Spring Break
Holding tournament in Richmond gives VCU unfair advantage
By: Brett Fischer
Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: Sports
Originally published: 3/9/07 at 7:11 AM EST
Last update: 3/9/07 at 7:10 AM EST
Originally published: 3/9/07 at 7:11 AM EST
Last update: 3/9/07 at 7:10 AM EST
One of the great things about postseason conference tournaments is that there usually is not any home court advantage for either team playing in the game. In conference tournaments, there is usually one determined location where the teams play all of the games. In the Big East Tournament, the games are played in Madison Square Garden. In the A-10 Tournament, the games are played in Atlantic City. Both of those are neutral sites. So what about the Colonial Athletic Association, the conference in which Drexel plays? Every year, the CAA Tournament is held in Richmond, Va.
Five of the 12 teams in the conference are from Virginia. This list includes Old Dominion, George Mason, William & Mary, James Madison, and Virginia Commonwealth, the college that knocked off Drexel in the CAA semifinals. Richmond seems like a pretty decent place to have a conference tournament, considering the number of teams located in the same state. So what is the problem? The problem is that having the tournament in Richmond is entirely unfair to 11 of the 12 teams in the conference. I'll explain why.
First of all, Virginia Commonwealth is located in Richmond. The tournament games are played in the Richmond Coliseum, where VCU played its home games in the past. Not only that, but VCU's campus is literally seven blocks away from the Coliseum. It's no wonder that the championship game between VCU and George Mason was a sellout with over 90 percent of the fans cheering for VCU.
I would not mind choosing a different location every year. It would be fine if the tournament were in Richmond this year, Boston next year, Philadelphia the year after that, and so on. It would give all the CAA colleges a chance to promote their city and their team. Unfortunately for the majority of the league, that is not the way it works.
I'm just wondering what would have happened if the CAA Tournament was held at the Palestra. That would have been fair for Virginia Commonwealth - don't you agree?
Five of the 12 teams in the conference are from Virginia. This list includes Old Dominion, George Mason, William & Mary, James Madison, and Virginia Commonwealth, the college that knocked off Drexel in the CAA semifinals. Richmond seems like a pretty decent place to have a conference tournament, considering the number of teams located in the same state. So what is the problem? The problem is that having the tournament in Richmond is entirely unfair to 11 of the 12 teams in the conference. I'll explain why.
First of all, Virginia Commonwealth is located in Richmond. The tournament games are played in the Richmond Coliseum, where VCU played its home games in the past. Not only that, but VCU's campus is literally seven blocks away from the Coliseum. It's no wonder that the championship game between VCU and George Mason was a sellout with over 90 percent of the fans cheering for VCU.
I would not mind choosing a different location every year. It would be fine if the tournament were in Richmond this year, Boston next year, Philadelphia the year after that, and so on. It would give all the CAA colleges a chance to promote their city and their team. Unfortunately for the majority of the league, that is not the way it works.
I'm just wondering what would have happened if the CAA Tournament was held at the Palestra. That would have been fair for Virginia Commonwealth - don't you agree?
John
posted 3/11/07 @ 3:28 PM EST
It's really sad to see how hard it is for some people to accept the fact that their team lost. How about offering any alternatives for a "neutral" place to play somewhere else in Virginia? Oh, wait, there really aren't any. (Continued…)