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PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Friday, January 30, 1998 Final Four seen as 'crown jewel' for San Antonio By KELLEY SHANNON / AP Sports Writer SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Sports boosters have been striving for years to get this South Texas city known as a venue for major athletic events. The Final Four is a ticket to the big time. The college basketball championship tournament to be played March 28-30 in the Alamodome is the most high-profile amateur athletic contest yet for San Antonio in its quest for stature in the sports world. "We look at it as the crown jewel of events. This is it," said Sandra Lopez, executive director of the Final Four Local Organizing Committee. Already the city has hosted a U.S. Olympic Festival, an NCAA regional basketball tournament and a Big 12 football championship. It's set to host the Women's Final Four in 2002, marking the first time that championship will be played in a domed stadium. The city is vying for another Final Four five years from now. And plans are under way for San Antonio to compete with Houston, Miami and Raleigh, N.C., for the U.S. Olympic Committee endorsement to be the site of the Pan American Games in 2007. "We feel that would be the ultimate event to host," said Deborah Sibley, associate executive director of the San Antonio Sports Foundation, which works to land major athletic events. The Pan American Games, held every four years, would feature more than 6,000 athletes from 42 nations. SBC Communications Inc., parent of Southwestern Bell, has signed on as sponsor of the local effort. The upcoming Final Four will be played before 41,500 spectators in the dome and will be televised nationally and in 30 other countries. The publicity thrills local organizers. "That just really exposes San Antonio," Ms. Lopez said. "And showcases San Antonio and its facilities." The Alamodome -- a pet project of former Mayor Henry Cisneros -- opened in May 1993 and was a key to the selection of San Antonio as the site of the Final Four, Ms. Sibley said. Young Michelle Kwan skated to victory on the ice in the dome during the Olympic Festival in 1993. Several preseason professional and regular-season college football games plus the annual Alamo Bowl have been held in the Alamodome. The San Antonio Spurs currently make their home in the dome. The NBA All-Star Game was played in the Alamodome in 1996. As a warmup to the Final Four, the dome was the site last year of a Midwest regional basketball tournament, and NCAA officials said they liked what they saw. The University of Texas at San Antonio served as the host school, as it is for the Final Four. Though most people packing the sold-out Alamodome will be from out-of-town, Final Four organizers hope local fans take part in related festivities like the "Hoop City" interactive games and youth clinics. Based on past Final Fours elsewhere, organizers project San Antonio will realize a $30 million direct economic impact from the weekend. "This is the biggest, most phenomenal event for the city of San Antonio," Ms. Lopez said. "We won't know what hit us until it's here."   Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

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