KC Power & Light leaders ready for more Big 12 fans, rain or shine
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Power & Light says it’s prepared for more basketball fans this week with the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship about to kick off.
KCP&L Marketing Director Alicia Cook said with four games both Wednesday and Thursday for the tournament, the entertainment district should see even more people.
Big 12 men’s basketball tournament in Kansas City: Bracket, schedule, tickets
Depending on the weather Wednesday, she also wants fans to know you can still watch the games in the district because of the overhang over KC Live.
“If it gets too windy or too rainy, all of the venues inside the Live block will be playing the games as well,” Cook told FOX4 on Tuesday. “So McFadden’s, Pizza Bar, No Other Pub, Guy’s Dive, you can watch the game from an indoor comfortable environment.”
Venues like County Road Ice House, Johnny’s Tavern and KC Hooley House inside the district are privately owned.
Fans that FOX4 rain into Tuesday were loving the weather, especially comparing it to how things have been in the past.
“Great weather,” Texas Tech fan Ben Phillips told FOX4. “If they can only play in this ever year, we’d be here every year.”
“Well we are here every year anyways,” Texas Tech fan Jim Korber added.
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Even though the Red Raiders don’t play until Thursday, Phillips and Korber came to downtown Kansas City together two days prior.
“We were here the last couple of years,” Phillips said. “So the weather is kind of a big issue for us, so we came prepared.”
Big 12 Conference leaders said their severe weather plan is if lightning or high winds occur, they would close down the Fan Fest on Grand Boulevard. The games themselves inside the T-Mobile Center should not be impacted.
“We’ll stop by the store and be prepared for whatever may happen,” Denton, Texas, native Teila Darthard said Tuesday when asked about the weather. “But we’re here to support OU.”
Cook said her group will keep Wednesday’s weather in mind as more people start to show up in the district.
“If we feel like it’s an unsafe environment, we would definitely encourage people to go into one of our venues,” she said. “But we have a lot of options available in case weather strikes.”
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Before 2024, the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship had been played in the city 14 times over at the Municipal Auditorium, but this is the first year the women’s tournament has been at T-Mobile Center.
“I think it was great to bring the women’s tournament over here,” West Virgina fan Mark Richard said in an interview with FOX4 Tuesday. “That was really top notch to do that.”
Richard got to the city Thursday night. He plans to stay 10 days and leave on Sunday. Richard not only came to the city for the men’s games, but he also came for the women’s games.
Cook said her group was excited that the women’s games moved a few blocks to the east this year.
“It’s all about building relationships,” she said. “We have a great relationship with the Big 12, and we’ve been building on that relationship. And this year, we’re really excited to kind of reveal that partnership in a bigger way with some of the things that we’re able to bring on stage as far as activations go.”
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FOX4 asked Richard whether he was concerned about the potential for severe weather Wednesday.
“Heck no,” Richard said. “I’ve been here when there was snow on the ground. We still come. No, it doesn’t matter. Especially in West Virginia, you know what we say, ‘Win or Lose, We still booze.'”
Cook said the district is excited to welcome back Shaquille O’Neal, aka DJ Diesel, Saturday night. He’ll perform for 45 minutes after the Big 12 Men’s Championship game on P&L’s Kansas City Live! stage.
You can buy tickets for the Big 12 men’s tournament here.
