and last updated 2021-03-12 23:25:32-05
NORFOLK, Va. â 2021 marks 50 years of a big basketball tradition. The MEAC tournament is typically a big deal for business in Norfolk, but in a time thatâs been anything but, the sporting event has almost gone unnoticed among some fans.
âHad no idea MEAC was going on this weekend,â said Kejdra Williams of Chesapeake.
Her friend, Maya Bivens of Norfolk, agreed.
âUsually, it would be on the radio, seen on the buses,â Bivens said.
âBillboards, everything,â added Williams. I havenât seen one thing about MEAC at all.â
The event has been an economic driver for Downtown Norfolk, with fans and out-of-towners flocking to sporting bars and filling up hotels near the Scope Arena. The COVID-19 crisis, however, has forced the MEAC tournament organizers to scale down the event.