Report: Pac-12 Basketball Tournament Moving to Las Vegas Next Year
The Pac-12 (formerly known as the Pac-10) Basketball Tournament has been played in Los Angeles at the Staples Center every year since 2001.
But it won’t be for much longer.
Word around the conference is that the tournament will move locations starting in 2013 to the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Although the Garden arena holds about 4,000 less people than the Staples Center it would still be a much needed upgrade. The event in Los Angeles has lost interest over the past few years due to the other activities to do around L.A. and is often overlooked with everything else going on in Southern California. Attendance numbers would reflect that sentiment as it was reported that there was only an average of 15,000 fans last season.
Las Vegas would be a more attractive location due to the surrounding casinos and hotels that Vegas is famous for. Other conferences that have held their tournaments there (Mountain West, West Coast, Western Athletic) have seen success using Vegas as a back drop and will continue to hold their event there. The overall fan experience, Vegas being a destination city and the revenue that the conference can bring in are all benefits of moving the conference tournament to Nevada.
With all of the other changes being made to the conference: adding two teams, creating a football championship game, creating their own network etc., updating the conference tournament site would be another good move made by Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott.
It would renew the interest around the event as well as offering a prime destination for fans to travel to every year. It would also generate more revenue for each team in the conference based on better attendance numbers and better corporate sponsors.
Although there is risk involved as far as gambling involving college athletics, Vegas is one of the most controlled gambling locations in the country and it is strictly enforced. Obviously Vegas will be Vegas but it gives the commissioner some peace of mind that gambling is strictly controlled.
Look for the official announcement to come next Tuesday as the conference does not want to overshadow this weekend’s activities. It will be a smart move for the conference as they continue to make necessary moves to better their product.
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