There are some important sporting events that just seem tailor-made for Wheeling.
The West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission Super Six football championships is one such event. For years, the Cancer Research Classic was another.
And now it has become abundantly clear it's time to add the Mountain East Conference Basketball Tournament sponsored by The Health Plan to the list.
Now in its fourth year, the MEC event is a perfect fit for downtown's WesBanco Arena. It's easy for all the MEC men's and women's teams to travel to The Friendly City, and there's also plentiful dining and lodging options for visitors.
And, best of all, the folks in Wheeling are actually happy to have the games here -- they've rolled out the proverbial red carpet. Just like with the Super Six, our community goes above and beyond what other communities are willing to do to show that we are, in fact, not only happy to have these talented athletes playing here, but are willing to give them an experience they will remember long after their playing days are done.
When Wheeling won the bid to host the tournament starting in 2019 after the first four tournaments had been held in Charleston, Jim Pennington, then-president and CEO of The Health Plan, said his company wanted to help "continue the economic growth and development that is going on in the city of Wheeling."
The tournament, as can be seen by the increased level of traffic downtown over the past few days and the longer lines at area restaurants, is doing just that. It is believed the tournament will have an economic impact of several million dollars to our region. That's money that's going to restaurants, and hotels.
That's money well spent in our region that's providing for families.
The MEC's contract is now up for renewal for another three-year stint. We believe keeping the tournament in Wheeling is the right call and urge the MEC's presidents to bring the event back in 2023.