LEAVES NO DOUBT

By Stephen Evans

There’s no doubt that the Dallas region features some of the best sport facilities in the country. There’s no doubt that Dallas boasts a championship event pedigree second to none. And there’s no doubt that Dallas knows how to throw a championship celebration.

So when the NCAA let it be known that it was accepting bids for its Men’s Final Four and Women’s Final Four events, Dallas had one mission – leave no doubt.

Mission accomplished!

Following strong local presentations to separate NCAA committees, the NCAA announced that the 2030 NCAA Men’s Final Four would be played at AT&T Stadium and the 2031 NCAA Women’s Final Four would be held at American Airlines Center.

This is going to be madness – March Madness.

North Texas is a hotbed of hoops nationally for both boys basketball and girls basketball at the high school and grassroots levels. And on the world stage, Dallas is home to one of the world’s very best in NBA MVP candidate Luka Doncic.

Now we have back-to-back NCAA championship events to look forward to. That’s a slam dunk for Dallas.

“Dallas is proud and ready to stand on the world’s stage once again,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. “Dallas is not just the best city in the country for sports, it’s the place to be right now. Our hospitality, restaurants, and entertainment venues are first class and getting better every day, and our people are stronger than they’ve ever been.”

Getting the 2031 NCAA Women’s Final Four was special for the Dallas Sports Commission. The 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four will also be in Dallas in March, and being able to earn the selection committee’s trust to host another event when Dallas already has one on the books that has yet to be played showed the faith it had in the local organizers.

“The reason why it’s so exciting to be awarded the 2031 Women’s Final Four while still preparing for 2023 is it means we are creating a legacy,” said Dayna Scherf, the Big 12’s Vice President of Competition and a member of the team that made Dallas’ pitch to the NCAA. “What we did in 2017 is part of that story, too. Our goal is to continue to evolve and elevate the game of women’s basketball each time we host and it’s wonderful to have the NCAA entrust us with such a premier event yet again.”

Added Dave Brown, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of American Airlines Center: “Securing the 2031 Women’s Final Four is another big win for the Dallas Sports Commission, Big 12 Conference, and the AAC. It validates our commitment to women’s basketball and the efforts we’ve made to take the championship to another level as host. Receiving the award for 2031 prior to hosting the 2023 gives us even more motivation to deliver a world class showcase for the championship.”

The NCAA Men’s Final Four was last here in 2014, and the attendance records for that event still stand. In fact, the 2014 NCAA Men’s Final Four was one of the most successful events in the history of North Texas, breaking event records for ticket sales, generating far-reaching buzz for its fan events, and engaging North Texans from elementary school on up in volunteer and community activities.

And while it took some time for the event to return to our region, that just makes the hosts even more aware that the 2030 NCAA Men’s Final Four must become the standard bearer for all future events.

“The Final Four returning to North Texas in 2030 is a huge win for our entire region”, said Chad Estis, the Dallas Cowboys EVP of Business Operations. “There are many benefits to hosting major events including economic impact, visibility for the region, and legacy projects. The unique experience we as hosts are able to provide visiting fans, studentathletes, and the partners of the NCAA will be at its best in 2030 with new and renovated facilities and infrastructure.”

The 2030 NCAA Men’s Final Four footprint will stretch from a newly-renovated downtown Dallas to the ever-growing entertainment district in Arlington.

“We are ecstatic to land both events,” said Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission. “We made fantastic presentations for both. The vision of the new state-of-the-art convention center district in downtown Dallas, along with similar entertainment and hotel expansions in Arlington, allowed us to show that we are continually growing and building an infrastructure that can allow us to make these events bigger and better.

“This is going to be a celebration of basketball, and by hosting both events, it’s going to be a 3-4 year cycle. It will be a synergistic approach that will allow us to show the passion that our region has for the sport.”

Leave no doubt. That’s what Dallas did, and it was handsomely rewarded. There’s a reason why Dallas’ sporting legacy is unmatched in North America. Dallas pulls off the impossible. Dallas makes sensational an understatement. And in 2030 and 2031, Dallas will deliver. There is no doubt!