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Episode #2118
CIAA's Charlotte Impact
Lewis: After a successful run in Raleigh, the CIAA awarded their annual men's and women's basketball tournament to the City of Charlotte with hopes for even greater growth. How did the new host city perform? We'll find out next on Black Issues Forum.
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Lewis: Hello everyone and welcome to Black Issues Forum, I am Mitchell Lewis. This year, for the first time ever, the City of Charlotte hosted the annual Central Intra-Collegiate Athletic Association Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament after winning a highly competitive bidding contest against incumbent host city Raleigh. What were the city's hopes for the CIAA Tournament and did it deliver? Today we'll learn more about that and the value of this conference to the host city, the participating schools and to the African-American community.
We have as our special guest Dr. Dorothy Cowser-Yancey, President of Johnson C. Smith University, and also the first female president of the CIAA conference. In a moment we'll talk with her about this year's outcome. But first, let's find out more about the preparation for this year's conference. Producer Thomas Todd brings us this report.
Todd: You know the old saying, "A city is only as vibrant as its economic base," for the City of Charlotte, it has become one of America's most robust economies driven by blue collar businesses such as NASCAR and by white-collar service companies in the banking and finance industries. In keeping with the city's commitment to expand its economy, Charlotte successfully competed with other major cities to attract professional sporting teams to settle and thrive in its economy.
While professional sports made an economic impact to the city's bottom line, Charlotte's win against other cities to host the 61st Central Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association, known as the CIAA Basketball Tournament is also expected to add to the city's growing economy.
Crumbley: What is critical is we have been a part of this process to move CIAA to Charlotte since the mid-90s. We knew these are the kinds of events that we need to have in this city.
Grant: Our move to Charlotte-I anticipate CIAA being bigger and better. We had great success in Raleigh for the last six years. What we are hoping to do in Charlotte is we're trying to take our Raleigh fan base, bring them here, and also bring in the South Carolina and Atlanta market up to Charlotte. So what we're trying to: expand our fan base, introduce people to the CIAA brand who haven't experienced it
Springs: When I assumed this role as chairman of the local organizing committee, my goal was to make this the best-the best CIAA tournament. When I say the best-the best from the standpoint of revenue generation, from the standpoint of hospitality, from a standpoint of attendance.
Todd: Economically, city leaders and CIAA planners anticipate this year's tournament to draw thousands of people to the week-long event, which is also expected to pour in an estimated $13 million into Charlotte's economy.
M: The funds that are raised, which is the main goal of this tournament, exceeds any expectations they had. And I think we've done that. I think they are now talking in terms of $2 million in scholarship dollars that will be raised. The highest ever has been $700,000, so they've never broken a million yet.
Todd: While Charlotte hopes to set new financial marks with hosting the CIAA tournament, rolling out the red carpet to meet guest's expectations has taken a team effort from the entire community.
M: At first people were skeptical about the move. You know, they were concerned that the prices would cost more, people wouldn't have room to park. But this is what the people wanted. They wanted a centralized arena in walking distance to shops, clubs, malls-the City of Charlotte has been very receptive to us. They've got restaurants open 24-hours. They are extending their hours for room service in the hotels.
McNeill: Our hotel has been very busy. We've been sold out for almost a year now. Our restaurants, our lounges, all of our hotel rooms are maxed at occupancy. So we looked at it as an opportunity provide a venue where they could relax, have a good time. Certainly we put a lot of work into staffing, into making certain that all the arrangements are in order to best serve their needs.
Leier: We've done a few different things this week to accommodate all the commuters and fans that are in town. Our goal for us-shuttle busses, which is a free, center-city circulator service-we've extended two of our routes to run until midnight, and then the other thing we've done is we actually have extra large local busses on standby, so if we have large crowds that are coming into the arena or leaving the arena that we can accommodate everybody on our busses.
M: We made an effort to actively recruit individuals that we are calling ambassadors to be out there-just to roll out the red carpet, just to welcome fans to Charlotte. And right now, we have over 400 people out there either in the hotels or in the restaurants-on the street-just serving as ambassadors. And we want to make it a fun week for Charlotte. I think we have accomplished that goal.
Todd: CIAA fans enjoyed themselves at this year's tournament. Some final data collected after the event ends showed that the city hosted 124,000 fans and took in over $14 million, setting a new CIAA record. The tournament's success has already launched its city and the CIAA into planning for a successful 2007 CIAA tournament.
Lewis: And we're back with Doctor Dorothy Yancey, who is President of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and of course very deeply involved in the CIAA Tournament. But my first question to you is what makes the CIAA so unique?
C-Y: Well, the CIAA is special. When we have the CIAA Tournament it is like a big family reunion for an extended family. You see people you haven't seen in 10, 20 years. You've got your young people coming. There are all ages. It is just a great event. It is what you might call a happening, but it is a family happening.
Lewis: Throughout the 61 years of the tournament it has been held in several places: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh and now most recently Charlotte. Why was the move made to change the venue from Raleigh to Charlotte?
C-Y: Well, I think we first need to accept the fact and be happy about the fact that the State of North Carolina has had this tournament for 13 years. It stayed in Virginia for a very, very long time and then it left Richmond and went to Winston. I think that when the bids went in the last time, Charlotte had the best bid. And we just tried to roll out the red carpet and make everything as perfect as possible.
Lewis: At one point we are going to mention this: there were concerns, because there were some people who felt that African-Americans wouldn't be welcome, say, in uptown Charlotte. Did that seem to be the case during the Tournament?
C-Y: Well, when you stop and look at the Tournament, the Tournament has not been uptown anywhere. It was not uptown in Raleigh, you know, we were out on the expressway. It was not uptown in Winston. We were way down the street. And Charlotte just happens to have an uptown and there was concern. But I don't think any of the concerns were valid because Charlotte showed what Charlotte does. Charlotte knows how to be a hospitable city. I think that there probably would have been a time when you would have had some difficulty, but Charlotte had packaged itself as a-I guess you could say a convention city. And when we had had the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity when they had their boule there. There were others-the Baptist Convention. We've had lots of black conventions.
And so there has been time over time to sensitize the police, because they have to be sensitized sometimes-the fire department and others as to what it is that African-Americans bring to a city. And I think Charlotte showed what Charlotte could do. There was not one incident that anyone has recorded.
Lewis: The CIAA men's and women's basketball tournament is the third largest basketball tournament in the country. What was the economic impact of this year's tournament?
C-Y: Well, the last numbers I've seen is that the economic impact was a little over $15 million and I think that came out in a press release not too many months ago. We saw it around-I guess it was around March. And that is a major change from the Raleigh economic impact. I think it was around $12 million. We also sold, I think, about 5,000 more nights of rooms. There were 124,000 people who went through the turn styles, and that is not counting the ones who went to the step shows and the ones who went to the Apollo night and all those kinds of things. We're talking about 124,000 that went into the arena, which was a major increase over the Raleigh attendance.
So I think that the brand and selling the brand and all the advertising that went out over the radio in places-the various medias in South Carolina and Georgia, I think that helped because we added another fan base, I think. Because people who come to the CIAA are not necessarily graduates of CIAA schools. It has become a major event, a major coming together of a community. It is sort of like the Bayou Classic is a coming together. People go and they've never seen Grambling's campus or Southern's Campus, but it is a part of the fabric of the community I think.
Lewis: Thank you, Dr. Yancey. We'll get back to this discussion in just a moment. But as important as the economic prospects and outcomes are, it is well-known as we just mentioned that the CIAA Conference is more than a profit-making sporting event. In fact, if you ask just about anyone at the Conference why they came, basketball isn't the only reason mentioned. Our producer, Deborah Holt, attended the 2006 tournament in Charlotte to try and capture some of the social elements that are such a big part of this event.
F: I love everything about CIAA weekend.
M: It is like a seven school homecoming.
F: I'm a Carolina graduate, but I come to the CIAA every year because I see all of my friends.
M: We have some schools moving out of the CIAA. It is still going to be a great, rich tradition, and we're going to keep it going and go St. Aug's!
Jordan: I attended CIAA to participate, socialize with all of my classmates-not just my classmates at John C. Smith, but classmates from other schools. The CIAA is a family affair.
F: My son is a St. Aug grad, and my daughter is a North Carolina Central Grad and my other one is a Winston-Salem grad. And I live in Raleigh.
F: It is just a family culture-a great big family reunion that has been a wonderful experience for 61 years.
Holt: How long have you been coming?
F: Oh, not that long though, but.
Grace: We like to support our African-American Universities to make sure that we keep them going because they brought a lot of us through.
M: Fellowship, camaraderie and friends.
Holt: Now, what are you going to do after the game?
F: Because of my age I'm going up and go to bed to get ready for tomorrow.
Holt: During CIAA week, public and private parties are planned for every age group from daytime to late night. There are street ball tournaments, fashion shows, career expos, a high school day and the games, of course. Another popular event that seems to have evolved out of HBCU fans love for music and dance are the cheerleading exhibitions and battle of the bands. In addition to those events, another element has become an appreciated tradition.
Abraham: I started in the '70s. My nephew was at __ State College. I always dressed when I went to games. I always tried to look petite [ph] and everything. And then I went into wearing the school colors, and when I went into that, everybody loved it.
Holt: At night, the host city's streets are lined with vendors serving visitors to the area.
F: State and Ohio in the house!
Holt: Good food is a staple during CIAA week.
Wright: Well, see this is that good croaker from down here in the South. This is what we like to use down here. Just get you a piece of croaker like that. You're not supposed to do this on camera, but then you've got to lick your fingers.
Holt: Another reliable element are hospitality suites, generally hosted by the school's alumni chapters or Greek letter organizations.
Grace: This is for the Omegas-the members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. We're just hosting this evening to kind of have-let people have somewhere to go to have a good time.
Holt: To celebrate the day's wins or not, in the evenings and into the night there are music concerts and parties, and after the parties there are the after parties.
[MUSIC]
Holt: Having a good time is definitely important to this African-American affair, and so is economic opportunity. The vendor's hall is another staple of this event, having some cultural significance as well. Also key to the success of CIAA week is location. Charlotte has been recognized as one of the top cities in the country for young, black professionals. And it so happens that the CIAA event is held at the newly built Charlotte Bobcats Arena whose pro-basketball team is owned by African-American business mogul Bob Johnson. From the music to the exhibits, family, friends and outstanding athleticism. CIAA week is as much a celebration of African-American culture as it is an invigorating sporting event.
Lewis: And we're back with Dr. Dorothy Cowser-Yancey who is President of Johnson C. Smith University and also very, very involved with the CIAA Tournament. And speaking of that, you have seen this tournament from various aspects: as a student at Johnson C. Smith, as well as now the president. How have you seen this tournament evolve?
C-Y: Oh, the first time I went to a CIAA Tournament I was about 17 years old and it was in Greensboro. And I remember we chartered busses from Charlotte. We went up-you went to the tournament and you got on the bus and you went back home. You didn't stay because there was nothing else to do. And now it has got all kinds of activities. And after the Tournament is over, one needs to go on a vacation and rest there is so much to do.
Lewis: Now, we talked about the social aspect, and basketball isn't the only thing that is going on. What types of various social events took place during this year's CIAA Tournament?
C-Y: The social events-there are social events and there are educational events. The social events would probably encompass the Apollo night, which was very exciting. The students had competed at the various schools and there were winners. And then the winners got to compete at the finals for the Apollo night, and then Patti Labelle performed and I think it was sponsored by Coca-Cola and Ebony magazine. And then you had things like the step shows, you had the cheerleading competition, you had the old timers playing basketball. You had parties everywhere. There were so many parties and so many activities that you had to sort of make a list of what you were going to go to. And then of course there is the chancellor's dinner, which has been going on since the days when it started at Norfolk State. And it has-it is sponsored by Coca-Cola and every president gets about 17 tickets and Food Lion is there and you have standard chitterlings and the catfish and all those kinds of things and that was held on the Johnson C. Smith campus.
But we also had the educational programs-the large ones would have been the NASA program where NASA came in and brought an astronaut and they did training-educational training for some school teachers in Charlotte Middle School. They also did programs for the middle school kids. Then you had the job fair. I think we had more than 60 companies that were recruiting students as well as graduates. Then you had the big fair, which I called the admissions fair, where all the kids come from the metropolitan schools to look at all of our schools within the Conference to make up their minds about college.
Lewis: Why did you feel that you had to have such a diverse array of activities during this conference?
C-Y: Well, I think it is more than a basketball game. And as a people we are more than just, you know, a school when you get down to it. We do lots of other things. And I think all the activities that we have attract different kinds of people and different age groupings. And so this tournament has turned into something that has something for everybody and that is what makes it so fantastic and that is what brings all these family members together of all ages, I think.
Lewis: Another aspect of the CIAA tournament deals with scholarship. Explain that process and how does it work?
C-Y: Well, the Commissioner has done an excellent job of bringing in sponsors. And these sponsors give a certain amount of scholarship dollars. You've heard me mention Coca-Cola, you've got Ford and you've got some of the others you saw popping up on the screen when you look at the CIAA-Food Lion and others. And in the end, the scholarship monies, and I don't know how much it is going to be this year, but I know it is a big increase. And the city also has to kick in a certain amount of scholarship dollars because of the fact that it was a part of the bid.
The money will then be divided equally between the 12 schools, and each year the pot sort of changes and it is great because we have those dollars for scholarships.
Lewis: Now, of course Charlotte will be hosting the tournament from 2006 to 2008. Have you begun planning for next year's tournament?
C-Y: Oh yes. We've already had meetings. I've not been very good. I've missed some of them, but I've talked to Tim Newman and some of the others and we've talked about some of the things where we want to improve.
For example, we had flyers that we gave out about hotels and about restaurants and the places to go after the event. And of course it was all in the newspapers, but everybody didn't read the newspapers. So we've got to do a better job of telling people where they can go and eat and things that they can do after the game. We also need to come up with some other ideas about parking. I think they're batting around the idea of buying a week's worth of parking or buying X number of days so you can go in and out of lots and not have to pay every time you move in and out. But there are just lots of the little things. I think it is the little things we're looking at.
I talked to one hotel vendor. They are getting ready to renovate their entire hotel because they want to compete and make it more upscale and they're going to take out all the tubs and just have showers: you know, these European look kind of showers. So people are going to have something exciting each year in terms of different looks for different places, I think.
Lewis: As it stands right now there are 12 teams representing the CIAA. Are there any type of plans for expansion?
C-Y: Well, we have two schools that have indicated that they are leaving: Winston-Salem will be leaving, I think it is around June 30 of this year. And then Central has announced that it will be going to Division II/Division I or is thinking of going Division I in another year. We have one school that I won't give out the name. We have one school that has applied for admission or has sent in an indication that it wants to become a part of the CIAA. And the CIAA awards will meet at some point and make some decisions regarding that.
But I'm sure that when we begin to recruit schools-there are other schools that have expressed interest. We'll be able to add schools into the conference.
Lewis: As you look at the overall event of the 2006 CIAA Basketball Tournament, how do you think it faired?
C-Y: Well, I think we did great. I look at the days of Winston and everybody was concerned about what was going to happen to this conference because Norfolk State and Hampton were leaving. And what happened is we actually grew. We got bigger and bigger and in my mind, better. And the basketball is still very good. I love the basketball games. I can sit there and watch them from the beginning until the very end. I think the Tournament has simply gotten better.
Lewis: Now, I know this may be a slightly loaded question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Especially with you being so fond of the CIAA, how do you think it compares to perhaps other divisions when it comes to putting on such a tournament?
C-Y: Oh, I don't think there is a comparison. I've gone to the ACC. I've gone to lots of other tournaments. The CIAA Tournament is more than just a basketball game. It has lots of other venues and it appeals to a major cross section of the community. And that is not true for the NCAA. The NCAA is a great tournament to go to, the ACC is a great tournament to go to, but I don't think there is any comparison about the feel that you get when you go to the CIAA. There are so many people that just walk around and never take a seat, you know? It is just constant movement and constant activity and it is just fun.
And I've gone to the playoffs of Division II, you know, the finals-the Elite 8. And you might see a handful of people there, you know, 4,000 or 5,000 people there. It is just not the same. The feeling is not the same.
Lewis: When you talk about the camaraderie and the social aspect, when you look at the age range is there any particular age range?
C-Y: No. I know that we've had some surveys done by a public relations firm, and I don't know which particular age group is most prevalent, but I just know that I see people there who are in wheelchairs. I can see people in walkers. I see people who are doing great who are 80 something years old, and you'll see little kids dressed up and coming to the Tournament. It is just a family affair.
Lewis: How would you like to see the CIAA Tournament evolve in the future?
C-Y: Well, I'm convinced that the Tournament is going to get bigger. I don't know how big it should get, you know, after a point size becomes an issue. I don't think we should get so big that you can't really see the players running up and down the court. And I know after you grow to a certain size there are only certain places you can go.
And so I think we have to figure out other ways to make it exciting because I think that we need to stay in a basketball kind of a setting and not go to a dome kind of a setting. And so I really can't say. But I didn't dream a few years ago-I guess six years ago I never dreamed the size would more than double in terms of the attendance. So who knows what is out there for us? It has got to be good.
Lewis: Thank you Doctor Yancey, and continued success to you.
C-Y: Thank you.
Lewis: Once again I'd like to thank Doctor Dorothy Cowser-Yancey for spending time with us, and if you would like to learn more about the CIAA conference or obtain a copy or transcript of this show, visit us online at unctv.org/bif. When you visit, be sure to give us your comments and program suggestions. You can also call us on the BIF line at 919-549-7167. For Black Issues Form I'm Mitchell Lewis. Thanks for watching.
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