Charlotte’s try to lure the crown jewel of HBCU basketball — the CIAA Match — away from Baltimore have fallen brief.
Baltimore is predicted to win the bid to maintain the CIAA Match in Maryland by way of 2029 after Charlotte’s bid fell brief. The information was first reported by the Charlotte Enterprise Journal and has been confirmed by HBCU Gameday. The 2 cities have been the one ones to bid on the 80-year outdated event. There have been two key points that noticed Charlotte lose the event regardless of being situated inside an hour of 4 HBCUs within the CIAA and inside two hours of many extra.
The CIAA was searching for a bid for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 tournaments. However Charlotte’s bid was for 2028 by way of 2029 attributable to a battle in 2027. Along with lacking a yr, it will have additionally seen the event transfer to the smaller, older Bojangles Coliseum in 2029. Officers made it clear they didn’t wish to play the event outdoors of uptown.
The ultimate 4 years of its stint in Charlotte — 2017 by way of 2020 — noticed the CIAA Match transfer its early rounds to the Bojangles Coliseum attributable to decrease attendance within the early rounds of the event. The NBA’s Charlotte Hornets saved all all working revenue and absorbed any working deficits.
The opposite key subject for the HBCU presidents and chancellors that make up the CIAA was inns.
The CIAA required the host metropolis to have a lodge headquarters that accommodates 500 rooms for convention workers, sponsors, recreation officers, media, and company at a most of $200 per evening. It additionally pushed for the town to work with the convention to safe blocks of lodge rooms for followers and event attendees at a most value of $225 per evening.
“We didn’t have the pliability,” Mohammad Jenatian instructed the CBJ.
A supply point out that in the long run — the CIAA wasn’t getting Charlotte’s finest bid and accepting it will set a foul tone for future negotiations.
The CIAA Match has referred to as Baltimore dwelling since 2022 and it seems to be like it would do this no less than by way of the top of this decade.
