Al Hutchinson (top, left) serves as president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, the city’s designated tourism sales and marketing organization. (Photo courtesy of Visit Baltimore); Jacqie McWilliams-Parker (bottom, right) is commissioner of the Center Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). She is the first Black woman to serve as commissioner of the sports conference for historically Black colleges and universities, which returned to Baltimore Feb. 26- March 3. (Photo courtesy of CIAA) After multiple days of battling it out on the basketball court, the women of Fayetteville State and the men of Lincoln University were crowned as the champion teams for 2024. The tournament is a lucrative endeavor that brings thousands of tourists to Baltimore each time the city hosts the event. (Photos coourtesy of AFRO photo/James Fields and Steven Hopkins)

By Megan Sayles,
AFRO Business Writer,
msayles@afro.com

Student athletes, coaches and basketball fans from around the country flooded the downtown Baltimore area Feb. 26 to March 3 as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament returned to Charm City. 

The men of Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University beat out Fayetteville State 54-51, capturing the men’s 2024 CIAA title, while the ladies of Fayetteville State battled Elizabeth City State University, 64-59, ultimately taking the title. 

While most of the action took place on the court at CFG Bank Arena, a spotlight was also shone on Baltimore’s Black dining scene. The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, in collaboration with the Baltimore Local Host Committee, held the Black-Owned Restaurant Tour for the third time to encourage fans to patronize Black businesses. 

“Every night was packed, especially on the weekends,” said Chris Simon, co-owner of the Outkrowd Group, which operates Baltimore restaurants Prim and Proper and Blk Swan. “Blk Swan was the landing spot for people after they finished bouncing around during the day. We definitely felt a surge in business because of that.” 

Simon said his sales surged during the eight days of the tournament. 

Both Prim and Proper and Blk Swan had several buyouts for private parties from alumni of schools competing in the competition, like Bowie State University. The rentals substantially added to the restaurants’ revenue for the week, according to Simon. 

“I think Baltimore is a great city for CIAA,” said Simon. “I really like how people were purposeful about supporting Black businesses while being here to support HBCUs.” 

In 2023, CIAA brought 38,450 fans to CFG Bank Arena. The tournament, which showcases premier teams from historically, Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), generated an economic impact of $29.6 million, up from $19.6 million in 2022.

“We almost doubled in economic impact year over year, and the city of Baltimore really stepped up and did a tremendous job with signage and other activities,” said Al Hutchinson, CEO and president of Visit Baltimore.

This year, months before the tournament, CIAA advertisements began to build excitement for the tournament via digital billboards strategically placed on buildings along high-traffic areas in the downtown area. 

Before returning to Baltimore in 2021, the CIAA Tournament ran in Charlotte, N.C. for 15 years. According to CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams-Parker, its stint left behind more than $600 million for the city and state. 

Since being in Baltimore, she said the CIAA has had an intentional impact on minority- and women-owned businesses. McWilliams-Parker said Baltimore hotel bookings were full, and ticket sales went well for the 2024 tournament. The competition created more than 1,000 jobs this year, according to McWilliams-Parker. 

She also noted the plethora of incentives for Black entrepreneurs. 

“We have opportunities for our minority- and women-owned businesses to get engaged and make some revenue themselves,” said McWilliams-Parker. “Over the last couple of years, Visit Baltimore has been able to capture over a $1 million for , which we haven’t been able to do in the past. That’s one area I’m really proud about.” 

According to Hutchinson, Visit Baltimore partnered with 180 small, Black-owned businesses during the 2023 CIAA Tournament. Over the course of the competition, nearly $1.2 million was spent with the establishments.

Hutchinson was happy to once again engage the Black business community through the Black-Owned Restaurant Tour. 

“Last year, we had eight Black-owned restaurants. This year, 14 Black-owned restaurants a part of the tour,” said Hutchinson. “This is one way we can celebrate Black-owned businesses and push the fan base and our residents to celebrate these Black-owned restaurants.” 

Simon’s two restaurants participated in the tour. He said he looks forward to the visitors that come from near and far each year.

“CIAA has had a tremendous impact on our business as it brings a bunch of out-of-towners to the area for an HBCU sporting event with many of them looking to patronize Black-owned restaurants,” said Simon. “We consistently see a spike in sales throughout the week of CIAA.” 

Aside from CIAA’s financial impact on Baltimore, Hutchinson said the tournament elevates the city’s brand. Visit Baltimore invites potential conference organizers to the event to demonstrate Baltimore’s ability to host large events. 

He added that the competition contributes to the city’s broader tourism industry, which he identified as Baltimore’s third largest economic sector. Many depend on the industry for employment, according to Hutchinson. 

“If not for travel and tourism, a lot of folks would not be employed in this community,” said Hutchinson. “I think it’s very important and it should be celebrated. The CIAA helps all of us keep our jobs.”

Megan Sayles is a Report For America corps member. 

Megan Sayles is a business reporter for The Baltimore Afro-American paper. Before this, Sayles interned with Baltimore Magazine, where she wrote feature stories about the city’s residents, nonprofits...