Fans weigh in on the future home of Big 12 Tournaments

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament tipped off on Tuesday, with fans from across the country traveling to Kansas City to cheer on their teams.

“We got here a couple of days ago and started exploring the town because we’ve never been here before,” said Jaschar Shakuri, a West Virginia fan. “We really love it, I think it’s great.”

Shakuri traveled to Kansas City with his son Darius, who echoed his dad’s sentiment.

“I think it’s been really fun to explore a new place,” said Darius.

Arizona State fan and alumni Jonathan Garrett drove to watch the tournament with a friend, in town for the first time.

“We went to the Pac-12 Tournament for the past 25 years, so we figured we would give it a try,” said Garrett. “It’s been fun, it’s been cool. We haven’t been down here yet to get the full experience of all the stuff that’s down here.”

Bonnie and Becca Bingham got into town late Monday from Utah, here to cheer on BYU. This is their second time here for the tournament with BYU in its second season in the conference.

“Oh, we have so much fun, it’s great,” said Bonnie. “What could be better than watching four basketball games every day?”

Friends Stacia Myers and Edina Robinson are from the area; Robinson still here while Myers is visiting from Texas. They were both cheering on the TCU Horned Frogs, who lost to Colorado Tuesday afternoon.

“I appreciate the sunshine and the weather,” said Myers. “It’s just been great being back here. Every time I come back to where I used to live and ride through my neighborhood. So it’s been really great.”

Robinson says it’s nice seeing hundreds of fans traveling to Kansas City for the tournament.

“It’s always exciting when we have big events,” said Robinson. “Everybody is out partying, having a good time, and the Power & Light District is definitely the place to be.”

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Both the men’s and women’s Big 12 Basketball Tournaments will be in Kansas City through 2031, with the KC Sports Commission saying it’s working to keep them here after that. What do the fans think?

“I want it to stay here,” said Robinson. “All the economic benefit we get, as well as just the people coming in and seeing this great city.”

“Selfishly, I would love to see it back in Vegas,” said Jonathan Garrett. “I don’t mind if it’s here, I hope it’s not here every year for the rest of my life. Vegas brings some more excitement of allowing fans to see the casinos and everything else that’s associated with Vegas. Hopefully they do bounce it around. I know the other conferences are talking about doing that. Hopefully we don’t get shut out of that.”

“I would like for it to come to Provo and be at BYU, otherwise I like it here,” said Bonnie.

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“I’m a sucker for tradition, so might as well keep it,” said David Tallman, a Utah fan. “If it’s home here, home is here.”

“I think it depends,” said Shakuri. “People sometimes get used to what they know, so it makes it fun to come back to the same experience, but certainly if they decide to take it elsewhere, we’re going to have to follow. So far we’ve loved it.”

The sports commission and Visit KC project the two weeks of tournaments to bring in $33.5 million to Kansas City. You can find more information about the tournaments, parking, transportation, and much more here.

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