Gearing up for a big weekend
As Illinois kicks off the world’s largest outdoor food festival, Eastern Washington’s claim to fame, Spokane Hoopfest, begins Friday.
Every year at this time, the City of Spokane and basketball fans from all over are thrown into a tizzy. Restaurant owners schedule extra staff to handle the crowds. People travel from all over to compete. Spokane Hoopfest is the world’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament.
They’re in the money
Spokane is commonly referred to as a “mid-size metro” and has a population of about 450,000 in the city and surrounding areas. However, that number grows significantly during Spokane Hoopfest.
Basketball enthusiasts book hotel rooms months in advance. Although some Spokane residents chose to stay home to avoid the crowds, Spokane Hoopfest brings in a huge influx of instant money for hotels, retailers, restaurants and plenty of other businesses.
Downtown gets shut down and riled up
To give you an idea of just how big a deal Spokane Hoopfest is for this not-so-big city, here’s a quote from the Spokane Hoopfest web site:
“Over 6,400 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 200,000 players and fans, 400 courts spanning 40 downtown city blocks, and that’s just on day one! Beyond basketball, though, Hoopfest is an outdoor festival chock full of concerts, shopping, food, interactive entertainment …”
This year, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be present at a Downtown Spokane venue. It promises to be “a great night of basketball, questions from the audience and book signing. ” Tickets are still available through TicketsWest for $48.
History of Spokane Hoopfest
Spokane Hoopfest started in 1990 and followed the tradition of many other Hoopfests in other cities at the time. Rumor has it the first Hoopfest three-on-three basketball tournament was held in a small town in Texas in 1974.
Spokane Hoopfest grew quickly, and it now is larger than the tournament named after Gus Macker. Macker is said to have started the Texas Hoopfest with 17 friends. Now, the Gus Macker Hoopfest is held in Michigan.
Sorry, too late to participate
If you want to compete in Spokane Hoopfest, you’ll have to start planning for next year. The brackets for this year’s event are already posted. But in case you’re interested for future reference, here’s how Spokane Hoopfest works:
Hoopfest competitions consist of three games in a double elimination tournament. Each team of four players (three players and one substitute) submits registration forms and a registration fee based on date of registration. The teams are placed in various divisions based on age (Youth divisions are based on the oldest players), height and experience.
Share the wealth
The city doesn’t keep all the hype and cash generated by Spokane Hoopfest to itself. Nike has come out with special Limited Edition Hoopfest Shoes: the Zoom Sharkalaid Hoopfest 20th anniversary customized indoor/outdoor basketball shoes.
This year, Toyota, Avista, Yoke’s Fresh Market and Bruchi’s Sandwiches are major sponsors of Spokane Hoopfest.
Something for everyone
Some play for fun, some play for laughs, and some play to win. Regardless of why players enter Spokane Hoopfest, they are helping the city thrive. They are also helping charity organizations. The Spokane Hoopfest Association distributes profits among Special Olympics teams and other basketball-related activities.
