Kansas City is trying to put its best sneaker-clad foot forward this week for the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The tournaments’ future in Kansas City could be at stake.

With the games making a return engagement at Kemper Arena after two years in Dallas, city leaders are working to convince Big 12 officials Kansas City should be the permanent home for the basketball championships.

“Certainly we want this week to be a good event, and for everyone who’s here to leave at the end of the week with a good feeling about Kansas City,” said Mayor Kay Barnes of Kansas City, Mo. “We’re looking forward to the rest of the week to build on the reputation Kansas City has for being a great host.”

After this year’s tournaments in Kansas City — the women started their games Tuesday, with the men starting today — the Big 12 will move the championships to Dallas in 2006 and Oklahoma City in 2007.

No decision has been made for the tournaments’ location after that. With the $250 million Sprint Arena scheduled for completion in downtown Kansas City by the end of 2007, Barnes said she was hoping to bring the tournament — which Kansas City hosted since 1946, through various incarnations of the conference — back to the city for good.

The Sprint Arena likely would become home to the men’s tournament, with Municipal Auditorium remaining the site for the women’s games.

The Sprint Arena project includes a new seven-block entertainment district featuring restaurants and retail businesses. The arena itself, a public-private partnership, will seat 18,000 to 20,000 people.

“Ideally we’d like to have it every year, to be the home of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament,” Barnes said. “If that’s not possible, then we want it as often as possible.”

Two-year-old John Alvey plays with his mom's phone while watching a Big 12 Tournament practice Wednesday at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.

Jayhawk support

Kansas University officials will be lobbying for the tournament to return to Kansas City on a regular basis. The close location saves the university travel expenses, though Jim Marchiony, an athletic department spokesman, said he didn’t know exactly how much.

“Certainly the pluses outweigh the minuses,” Marchiony said. “Anytime you talk about less travel, that’s a plus. It’s easier for many of our fans to get to Kansas City than it is to go to Dallas or Oklahoma City. The only real negative is ticket demand.”

Marchiony said he expected other schools to support the Kansas City location as well.

“I think we’ll certainly be an advocate for Kansas City, but we won’t be alone,” he said. “A lot of the schools will want to have Kansas City in a regular rotation for the Big 12 championship. It’s a good site for it. It won’t be just the University of Kansas carrying the banner.”

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Coach Bill Self said he preferred the 45-minute jaunt down I-70 to a full-blown road trip, too.

“We’re excited it’s in Kansas City,” Self said. “It’s a short trip for us and all those things. Of course, we’ll lose it for a couple years until the new arena is built. Dallas is awesome, but it’s still kind of a football state in many respects. People there get into it, but not like the people here.”

Economic benefit

Plenty is at stake economically as the Big 12 decides where to hold its tournament.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City estimates $20 million is pumped into the community by hosting the tournament. Seventy percent of the 44,000 people who watch men’s games are from out of town, and 60 percent of the 16,500 people who will watch the women’s games are from out of town, said Laren Mahoney, a bureau spokeswoman.

“When it comes to dining and shopping, people have down time between games to visit Westport, the (Country Club) Plaza and Village West,” Mahoney said, referring to several Kansas City shopping and entertainment districts. “This brings a great monetary value to the city.”

Judy Billings, director of the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she figured there’s a trickle-down effect to Lawrence, too, though the local bureau has never done a study on the topic.

“It’s hard to know, but of course it’s better to have them in Kansas City near us than in Dallas,” Billings said. “I know anecdotally people come over to the (Allen) Fieldhouse to visit, and when we have a KU athletics hall of fame (expected to open next year) it could be even more.”

The real benefit for most of those in northeastern Kansas will be access to the games. Sean Hatfield, a KU senior from Kodiak, Alaska, said he’s excited to be attending his first Big 12 Tournament this weekend.

As far as the closer site helping KU’s chances of winning the tournament, Hatfield isn’t so sure.

“Missouri and K-State fans are also close,” he said. “It’s probably not going to have that much of an impact.”