Why not cover CIAA like the ACC?

Each week, I'll answer some reader questions about the CIAA tournament. Here are a few of them:

QUESTION: Hey, here’s an idea, why not cover the CIAA like it’s a sporting event. The Observer leaves me cold with it’s coverage of the CIAA. It’s more than a party. Are you all going to cover the ACC the same way as you all cover the CIAA? Anonymous

ANSWER: True, it is more than a party. The games are the reason the tournament exists. And we do cover the games. But you must admit the CIAA is an experience that no other tournament can match. The fellowship, the cultural events, the $27 million it brought in last year.Meanwhile, the ACC is all about the games. UNC and Duke are national powers. When they lose, their fans go home too. Not so at the CIAA.In fact, most of the e-mails I get about the CIAA are about the parties and events surrounding it. Haven’t gotten one yet asking about an ACC party.

QUESTION: I find it interesting that on the (charlotte.com) sports page, both UNCC and Davidson have team pages, but JCSU does not... I think it would not only draw more attention to Smith, but also to your website as people who went to Smith can easily read about what’s going on sports wise... What would it take to get Smith a link on the Sports page? Lance Albright

ANSWER: Good question. We set up team pages as the interest level and coverage of the team grows. For instance, we just started the Davidson team page 3 months ago because of all the national interest and stories about Stephen Curry. News coverage dictates a lot of it because you wouldn’t want a team page and not have lots of stories on the page. That would look skimpy. By those standards, I agree it may be time to start a JCSU and/or CIAA page year-round. So stay tuned.

QUESTION: How about going to a JCSU game and actually write about something you know?!?! It’s really sad how you’re being pimped by this paper. Anonymous

ANSWER: That’s cold. I’ve been following the CIAA standings for much of the season. Myself and the guys at the McCrorey YMCA talk CIAA hoops all the time. And I plan to go to the JCSU vs Livingstone game this Saturday.
I would go to more games, but I work weeknights at the paper. You know, it’s hard out here for a pimp.