching the games. In Winston and Raleigh it benefited because neither arena is in the middle of the respective cities' downtown areas, so the games and arena were the focal point of the tournament. So then the game made its way to Charlotte and is still packed out for the first few years. However, the party culture hit overdrive and younger alums decided they would rather party then spend hundreds of dollars for a book of tickets (this is when you could only buy books of tickets and not single session options). Younger alums coming to party turned into various people with no affiliation to the schools or Charlotte showing up to party like it was the rebirth of Freaknik. While all this is going on the CIAA lost three members over the course of roughly a decade (NCCU, Norfolk State, and Hampton) which eventually became a huge blow as their fans gradually stopped showing up. The conference did nothing to stay ahead of this and fostered no type of loyalty for students to want to attend as alums.

Charlotte should also carry some blame. I am all for the free market, but the price gouging and three night minimums was crazy for that time. Now these prices don't seem that crazy compared to what rooms now typically go for in uptown Charlotte for events, but then the prices even exceeded NASCAR (and that's when NASCAR was peaking and had the week long speed street in uptown). The hidden taxes were also completely ignorant and could have easily been avoided if establishments simply stated that they would have been charging auto gratuity. The tournament should have never stayed in Charlotte for 15 years, it was beyond time for it to move.

With that said, I am not opposed to the tournament coming back to Charlotte (and there are people in the city who probably want it back). No one can deny the economic impact it had on the area, and the city needs some money to help pay for the new Spectrum Center Renovations. Post Covid, Uptown Charlotte has been dying a slow death for nightlife. All the hotels are in uptown, but the nightlife is spread all over the city now and the EpiCenter is pretty much dead. An annual weeklong event would be a great economic boost for Uptown businesses, and from the perspective of the conference there are less distractions around the arena now so the games could go back to being the central focal point where people gather.

Personally, I was tired of what the CIAA Tournament had become in Charlotte (a big party with the games being an afterthought). However, if done right I think it can return. For me that means a guaranteed room block with reasonable rates for those individuals who actually purchased tickets through the CIAA website. Have a cutoff date that allows unused rooms to be released by the end of January. I personally have no concern for people being price gouged if they are only showing up to party with no intention of buying tickets to the game. Getting a higher payout from Charlotte should be on the table, but we also need to hold the Conference responsible for getting more money from our corporate sponsors. As far as restaurants and clubs, have them state their gratuity policy on the door and fine them if they are not in compliance.

[Eagle74]

Legal, very well said!!

[Eagle74]

Better yet, just go ahead and reward the highest seeded team the honor of hosting the CIAA Football Championship game at their own home stadium.

[LegalRam]

Better yet, just go ahead and reward the highest seeded team the honor of hosting the CIAA Football Championship game at their own home stadium.

I'm for that or a predetermined rotation like North team host in even years and South team host in odd years. I also wish they'd do what the PSAC, and I believe SAC, does and allow all the teams to play that final week.

[Finchwidget]

https://hbcugameday.com/2024/03/18/d...pionship-game/

Durham has also formally submitted a bid now, it appears

[ctrabs74]

I'm for that or a predetermined rotation like North team host in even years and South team host in odd years. I also wish they'd do what the PSAC, and I believe SAC, does and allow all the teams to play that final week.

I believe you're correct about the SAC's Week 11 schedule scheme, where the non-championship game teams do get to play a Week 11 game (unlike the CIAA and SIAC). A potential Week 11 game for CIAA teams could give a one-loss team who misses the conference title game an outside chance of getting a second CIAA team into the postseason.