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Kansas City has scored the Big 12 basketball tournament for six more years. It first landed in Kansas City when the tournament started in 1997, but jumped around from KC, Dallas and Oklahoma City until Kansas City secured it between 2010 and 2020. And with that 2020 deadline approaching, Bob Bowlsby, Big 12 commissioner, announced that the basketball tournament will actually call Kansas City home until 2024.
Securing this tournament for six more years is no small feat, especially with the steep competition of other Big 12 cities. However, Mike Sharpe, director of business development for the Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation says that because of Kansas City’s enthusiasm for the tournament and the way the KC community has always welcomed visitors, it’s no surprise it’s here to stay for a little longer.
“Probably our largest competition for those championships would be Dallas and Oklahoma City. We think the Big 12 has found our community very supportive, and very welcoming of their championships to our town, and have supported it for many years,” Sharpe said. “I think our history and the tradition of what we have been able to show and demonstrate with attendance throughout the years, and all of the additional enhancements our community offers to the Big 12 to make the teams and fans feel welcomed when they come to our community – I think those factors help to set us apart from other cities.”