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GRAND RAPIDS —
The city's bid to host games in the next few years failed. Grand Rapids competed with 70 other cities to get the event from 2011 to 2013.
There were several reasons we were passed over, but according to Pete Secchia of the West Michigan Sports Commission, there was one reason at the top of the list.
"The NCAA looked at our cost of air transportation," said Secchia. "It was just one of varying factors, but it was a major factor."
That was September. Then last month, a wave of budget carriers announced low-cost flights at the Ford International Airport.
Air-Tran, Frontier, and Allegiant Air will offer more competition which will lower the rates of other carriers.
Jim Dunlap is chairman of The Right Place, one of the groups that helped bring the airlines to Grand Rapids.
"There's access to your community through choices, choices in carriers, choices in affordability, choices in scheduling," said Dunlap.
Their point is that we've got everything here in Grand Rapids that other host cities have.
"You go to an NCAA tournament in Buffalo, or Providence, or Dayton and you're at some suburban hotel, you can't be part of the community," said Secchia. "You can't walk to the arena, like we can from four hotels."
While it was disappointing that Grand Rapids wasn't awarded an NCAA Tournament game, Dunlap said it was a victory of sorts because it helped start conversations that may have never happened.
"This was the first conversation," said Dunlap. "We weren't even on the radar screen, other than individual heroics, people that had connections, made calls."
The next step for March Madness is 2014. Secchia is working to get a senior NCAA official to come to Grand Rapids this summer, to sell them on the idea in person.
The Sports Commission estimates the tournament game would be a $3 million boost for the West Michigan economy.
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