CLEVELAND — The Mid-American Conference basketball tournament tipped off in Rocket Arena on Wednesday.

Eight of the 12 teams in the conference, both men’s and women’s, will compete in Cleveland for the title over the next few days. 

 

What You Need To Know

  • This is the 25th year the MAC has occurred in Cleveland

  • Cleveland has become a top spot for hosting sporting events

  • The tournament kicked off Wednesday and continues into the weekend

 

The MAC tournament has been in Cleveland for 25 years. The conference has partnered with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission for years on events like the Women’s Final Four and March Madness. Greater Cleveland Sports Commission CEO, David Gilbert, said the MAC are great partners and very committed to Cleveland. 

Gilbert said Cleveland has become one of the top cities in the U.S. for hosting major sporting events.

“They bring in tens and hundreds of millions of dollars, these major events, but it also is great to have these major events putting Cleveland in the national spotlight,” he said.

Gilbert said it’s something that wouldn’t be possible without the help of the MAC. 

“When we bid there’s confidence that with the MAC as a partner, Cleveland will be a great host and they are absolutely a key ingredient and without them I don’t think we would see as many NCAA events  hosted in Cleveland as we do,” he said.