COLUMN: Future of Big 5 is not in the Palestra

Scott Miller, Commentary The obvious reaction is that it's a shame to ignore the country's most historic gym when it comes to hosting the City Series that called the Palestra its home from 1955 to 1980. But ignoring the Palestra isn't a shame at all, it's just a worthwhile abandonment that will make a lot of people heartbroken. For the first time since the disruption of the full round-robin tournament in 1991, the five athletic directors and Big 5 head Paul Rubincam are actually using the word "future" and meaning it. The Big 5 athletic directors and Rubincam are determined to build up interest, and not mire that growth for the sake of history and tradition. "For me it's hard to think too much about the past when I'm thinking about the future," Rubincam said. "Sure there were some great, memorable moments in the Palestra, but we can't dwell on those." Many people suspect, as was brought up at Friday's Big 5 Hall of Fame luncheon, that a preseason tournament is in the works to replace the round-robin. A preseason tournament would solve all scheduling problems that have arisen since the NCAA has imposed a 27-game, regular-season maximum, and three Big 5 teams play in the Atlantic-10 conference. More importantly, a tournament would also support Drexel's initiation into the Big 5, and, yes, the name and logo would still read Big 5. As described in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a tournament could give two teams a first-round bye, with the first round being held as a double-header in the Palestra. Thereafter, the tournament would head to the CoreStates complex. That is, if they choose to use the Palestra at all. This means, at best, that Penn's basketball court would host one night of Big 5 action -- tops. Besides, an all-Palestra tournament has been deemed as senseless, as local teams want to utilize their own arenas. Rubincam, a former Penn athletic director, is not shunning the University by encouraging the future of the Big 5 to move elsewhere. The City Series is now dependent on its history and lore, and no longer has the support of the local community that it once had. There are countless baby boomer Philadelphians who relay stories about sneaking into the raucous Palestra for a doubleheader even though they have no connection with any of the Big 5 schools. Today, the Palestra sellouts are almost solely dependent upon the two schools in action, and doubleheaders are useless, as the fans clear out between games, leaving one game all-but empty. Every Big 5 athletic director, and that does indeed include Villanova, realizes the need to spawn new interest. Each and every school has expressed genuine interest in playing each and every other team, and that too includes Villanova. In the Big 5's inaugural year, the goal of the unofficial conference was clear -- economics. Doubleheaders at the Palestra meant streamlining costs and bringing citywide attention to the five schools. Needless to say, economics doesn't play much of a role anymore. A champion-crowning tournament, however, could bring the always-welcomed cash of a television deal as well as an event Philadelphians could look forward to. This, in other words, would not be a meaningless game that is over as soon as it begins, but it would be a series of games that culminates into an epic battle for the crown of Philadelphia. The only thing missing would be the Palestra atmosphere. Even I want to balk at that concept. No sold-out Big 5 games at the Palestra is a horrible thing to imagine -- even if I haven't experienced the fabled games that made it truly special. But keeping the city of Philadelphia and the merit of the Big 5 program in mind, a tournament is the future. For all of the legends surrounding the past 42 years of the City Series, new legends will be created in their place. It hurts to say that. But the benefits are the only medication for a dying city conference.