No matter how many bigger assignments she’s received over the years, Debbie Antonelli never forgets her roots in the Missouri Valley Conference.
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The ESPN analyst enjoys a longstanding relationship with The Valley and always tries to find ways to get the conference more recognition.
During women’s basketball media day last October, Antonelli had an idea to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of having women’s sports in The Valley.
She issued the Debbie Antonelli Ticket Challenge, an initiative aimed to provide free tickets for children to attend the conference tournament at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois on March 8-11.
Antonelli pledged to buy four all-session tickets for kids in the Quad Cities area, and challenged other coaches, fans and officials to do the same. An all-session ticket costs $40.
The tickets will be donated to the The Valley’s Middle School Madness Sportsmanship Program for participants in the poster and essay contest that takes place in the Quad Cities area.
“I want to motivate kids to get involved and come to the games,” Antonelli said. “Everywhere I go now and see somebody, I ask them if they want to buy a ticket. I don’t care how many tickets they buy, just support and buy tickets.”
Antonelli has been using the power of social media to help spread the word about the challenge and directing donors to fill out the form at the conference website.
Several MVC coaches have already stepped forward to donate, and the effort has expanded to others with ties to the conference and some with no ties at all.
Missouri coach Robin Pingeton, Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, ESPN writer Mechelle Voepel are just a few that have already donated.
“It’s really interesting because it’s gone out far and wide beyond our own membership and fans,” said Patty Viverito, in her 26th year as the senior associate commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference. “Debbie has a long history and a high profile operating in women’s basketball at all levels and we have just been very fortunate to have been a part of her circle of friends.”
Viverito wasn’t surprised when Antonelli began discussing ways to get more children in attendance at the conference tournament.
“Debbie is always promotion-minded,” Viverito said. “She said let’s do something special for the 25th and we need to get people at these games.”
Illinois State coach Kristen Gillespie didn’t think twice about donating tickets once Antonelli contacted her about the challenge.
“She called me the night she proposed this idea and without a doubt I was on board and got my ticket,” said Gillespie, a former North Carolina State player and Kay Yow disciple like Antonelli. “Debbie cares so much about the women’s game. For her to use her platform to help our league and help kids, that is Debbie Antonelli to a tee.”
Antonelli puts her money where her mouth is when it comes to supporting women’s basketball. She often buys season tickets for programs and tells school officials to disperse them any way they want.
Antonelli has asked The Valley to keep track of the ticket challenge donations so she can hand write a personal note to people she has asked to contribute.
“It’s really all about being supportive of those kids. They are working just as hard as the bigger programs and don’t get as much publicity, and the Valley has always supported women’s hoops,” Antonelli said. “This is a chance to give back to the game and it’s a fun and easy way that makes a direct impact.”
Not only does the ticket donation benefit the players by providing a more energized atmosphere, it could potentially create a new fan for life.
“If there is a parent that brings a child with a free ticket and they just see the environment and see the quality of basketball, that young girl may be able to identify with the kids on the court,” Gillespie said. “Our players are great role models. If we can reward young people for being good kids and maybe make some fans, it is a no-brainer win.”
Antonelli wants to ensure the ticket dispersion to middle school students is gender neutral.
“I don’t just want to get the girls to the game, I want to get the boys too. I think that is important,” she said. “This is a really good way for them to experience college basketball.”
Antonelli hasn’t considered how many tickets she wants to help provide.
“I don’t have any goal in mind. I am just trying to encourage people to help out,” she said. “There are some fans on Twitter that said they will support it just because. They are fans of another conference or another league, but want to support women’s basketball. How great is that?”
The Quad Cities is hosting the MVC women’s tournament for the third year. They bid to bring the tournament to Illinois and have promoted it heavily through media outlets and fan outreach.
Viverito said the tournament averaged more than 1,000 fans at games last year, with the championship game drawing more than 2,000.
“We are the only conference below the Power 5 conferences that underwrites and invests in a neutral site tournament that is separate and apart from the men’s tournament,” Viverito said. “That is not to say that model can’t work, but I know from talking to some of my SWA (Senior Women Administrator) colleagues that often times at shared neutral sites the men’s games get the prime-time spots and the women don’t.”
Antonelli’s initiative is another example of the grassroots outreach commonly utilized in women’s basketball to help grow the sport. It’s part of what makes the game so attractive and accessible to fans. They feel a closer bond and shared kinship to the players, coaches and other supporters.
Even if there are not enough tickets donated, The Valley won’t turn away any kids wanting to attend the tournament. It’s possible one of the little girls or boys in the stands may return in a few years as a player or a coach.
“We will find a way to get deeply-discounted tickets. Price is not going to be a deterrent for any kid that wants to come,” Viverito said. “We will figure out a way to get them in the building.”