With future Big 12 Tournaments up for bid, Kansas City rolls out welcome mat

Bob Bowlsby didn’t need a Big 12 Tournament news conference, held in the warmth Wednesday morning on Grand Boulevard in front of Sprint Center, to get the message that Kansas City aches to retain the event.

“Everybody from the guy at the baggage claim, from the driver who brought us in, to the people at the hotel, to the fans we’ve run into on the street, are pitching hard for Kansas City,” said Bowlsby, the commissioner of the conference.

Then Bowlsby got the message from the welcoming party, starting with Kansas City Mayor Sly James, Kansas City Sports Commission President Kathy Nelson, Convention & Visitors Association CEO Ronnie Burt and Brenda Tinnen, general manager of AEG-Kansas City, which runs the Sprint Center.

“Commissioner Bowlsby, we want to welcome you again, always, ever … always, ever those are two good words for you,” James said.

The welcoming affair has become an annual event, but it took on more meaning this year. The right to hold the Big 12 men’s basketball event is up for bid, and other cities such as Dallas and Oklahoma City are in contention. A decision about the tournament’s future could be made by June.

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It’s been a while since Kansas City has fought for the tournament. The last time the Big 12 considered the future of the men’s basketball tourney was 2012, the year Missouri and Texas A&M departed the league for the Southeastern Conference.

The Big 12 awarded the men’s tournament to Kansas City for two additional years — 2015 and 2016 — as a statement that losing the Tigers didn’t mean the league was going to cede Kansas City.

Bowlsby was asked about continuing the tournament in a state that doesn’t have a Big 12 school.

“Take a look around the arena on Friday night and tell me Kansas City isn’t a Big 12 town,” Bowlsby said. “If we started to see attendance decline or enthusiasm decline those are things we’d certainly take into account. That hasn’t been the case. If anything, it’s trending the other direction.”

So why look around?

“Every once in a while you go through a process,” Bowlsby said. “It’s not dissatisfaction, it’s just good business. We want to have an open and thorough process.”

But the sense was that other cities would have to catch Kansas City.

“We have heard no negative comments whatsoever about Kansas City,” Bowlsby said. “The city and the leadership have been very responsive. They’ve always done more than we have asked.

“Kansas City has set a high bar.”

The bid time frame is for four years through 2020, and cities don’t have to bid for all years or for both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Kansas City is offering the Sprint Center for both tournaments for all four years.

Since 2013, the women’s tournament has been played in Dallas or Oklahoma City while the men have remained in Kansas City.

When the women were in Kansas City, they played at Municipal Auditorium. Since separating, the women have played in NBA-sized arenas.

Bowlsby said the Big 12 also has received bids for just the women’s tournament.

“It’s less about separate cities than it is separate weekends,” Bowlsby said. “We could come to the same site but they’ll definitely be different weekends.”

Nelson said the Sprint Center could be occupied by the Big 12 for one and a half weeks, from a Wednesday to the following Saturday with men’s and women’s practices and games.

This year marks the 19th Big 12 men’s tournament and Kansas City has been the site for 14. The city held all Big Eight postseason tournaments from 1977-96, and continues to be the record holder for most NCAA men’s Final Fours (10) and NCAA men’s tournament games (128).

The history isn’t lost on the Big 12.

“Given all of their experience, other places don’t have that, and it’s an advantage,” Bowlsby said.

Even when it comes to fixing problems. One of the biggest complaints from fans is getting into the Sprint Center on time. Fans tend to linger in the Power & Light District and there aren’t enough doors to accommodate the last-minute rush.

This year, express lanes have been established on the Grand Boulevard and Oak Street entrances. Fans without bags are being asked to enter the Sprint Center there. Bags will continue to be searched in other lines.

Another advantage is the proximity to the league’s most enthusiastic fan bases. The league’s top three teams in average home attendance this season were Kansas, Iowa State and Kansas State.

The all-session tickets that went on public sale in February were sold out in 61 minutes, Tinnen said.

When Bowlsby mentioned that Iowa State had sold some 5,300 tickets to the tournament, a cheer went up from Jerry Burkhardt of Bagley, Iowa, who was standing outside the news conference with his wife, Nancy, both decked in Cyclones gear.

It’s their first trip to Kansas City for the tournament, and they’re in town a day before the Cyclones play their opening game and help contribute to the $9 million in economic impact of the tournament, according to city officials.

“I’m sure they’ll like it when we leave some cash here and there,” Burkhardt said.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "With future Big 12 Tournaments up for bid, Kansas City rolls out welcome mat."