Greensboro New & Record Article

The Greensboro Coliseum has been privileged to host the women's ACC tournament the last couple of years. It has been great for our local economy. Hotels and restaurants have been among the main recipients of the fans money. We all know that in this economy, anyone should be happy to embrace the chance to make a dollar. We as a city need this tournament for years to come for the money, but also to build Greensboro's reputation as a place to come and host big events. Greensboro and the ACC officials' marketing plays a big part in how our city and the women's tournament is perceived.

ACC Reluctant to Acknowledge Lesbian Fans

This is the headline run in the Greensboro' paper in today's sports section. I think the headline speaks for itself, so I will not go that far in the topic. I am not saying that the ACC needs to market to specific groups--Officials claim to market to only basketball fans. However, the proof is out there that lesbians are indeed a growing market as fans and already stand as a large group within women's basketball circles. The WNBA has already acknowledged them in their advertising and marketing.

A quick thought.. When headlines like this run and officials in the tournaments will not acknowledge the diverse fan base, as noted in the news article by staff writer Robert Bell, do you not think that you run the chance of alienating that group and their much needed spending power?