One institution for sure didn’t see the global economic collapse coming. That would be the NCAA, which booked its annual college basketball fete known as the Final Four for Detroit a couple of years ago.
The last place you would think to crown a champion these days is Motown. On a losing streak that’s both historic and total, Detroit now gets ready to host one of the biggest sporting events of the U.S. sports year. At the least, it’s good news economically; at best, perhaps it’s a sign of change.
For one thing, the Michigan State Spartans will be among the semifinalists at Ford Field. Tom Izzo’s squad earned the right to play in their home state after upsetting the top-ranked team in the country, Louisville, on Sunday. With the Spartans playing, ticket prices will be more valuable and bars are certain to be packed on Saturday night, when they face Connecticut at 7 p.m. ET. The winner meets either North Carolina or Villanova (9:30 p.m. ET) in Monday’s final.
Even if they don’t win, the Spartans have already lifted a pall over the sports scene in Detroit that was ravaged by the NFL Lions’ 0-16 season and the disappointing campaign of the below-.500 NBA Pistons.
The Final Four is expected to generate about $50 million in economic activity for Detroit, according to CNBC, and more than 40,000 hotel rooms will be jammed this weekend as college basketball fans and NCAA officials descend.
With the auto industry in need of a new battery in more ways than one, the Final Four gives a needed jolt to the city’s coffers. But it could also signal an easing of the gloominess in and around Detroit. If that happens, it could be good for us all.
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