Thanks, But No, Thanks, NCAA

Today’s KC Star is reporting on a hearing in Jefferson City in which sporting event promoters are attempting to get special tax credits to host the events in Missouri. I honestly would have to search around for an idea worse than this. I really love sports, and I have terrific memories of going to the Final Four downtown in 2005. However, if, as the NCAA is apparently claiming, tax dollars must be committed before St. Louis or Kansas City can host more major college events, than we can live without them. From the Star:

St. Louis is hosting the Midwest regional finals in this year’s men’s basketball tournament […] But St. Louis was left off the list when the NCAA awarded sites for the 2012-2016 Final Four. Those tournaments instead went to New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis and Houston.

“Among those communities that were named Final Four hosts during that cycle, all of them had a public support component that significantly facilitated the staging of the event,” [Greg Shaheen, who oversees the NCAA’s Division I men’s basketball tournament,] said in an interview with The Associated Press.

God forbid, what a travesty it would be if St. Louis failed to continue to be America’s no. 1 sports city. On another note, isn’t it time we stop calling ourselves that, given that about 10 cities have won that award since we did?

Again from the Star:

Missouri currently is “a first tier sports destination,” said Frank Viverito, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission. But he added: “Without a public component to our efforts, then we will fall significantly behind other states.”

Oh well, tough break. I guess we’ll just have to keep more of our tax dollars in order to provide the services that governments are supposed to provide, rather than giving them away to sports promoters.