Sports Editor

A lot of talk has been made about the possibility of Troy and Troy State University hosting the 2000 AISA Football Championships and the benefits for both.

The decision hasn’t been made yet, but in many peoples minds Troy is the only logical location for the event.

Right now the AISA committee that is deciding on the site has narrowed the field down to Troy and Selma.

Those wanting to hold the championships in Selma have a lot of valid arguments on their side: It’s a more central location… The city has already proven itself a good host after holding the AISA state track meet, all-star football game and the state baseball tournament… And there are more AISA schools near or in that area.

Those are the main arguments Selma can make for locating the event in their fair city. Well, that and the fact that whoever gets the go-ahead to host the championships, which will bring them to the town for two straight years, will get an economic shot in the arm.

Troy does seem to have the upper hand however. They have the best facilities of the two sites giving the teams a chance to play on a beautiful college field, not to mention giving AISA officials and possible college recruiters a nice media room and skyboxes in the Doug Hawkins Press Box

to watch the game in.

Another little ace in the hole for Troy is AISA Executive Director John Faircloth who is actually a Brundidge native and a Troy State alumni. Faircloth played football for Troy State and still holds a lot of ties to the city and university. That might not make all the difference, but it certainly won’t hurt.

Figures have been tossed around about how much money this type of event will bring to the lucky city. No one figure can be promised, but it is almost assured to be no less than $30,000 outside dollars entering the city and in all likelihood will be a LOT more than that.

When you start factoring in six different teams with an average of around 55 players coaches and trainers, then you throw in bands, cheerleaders and fans, you can understand where the words greed and profit might start flashing in front of city council member’s eyes. Heck, anyone with a small gas station in Troy or Selma should be interested in where they choose to hold the games. That could turn a normal Friday into a record day in sales come November 17.

Sports Editor Jared Felkins of the Selma Times Journal (Selma’s daily newspaper) did some figuring and came up with $42,198 as a round-about figure for how much money will be spent in a given city throughout the event. I would venture to guess a lot higher.

If Troy does get the bid then the opportunity would be there to form a good relationship with AISA and possibly bring even more championship and All-Star events to the campus. It’s the community’s job from that point on to show all involved they made the right choice and show them how hospitable Troy can be every step of the way.