The commissioner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference says moving the annual tournament to Atlanta was a win-win situation for the league.
Gregory Moore knows that, of the 22 Division II conferences, the SIAC has boasted the largest fan base in 18 of the past 20 years. He wants to exponentially raise the profile of the basketball tournament, which will enhance the conference’s brand as well. Moore and the SIAC took a large step towards that as the conference tournament and events will be televised on ESPN, CNN and CBS.
“Put yourself in the shoes of a college president. There are a million things that you have to do, but if you had to prioritize the top five things it would be: increase enrollment, locate new revenue opportunities, engage alumni, maximize the student-athlete experience both on and off the field, and also raise the visibility of our schools. Bringing the basketball tournament to Atlanta does all of that,” he says.
In addition to the games, Moore says the tournament will facilitate a job fair for over 2,000 students and the week will feature a host of compelling, innovative programming, including: “Life After the Locker Room” with New York Times columnist William Rhoden; a college fair on Tuesday; dance team cheerleading on Wednesday; and Travis Portis performing on Friday. Having the SIAC conference tournament in Atlanta and around the Atlanta University Center makes perfect sense to Moore.
“Atlanta is the center of gravity for our conference,” Moore said. “A disproportionate number of our alumni are located in Atlanta. So I felt that in order to grow the conference, we should bring the games to the fans and to the students, which [are] right here in Atlanta. Atlanta is also a destination city. It’s a place where people like to vacation …,” he says.
The SIAC, which turns 100 years old in 2013, attracted Moore with its myriad of positive factors that he could enhance significantly.
“There’s such a rich history here and there are so many assets here that had not been leveraged. Take Atlanta, for instance. That’s a city within our footprint. Atlanta probably has more HBCU alums per capita than any other city,” he says. “If we [can] leverage technology to build a better relationship with our fan base and communicate and dialogue better with them … the potential for this conference [is] really limitless.” –terry shropshire
