The day the USS Carl Vinson came home
HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Navy in talks over potential ‘Carrier Classic’
- ESPN would broadcast the game if it happened
- Two courts should be built to avoid bad weather
- Courts and bleachers would have to disappear if the carrier was tasked with a mission
Washington (CNN) – Hoops games happen all the time on aircraft carriers, but on Tuesday, officials from the Navy, NCAA and Morale Entertainment met to discuss hosting a major college basketball game on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
The Carl Vinson has played a key role in the fight against terrorism almost since day one. The ship launched the first wave of air attacks against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and more recently was the ship from which Osama bin Laden was buried at sea.
Today, the Carl Vinson is on track to make sports history, as the first carrier to host an NCAA basketball game.
The final deal hasn’t been made, but the plan, promoted by Morale Entertainment, calls for the Michigan State Spartans to play the University of North Carolina Tar Heels on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, on the upper deck of the Carl Vinson at Naval Support Activity San Diego around 4 p.m. PT.
“Discussion with representatives is still ongoing. If we reach a final agreement, we look forward to the opportunity this event presents for our Navy and veterans,” said Cmdr. Danny Hernandez, a U.S. Navy spokesman, said. “We are still reviewing the proposal.”
The “Carrier Classic,” as the game was dubbed, would be the first televised college basketball game of the season for ESPN, which agreed to broadcast the game if negotiations were finalized and Navy signed the deal.
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But it will take more than a deal to make the match a success. First there is the game itself. Unlike indoor arenas, the deck of an aircraft carrier would be exposed to wind, rain or sun. To deal with possible weather problems, two courts would be built on the ship: one on the flight deck, the other below in the hangar deck, which would be protected from rain and a little wind. The cockpit stadium seats would be wrapped in fabric to help block wind, which college basketball players generally don’t have to deal with.
As for the sun, the ship would be docked along a pier that would place the sun in the middle of the field, so no player would have to shoot at sunset. Additionally, a professional lighting crew that handles rock concert lighting was contacted to bring in lights to keep the field sufficiently lit for the players and television cameras.
Another problem is security. An aircraft carrier is the Navy’s most important asset. The game would attract around 7,000 fans. Getting them to a secure naval base and then aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would require a significant security effort.
Part of this problem has been solved by promoters, who do not plan to sell tickets to the public. Instead, some tickets will go to UNC and MSU and a few to sponsors as well as some youth coaches who are participating in an onshore clinic. The remainder of the tickets will be intended for military personnel, veterans and their families.
Additionally, Morale Entertainment spokesperson Mike Whalen said each ticket will have the ticket holder’s name printed on the front to prevent scalping. If the name on the ticket does not match your ID, no game for you.
The Navy also needs promoters and ESPN, which plans to bring a dozen or more cameras to cover the game, to know that at any time the president can order the Carl Vinson to leave port on a mission. Which means basketball courts and bleachers would have to be removed from the ship, just as more than 5,000 sailors and Marines would have to board. Whalen said he assured the Navy it would be prepared to dismantle both fields and all seats very quickly if necessary.
“We can leave the ship for 24 to 36 hours,” Whalen said.
To ensure this, nothing will be bolted or welded to the vessel. Instead, they will use “tethers” already present on the ship’s decks to hold the fighter jets in place. Airplanes are generally not aboard an aircraft carrier that is in its home port.
The idea for a carrier-based basketball game began at Michigan State. According to Whalen, MSU athletic director Mark Hollis came up with the idea and head basketball coach Tim Izzo liked it. In an ESPN press release, Izzo said, “As coaches and athletes, we are familiar with terms like winning and losing, but to our military, those phrases have very different meanings. It’s a concept that first struck me during one of my trips to visit our troops in Kuwait, and one that I’ve carried with me ever since.”
Navy spent Monday and Tuesday with officials from the NCAA, Morale Entertainment, ESPN and the San Diego Athletic Commission in detailed discussions about the game. They gave the officials a tour of the ship, showing them areas that could be used for play and potential problems that could arise.
As if the idea of the first embedded NCAA game wasn’t enough to interest you, maybe this will: Former UNC star Michael Jordan and former MSU star Earvin “Magic” Johnson are the game’s honorary captains.
And if the game goes as planned and is successful, there are already talks of hosting other games, including a matchup between the Notre Dame and Ohio State women’s basketball teams.
