Hosting NCAA tourney brings lasting extras to Columbus
A crew from SportScape in Marysville puts together a “Dream Court” at Beatty Park on the Near East Side. The basketball court is one of several projects that the NCAA provides to host cities of the Women’s Final Four basketball tournament, which will be at Nationwide Arena next weekend.
As winter gave way to spring last week, a new outdoor basketball court took shape at Beatty Park on the Near East Side.
The gift to the city is unmistakable, the blue- and- orange floor conspicuous amid the surrounding bare trees and brown brick buildings.
The court’s vibrant colors serve as a metaphor for the NCAA’s efforts to leave Columbus a better, brighter place long after a champion is crowned next Sunday at the Women’s Final Four.
The event’s impact, city and NCAA officials hope, will extend beyond the short-term economic shot in the arm provided by the thousands of visitors who will patronize area hotels, restaurants and other businesses during the three- day tournament at Nationwide Arena.
The court is one of several ancillary benefits traditionally provided by the governing body of college athletics and its partners to the city that hosts the annual championship.
In addition, the Final Four has brought a charitable foundation’s $100,000 donation to the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University and a months-long program to promote reading among third-graders in Columbus City Schools.
“Part of our philosophy is to leave a lasting legacy in the cities that step forward to host these events,” said Rick Nixon, NCAA associate director of championships and alliances. “We try to bring additional pieces to the community that they wouldn’t experience otherwise.”
Such community projects, Nixon said, have become