A bit of Charlotte’s sports activities legacy simply slipped by its fingers. Town’s proposal to host the 2029 CIAA Basketball Event has formally been labeled “lifeless on arrival,” based on Charlotte metropolis leaders and officers near the bid course of.
Charlotte hoped to convey again the CIAA Males’s and Ladies’s Basketball Event, an occasion it hosted from 2006 to 2020 with large fanfare and financial affect. However the bid, spearheaded by the Charlotte Regional Guests Authority and supported by council members Malcolm Graham and James Mitchell, didn’t meet the CIAA’s necessities.
The largest dealbreaker? The venue.
CIAA officers made it clear they needed all event video games performed within the Spectrum Middle—the uptown area dwelling to the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. Sadly, the Spectrum Middle was unavailable for the dates proposed in Charlotte’s bid.
“Not accessing the Spectrum Middle was the primary barrier,” Councilman Graham defined, echoing frustration from metropolis stakeholders. “The CIAA didn’t need to cut up video games throughout venues.”
Town tried to substitute Bojangles Coliseum, however CIAA officers dismissed that as a viable possibility. The bid was primarily finished earlier than it acquired off the bottom.
After which there’s the lodge hurdle. The CIAA was searching for room charges between $99 and $225 per evening to make sure affordability for college students, alumni, and followers touring to the occasion. However throughout March—when the ACC Males’s Basketball Event is held—common lodge costs in uptown Charlotte hovered round $260.52. That meant Charlotte couldn’t promise aggressive charges except it pushed attendees exterior town’s core, which didn’t align with CIAA’s priorities.
Nonetheless, Charlotte officers stay optimistic.
“We labored diligently to place collectively a proposal that mirrored the event’s historical past and worth,” mentioned a consultant from the Charlotte Regional Guests Authority. “This simply wasn’t our cycle, however we’re not out of the sport.”
Since shifting to Baltimore in 2021, the CIAA Event has acquired robust help for its cultural alignment, downtown walkability, and HBCU-centered group engagement. The event is at the moment locked in by 2026, with Baltimore set to host for not less than yet one more 12 months.
Charlotte’s subsequent shot at bidding will are available 2028, with hopes to host the event in 2030.
For now, the legacy of the CIAA stays in movement—however not but again within the Queen Metropolis.
