The ACC is making a bold push north starting this winter, as the league hosts the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C., and then in Brooklyn for two straight years. Never before in history has the conference left its traditional home base of North Carolina for three consecutive ACC Tournaments.
It’s certainly a sign of the times, as the league has not only become a truly all-encompassing East Coast league over the last decade with the additions of Boston College and Miami, but it has made a much stronger push in the Northeast with the additions of longtime Big East hoops powerhouses Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
It’s nothing new for the ACC to play in the D.C. area, as the city also hosted the ACC Tournament in 2005, while the nearby Capitol Centre in Landover, Maryland, hosted earlier events back in 1976, 1981 and 1987.
One town that most certainly regrets the league’s decision to move north for the ACC Tournament is Greensboro, the league’s home city. The merchants and local businesses of Greensboro see a combined economic impact of approximately $25 million from the event, so certainly they’re looking forward to seeing the ACC Tournament return in four years, in 2020.
It will be interesting to see if the financial impact will be larger or smaller in Washington, D.C., which is certainly more centrally located for most ACC schools, as well as a major hub of national and international commerce. There’s a chance for the event to be a huge financial boon for the area, but it will likely depend on the schools that advance throughout the event.
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