Hoop-It-Up

[gostars]

Time runs out on Hoop-It-Up

Popular basketball tourney may throw in the towel after 18 years

08:52 PM CDT on Friday, September 3, 2004

By KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News

The final buzzer has sounded on Hoop-It-Up, the born-in-Dallas, three-on-three tournament that took basketball to the nation's streets.

The competition is "indefinitely suspended" while owners try to sell it or find a way to run it differently.

"We had good participation, but it cost so much to do it the way we did it, we didn't make any money on it," said Tom Stultz, chief executive of sports marketing company Host Communications Inc., a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Bull Run Corp.

The Dallas tournament was played in the West End for most of its 18-year run. This summer it was set up in the parking lots of American Airlines Center.

"It's not a money maker for us. It's just additional activity," said Dave Brown, vice president and general manager at the AAC. "I'd be disappointed if we don't have the opportunity to host it again in 2005."

The tournament expanded to more than 45 cities in the decade that Host Communications ran it. The company even added a 3v3 Soccer competition. But the events were not profitable, and Host cut it to just 15 cities this summer.

"When you're losing money on one side, people on the profitable side start worrying," said Mr. Stultz.

About 15 full-time workers in Dallas lost their jobs this week. A couple of people are still working to finish up this year's seasons.

"We still have finals for soccer that we're running in January in Orlando," said Chaney Muench, vice president of Host events in Dallas. "We're still trying to figure out how to run the finals for Hoop-It-Up."

E-mail kfairbank@dallasnews.com

[rpirtle]

I've worked the Top Gun brackets for Hoop-It-Up the last several years in Dallas. This past year was definitely a disappointment. Moving from the streets of Dallas' West End district with its colorful shops, restaurants, and specialty stores all around us to the parking lot of the American Airlines Center caused the tournament to lose much of its flavor and attraction. Not to mention the fact that it was hotter than H*** on that black asphalt and virtually no shade to speak of...not very pleasant. I was shocked to find even myself saying that this might be my last year to work the tourney. I hope they find some way of bringing it back...but if it's in that parking lot again...well, I don't know...