Atlanta Daily World

The Final Four in Atlanta an Economic Boon? Maybe Not

There will be nearly 100,000 out-of-town visitors to Atlanta this week partaking in basketball and music events. An economic impact of $70 million is expected to hit the city, but what about the surrounding neighborhoods?

With the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament kicking off this weekend at the Georgia Dome, it has been questioned if local communities benefit from the expected economic surplus the event brings to the city. According to Professors Robert A. Baade and Victor A. Matheson of the College of the Holy Cross, there is none.

From 1970 to 1999, Baade and Matheson discovered that the average economic impact of a city hosting the Final Four was negative.

Cities expect money spent by patrons to outnumber the money spent in the production of such an occasion. Big events such as the Final Four attract out of town fans, but veer away local fans who seek to avoid crowds
Baade and Matheson have also analyzed the exact same occurrence with cities that host the Summer Olympics.

Atlanta may receive millions in new economic activity from the Final Four, but the two professors say the overall net gain will be low to none.

Vitamin D Deficiency May Have Caused Kevin Ware’s Injury

University of Louisville’s sophomore guard Kevin Ware’s shocking injury in a freak accident on Sunday during an NCAA game against Duke University has many wondering how such a horrific injury could have occurred. Ware suffered a compound fracture in his leg. Many experts are lending their speculations on what caused this injury.

The injury occurred during Ware’s attempt to block a three-point shot by Duke’s Tyler Thornton. Teammates and his coach were horrified after witnessing his “gruesome” injury which occurred near the Louisville bench.

After a successful two-hour surgical procedure, Ware is being aggressively treated with antibiotics to prevent post-surgical infections.

According to Dr. Dave Hnida from Denver’s CBS affiliate KCNC-TV, it is extremely rare it was to sustain a double-compound fracture of the lower leg in a basketball game. In fact, he has only seen injuries like this occur as a result of a car accident or war.

A former New York Jets physician backed Hnida stating that Ware must have had pre-existing stress fractures for such an injury to occur on the basketball court.

Tim Hewett, director of sports medicine research at Ohio State University, says that Ware’s injury can be attributed to a diet deficient in vitamin D and calcium. A lack of these nutrients can lead to more porous bones.

Combining that deficiency with the wear and tear the body endures from playing basketball may have caused small stress fractures in the tibia and fibula bones in his lower leg which ultimately could have caused his bone to snap when he took a bad step.

As revealed by NHANES III data on southern U.S. individuals, most African Americans have a deficiency in vitamin D in comparison to non-Hispanic Whites.

Braves Looking To Upgrade Turner Field

The Atlanta Braves are seeking to make enhancements to the 17-year-old stadium with the team currently in discussion about their lease with the City of Atlanta.

"We're happy staying here," said Mike Plant, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Braves. "We certainly need to do some renovation work here. When you look at this stadium and compare it to your house and my house, I mean, eventually you need a new roof and windows need to be painted."

The Braves Organization is seeking funds for Turner Field's redevelopment from tax incentive programs of the city, state and federal government.

Turner Field has been home to the baseball franchise since 1997 after originally being built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the main event site during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The Braves have reportedly hired the same team that wrote the Atlanta Falcons economic impact report for their stadium to do the same for them.

Georgia Tech's Marshall Named AP Honorable Mention All-American

Georgia Tech guard Tyaunna Marshall was named Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention on Tuesday (April 2), making her just the second Lady Yellow Jacket recognized by the AP.

It is another award in a long list for Marshall this year, as the 5-9 junior was previously named to the All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team and WBCA All-Region.

The other Lady Yellow Jacket to be named AP All-American Honorable Mention was Kisha Ford in 1997.

"I am very pleased that [Ty] is getting the national recognition she deserves," head coach MaChelle Joseph said. "This is a great honor for her, her family and this program."

Marshall was named to the All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Defensive team after averaging 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 steals in 30 games for Georgia Tech during the 2012-13 season.

The Upper Marlboro, Md., native ranks second in the conference in scoring (18.1 ppg), seventh in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and third in steals (2.6 spg). She is the only ACC player to rank in the conference's Top 10 in all three categories, the second straight season she has ranked in the league's Top 10 in all three categories.

Marshall's 37 points in a comeback win over Miami at McCamish Pavilion Feb. 24 were the most points scored by an ACC player this season. She finished the year with nine double-doubles, 10 games with at least 20 points and double-digit points in 28 of 30 games. Marshall was named ACC Player of the Week three times, which tied for the most in the conference.

In nine games against ranked opponents this year, Marshall averaged 18.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals. Her 542 points are the fourth-most in a single season by a player in Tech history and she climbed from outside the Top 25 to eighth on the Yellow Jackets' all-time scoring list with 1,520 career points. Marshall also became just the fifth Jacket to score at least 1,500 points and grab at least 600 rebounds during her career on the Flats.