Fans crush Salt Lake City TV reporter who bemoaned Big 12 tournaments being in KC
If history has taught us anything, it’s that with Big 12 expansion comes complaints about where the basketball tournaments are played.
Fans of schools that join the Big 12 aren’t always happy to learn that the men’s and women’s tournaments are held in Kansas City. That is, until they come here and see how great it is in KC.
The Big 12 added Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State for the 2024-25 season, and a journalist who covers the Utes expressed his dismay about having to travel this week to Kansas City.
“Las Vegas was literally right there, and it was decided that Kansas City, and its blizzards, was the most ideal location for a basketball tournament,” KSL-TV Sports director Josh Furlong wrote Wednesday on X.
That set off a lot of people on social media, who were upset that Furlong was bemoaning the tournament being in Kansas City.
Here are some of those responses from fans and other journalists, who love having the Big 12 basketball tournaments in Kansas City.
Furlong responded to some people on X.
Later, Furlong shared a longer post to explain himself.
“I’ve struck a nerve with folks, it seems,” he wrote on X. “Here’s some context.
“1) My flight had been delayed 3 hours and put us landing in KC in the heart of the blizzard that made landing very difficult. As such, I had to drive in the conditions afterward at 1am and was cranky when I tweeted.
“2) Yes, I’ve been around snow my whole life so I wasn’t scared or upset by that. I’ve driven in worse conditions in Canada.
“3) No, I’m not a fan of Utah and couldn’t care less what conference they’re in. I follow them wherever they go for work and I get the privilege of seeing new places as a result
“4) KC is a great city and there’s nothing wrong with having the Big 12 Tournament here. I was merely saying that Vegas can be an entertainment venue where you could catch games from several different conferences if you wanted. And if you want to participate in other stuff, Vegas has everything, too. Admittedly, I haven’t experienced a ton of KC yet.
“5) Vegas isn’t exactly my scene, so it’s not like I’m looking for a trip for myself. In fact, I don’t drink alcohol so it’s kind of pointless for me to be there unless I’m gambling or something. After a couple days, Vegas wears on you ngl
“6) I love how passionate Big 12 fans are about basketball because there wasn’t as much of that in the Pac-12; however, Arizona/Oregon fans always traveled to support their team, so this isn’t some new experience for me — there’s just more teams interested and in driving distance. When Utah was good, their fans traveled well to support.”
Furlong had mentioned his rough flight shortly after landing in Kansas City during the blizzard earlier this week, and it sounds like a harrowing experience.
