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Sports

Is Final Four next for Bayou City?

Stat Boy

Jong Lee

How amazing was All Star weekend? Even though I couldn't make it to the festivities, watching on TV wasn't too shabby. The weekend was the Super Bowl for the NBA. The media circus surrounding the weekend is natural to some extent. 

Players getting bombarded with questions about trades and team play were expected, but honestly who expected little Nate Robinson to win the dunk contest and who expected Calvin Murphy to wear anything less than a peach suit to brunch? 

Shaquille O'Neal put on a show along with other players from the East as they danced while being introduced, and the West quickly fired back with a little hand wave. 

I was torn between O'Neal's missed free throw dunk and Yao's dancing for the best moment of the weekend. Another great moment was when Houston legends were honored. It was heartbreaking not to see Dream there but still a great moment.

So far as Houston, we've been blessed with many great sporting events that have come through in the last three years. We first had the Super Bowl in 2003, where Houston finally got in the national spotlight. 

The rest seemed to just avalanche before we knew what was happening. Houston hosted the MLB All-Star game in 2004, the ‘Stros finally got over the hump and made their first ever World Series appearance last fall and this year's NBA All-Star game.

The last major sporting event missing is the Final Four. Houston last hosted the Final Four in 1971 in the Astrodome. 

For all you college hoop fanatics the wait will end until 2011, the 40th anniversary of Houston's first Final Four hosting. Imagine Houston hosting every big sporting event in the United States within three years. It would have been amazing, but the NCAA gave a bid to Houston much later. 

There is a bright side to the date. By that time the freeway construction should be complete and traveling between and within the city should be a lot smoother. Houston could also have another Super Bowl to host, which Bob McNair is strongly advocating.

The Final Four is also a great way to bring in money. Shirts, hats and other memorabilia will fly off the racks and the flow of cash would be tremendous. 

The weekend would be filled with students hitting clubs and bars, while shoveling out more money going to the games and restaurants. Who could forget the alumni and parents? They will check into hotels and tour the city. Small businesses would thrive during the weekend and bring Houston's spotlight back.

When it comes to sporting events, the limelight will never get old. Houston is a great city and more college kids will come to know of it in 2011.
 

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