Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Detroit Hopes for NCAA Boost

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 2, 2009 8:03 AM CDT

(Newser) – Downtown Detroit will be hopping this weekend, as hoops fans overrun the city for the Final Four. But outside the carousing along the city’s spruced-up main drag, things look as dire as ever, the Washington Post reports. One in five residents are unemployed, and abandoned homes and factories line the streets. Officials say the NCAA tournament could inject $30-$50 million into the city and, some hope, help rehabilitate its image.

The NCAA will also make a $250,000 gift to the local United Way, a token offering given the tournament’s enormous revenues. “If they really see a need, is that all they can come up with?” scoffed one retired auto worker. And many doubt the tournament will bring any long-term tourism boost. The CEO of Detroit's visitors bureau says he’ll be thrilled if viewers just come away thinking, “Detroit is not that bad.”

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

An abandoned home is seen in the the modest residential neighborhood of Brightmoor in Detroit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

A dog walks by a burned out abandoned home in the the modest residential neighborhood of Brightmoor in Detroit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Pedestrians walk by the abandoned Packard plant in east Detroit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Business owner Torya Blanchard paints over a door across from her restaurant in Detroit, Saturday. Businesses and volunteers are helping to put on Detroit's best face for this weekend's Final Four. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Fans cheer on the Michigan State men's basketball team as they depart from the Breslin Center for Detroit and the NCAA Final Four on Wednesday, April 1, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Kevin W. Fowler)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

It's not likely that people watching on television are going to say, 'Let's take a vacation to Detroit!' I wish them all the best, but it's not going to turn that city around.
- Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics with expertise in sports

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Hoe-town: 10K-Acre Farm Eyed for Detroit

Michigan investors seek to turn deserted streets into cropland

(NEWSER) - Motor City could turn into Maize City if a Michigan investment group has its way and turns 10,000 acres of largely deserted streets into farm plots, reports BusinessGreen. Hanz Group hopes eventually to acquire almost 10% of Detroit's 143 square miles for development into cropland, Christmas tree and lumber plots, gardens and riding trails. More»

Don't Dismiss Spartans in UNC Rematch

(NEWSER) - Rationally, Michigan State shouldn’t have prayer in tonight’s NCAA basketball title game, writes Chris Dufresne in the Los Angeles Times. Earlier this season, North Carolina didn’t just beat the Spartans, it demolished them 98-63—and the Tar Heels have only gotten better since. “Cold hard facts say North Carolina hangs its fifth championship flag,” says Dufresne. “Clear rational thinking, however, doesn’t always get it right—especially in sports.” More»

Obama Picks His Final Four

(NEWSER) - President Obama has followed through on a campaign promise and filled out an NCAA basketball tournament bracket for ESPN, the sports network reports. Obama pledged in October to edify the college basketball audience with his picks, provided he won the election. His Final Four? Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Memphis. He's got UNC winning the title. More»

How to Pick NCAA Brackets and Not Go Mad in March

Don't let college basketball brackets control you

(NEWSER) - Obsessing over your NCAA tournament bracket? A time-management expert tells Esquire how to keep the March Madness time-suck under control.

Admit you have a problem—possibly after someone tells you, "You really seem to be getting over-involved with this whole thing.”
Cut back. Sure, "cutting it out completely might be too radical a step." Limit the amount of time you spend on your bracket.
Replace your obsession with something else. Like, you know, work.

Michigan May Take Over Detroit

Governor may appoint emergency manager

(NEWSER) - If Detroit can't get its finances in order soon, it may become the biggest American city ever to be taken over by a state. Rick Snyder, Michigan's Republican governor, has appointed a team to review the city's finances. If members conclude that the situation constitutes an emergency, Snyder is expected to appoint an emergency manager to run the city, sidelining Mayor Dave Bing and the city council, MSNBC reports. A preliminary review found that Detroit has a deficit of $200 million and long-term debts of more than $12 billion. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website