CHARLOTTE — What began several years ago over dinner in Columbia is now helping the Charlotte Sports Foundation make December a sports month to remember. The dinner discussion set in motion a series of events that led to the birth of the Jumpman Invitational, a two-day, nationally televised, sold-out college basketball doubleheader at Spectrum Center.
[ ALSO READ: Equity across men’s and women’s teams a priority for Jumpman Invitational ]
Starting this year, the Jumpman Invitational, that was played Dec. 20-21, is sandwiched between two long-running college football games played at nearby Bank of America Stadium every December: the ACC Championship Game — which featured Clemson vs. UNC Chapel Hill on Dec. 3 — and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30. This year’s championship game attracted 64,115 fans, the highest since 2019; the bowl game will feature N.C. State vs. Maryland.
For the nonprofit sports foundation, stacking events in December — a time when uptown hotels traditionally have a harder time filling rooms — helps fulfill the mission of generating tourism spending. And, with the Jumpman Invitational’s name-brand men’s and women’s teams playing side by side, it sends an important message for gender equity in sports.
But first, dinner.
In 2019, when Colonial Life Arena in Columbia hosted first- and second-round NCAA men’s basketball tournament games, the Oklahoma Sooners were among the schools assigned to play there. The Sooners lost in the second round to eventual champion Virginia, but Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione came away encouraged that an idea he had for a basketball event celebrating Michael Jordan might take flight. In Charlotte, where Jordan’s NBA team plays, no less.
While in Columbia for the basketball games, Castiglione met an old friend, Danny Morrison, at Halls Chophouse. They caught up on shop talk, including Morrison’s newly announced appointment as executive director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation.
Read on here for the full story of how Castiglione’s idea was hatched and how big college events have become a big winner for Charlotte.
VIDEO: Warm-up gear at Jumpman Invitational designed by students
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