Online Now 1955

MSU Red Cedar Message Board

The largest and most active MSU Spartans board on the web

On this Board 1279
Record: 12118 (3/18/2012)

Online now 2009
Record: 10351 (3/11/2012)

Boards ▾

MSU Red Cedar Message Board

The largest and most active MSU Spartans board on the web

The Press Box

The place to ask questions to SpartanTailgate's recruiting experts

Duffy Daugherty Forum

"The Duff" is dedicated to Michigan State football recruiting discussion

Jack Breslin Forum

"The Bres" is dedicated to Michigan State basketball recruiting discussion

Wells Hall Off Topic Board

This is your pulpit to preach to the masses about everything from politics to religion

Marketplace & Ticket Exchange

The place to buy, trade or sell Michigan State tickets

Fantasy Sports Forum

For fantasy football and other fantasy sports discussion

Test/Feedback Forum

Reply

Great Alaska Shootout

  • I used to love this tournament, but this years field is quite weak, and it seems like it has been the past several years. Is this due to so many preseason tournaments that have sprung up (Anaheim, Orlando, Charleston, Bahamas, etc.) that make Alaska less of a destination, or am I missing something?

    Location: Mumbai, India

    sparty419 ●

  • sparty419 said...

    I used to love this tournament, but this years field is quite weak, and it seems like it has been the past several years. Is this due to so many preseason tournaments that have sprung up (Anaheim, Orlando, Charleston, Bahamas, etc.) that make Alaska less of a destination, or am I missing something?

    No, you've got it. With all these other tourneys now, who the hell wants to go to Alaska?

    Achtung Baby

  • sparty419 said...

    I used to love this tournament, but this years field is quite weak, and it seems like it has been the past several years. Is this due to so many preseason tournaments that have sprung up (Anaheim, Orlando, Charleston, Bahamas, etc.) that make Alaska less of a destination, or am I missing something?

    other tournaments offer more $$ and Alaska just isn't considered rewarding anymore since tropics are preferred destination spots.

    tVargMan Prime

  • Ah, this must be the annual thread where RCMBers discuss the current shittiness of the Great Alaska Shootout and I get depressed.

    Well, I'll just say this: Alaska-Anchorage athletic director Steve Cobb aided significantly in ruining the tournament. Actually, considering how he runs the rest of his athletic department, It's clear to me that Cobb is a total idiot.

    Case in point, this year's tournament is being funded by $3 million in state money. What did that money get? The worst field in Shootout history.

    Actually, there's a bit of a caveat: Cobb didn't spend the majority of that money on luring good teams to Anchorage. Instead, he blew a ton of cash on an Alaska Airlines voucher program. He thought, by using deeply discounted airfares and free game tickets, he could entice rural Alaskans to come to Anchorage to watch a tournament featuring a few D-I college teams with one or two Alaskans on their roster. Judging from the number of red and yellow empty seats I've seen at Sullivan Arena this year, the idea didn't work out too well.

    It's a product of the wretched ineptitude of the UAA athletic department over the last 15 years, the swell of regular season non-conference tournaments and, up until this year, the loss of a national TV platform. But, again, I place the majority of the blame on Cobb and his inability to adapt to a changing non-conference tournament climate.

    This post was edited by A_Allen on 11/23/2012 at 1:11 AM

    signature image

    A_Allen

  • VargMan said...

    other tournaments offer more $$ and Alaska just isn't considered rewarding anymore since tropics are preferred destination spots.

    ESPN decided to get into the preseason tournament game in 2006 when they decided they could throw together a tournament for less than it cost for the rights to the independent one.

    "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."

    SI did an article a couple of years ago when it looked like it might go bankrupt. The link is a rivals article that lays out the story better than I can.

    Explaining the decline of the (formerly) Great Alaska Shootout - The Dagger - NCAAB Blog - Yahoo! Sports

    Complete College Basketball news, scores, standings

    rivals.yahoo.com
    signature image

    *

    Jaheab ●

  • Jaheab said...

    ESPN decided to get into the preseason tournament game in 2006 when they decided they could throw together a tournament for less than it cost for the rights to the independent one.

    "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."

    SI did an article a couple of years ago when it looked like it might go bankrupt. The link is a rivals article that lays out the story better than I can.

    yep, this was the biggest issue. It used to be Maui, GAS and the Pre-season NIT as the only televised tourneys. Now ESPN and other networks have gotten into the business of creating tourneys and the GAS has been left for dead. I was there 10 years ago, it was a great tourney! The fact the GAS has survived since losing the ESPN deal is a testament to the support it has locally - it draws well, far more than Orlando and Anaheim ever will. Other tourneys like the San Juan Shootout (MSU played in it in 1999) are gone, unable to survive the competition from the ESPN sponsored tourneys.

    This post was edited by Enrico Palazzo on 11/23/2012 at 9:26 AM

    "If you have the right to be offended I have the right to offend you." - Ricky Gervais

    Enrico Palazzo

  • What year did we play in this tourney? 2000?

    LittleGiants

  • I remember as a kid when SCum lost to UAA in this tourney. Think it was the year after they won the ncaa championship. That made me laugh.

    Coach_McGuirk

  • LittleGiants said...

    What year did we play in this tourney? 2000?

    2002-2003. Davis' first game.

    Location: Mumbai, India

    sparty419 ●

Michigan State
247Sports
Features
Resources
Connect

247Sports In partnership with CBS Sports