The Metro Denver Sports Commission announced Thursday that it will launch its first homegrown event, a statewide high school boys invitational basketball tournament to be played at the University of Denver on Dec. 20-22.
While the goal of the 4-year-old sports commission is to generate economic development by attracting major sporting events to Denver, the tournament will help cement local business relationships, said president Jon Schmieder.
“The bid process has gotten so competitive, it’s almost easier for us to pick a sport that has a lot of community appeal – like high school basketball – and build an event from the bottom up with some good local partners,” he said.
The commission declined to provide an attendance estimate for the tournament.
The nonprofit commission has landed nine of the 25 events it has bid on over two years, including next year’s North American Indigenous Games and the NCAA Frozen Four hockey tournament in 2008.
It will bid on 16 more events this year, including the NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball tournament for 2011-12. It also has hired Olympic consultant George Hirthler to help it pursue international championships, including a potential Winter Olympics bid.
“That’s the big enchilada – that and the Super Bowl,” Schmieder said.
Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain will air the championship game live during prime time Dec. 22. Fox has had more open winter airtime since it lost the broadcast rights to the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets to the Altitude network last year.
Even so, Fox spokeswoman Amy Turner said, “We would have done this regardless. We’ve been very college-focused for a long time, so this is a nice fit for us.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
