More than 68,000 fans watched the Final Four games Saturday at the AlamodomeGETTY IMAGES
Next year, an estimated 60,000 fans from out of town are "expected to flow into Minneapolis" when it hosts the men's Final Four and "all of its hoopla," according to Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. It is a smaller event than the Super Bowl, which "claimed more than 100,000 visitors," but bigger than the last Minnesota Final Four in '01. Maybe more importantly is that next year's Final Four will make it "easier for fans who don’t have big bucks to feel like they’re welcome in on the action." Unlike the Super Bowl, the Final Four "doesn’t come with a barrage of corporate activations or ultra-exclusive events." It is "mostly out there for everyone." More than 68,000 fans watched the games Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, and yesterday, the NCAA’s "free music festival featuring final act Maroon 5 pushed to capacity for a second consecutive night less than a mile down the road." Next year's Final Four also will be "more concentrated in downtown Minneapolis than the Super Bowl was." The NCAA "hasn’t selected a venue for the outdoor music festival," but Univ. of Minnesota Senior Associate AD Tom McGinnis said that the festival is "expected to be within walking distance of the stadium and the Fan Fest, which may be at the city’s convention center." Organizers have said that U.S. Bank Stadium may "accommodate more than 70,000 for the games, a number beyond what it has seen for a single event." Minneapolis Final Four Organizing Committee CEO Kate Mortenson said that planners, which include the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and facility operator SMG, are "looking at how to keep the crowds flowing" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/2).
TAKING NOTES: Olson in a separate piece profiled Minneapolis Final Four Organizing Committee VP/Event Operations Cydni Bickerstaff, who was in San Antonio "watching and learning one last time" before her group creates its "own version of the event." Bickerstaff, the daughter of Cavaliers assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff, also was in Glendale/Phoenix for the Final Four last year (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/1).
