mtneer1212

As usual, ESPN has ruined a once great tournament because they are greedy bastards. In the season that followed the enactment of the NCAA's new legislation, ESPN Regional Television, an event-management and marketing subsidiary of ESPN based in Charlotte, jumped into the market and created its first, eight-team tournament: The Old Spice Classic, which was held an arena owned by ESPN's parent company, Disney, on the grounds of Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. In 2007, ESPN launched two more tournaments, the 76 Classic, in Anaheim, Calif., and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan. In 2008 they launched the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.; next month, they'll debut the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii; and in December 2010 they'll unveil the Cancun Governor's Cup in Mexico. In the meantime, some non-ESPN tournaments have faded, and others, such as the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the San Juan Shootout, have been forced out of the market altogether. Flush with new tournaments that did not require a rights fee to air, ESPN did not renew its contract with The Great Alaska Shootout in 2007. As a result, Shootout officials could neither match the lucrative financial guarantee ESPN-sponsored tournaments offered prospective teams nor provide an attractive national TV package, making it nearly impossible to consistently draw marquee programs. In 2008, the Shootout's highest-profile teams were San Diego State and Portland State. In 2009, Shootout officials could only lure six teams instead of eight. By contrast, the lightly attended, ESPN-sponsored 76 Classic in Anaheim featured the likes of UCLA, Butler, Wake Forest, Clemson and Minnesota last season and will have Oklahoma State, Stanford, Virginia Tech and UNLV among others in 2010. Hopefully the Shootout finds a way to compete financially again somehow so the fans who continue to support the tournament are rewarded with the sort of field they grew accustomed to a decade ago. If not, it's probably a matter of time before the Great Alaska Shootout is gone. And if ESPN doesn't renew its contract with the Maui Invitational next year, that historic tournament could be next.

200 deposit made 10/15 Atlanta hawks 97pts

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