CIAA Tournament: Bigger than basketball

It's that time of the year again for the annual CIAA Basketball Tournament. The tournament will be from Feb. 26 to March 2 at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. 

Winston-Salem State will be trying to repeat as champions for the first time since 2000. 

Even if you are not a sports fan, it's important to understand the historic significance of this tournament. 

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association was founded in 1912 as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association and is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the country. 

The conference consists of 12 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

It's fitting that the CIAA Tournament starts during Black History Month, a time for recognizing achievements and important milestones by African Americans. 

The CIAA was one of the first platforms to give African Americans the opportunity to compete athletically on the college level. 

Notable participants of the tournament include WSSU's Basketball Hall of Famers Earl "The Pearl" Monroe and the late-great coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines. 

Outside of basketball, there are activities during the week such as Battle of the Bands, step shows, educational events and parties. Celebrities that attended parties last year in Charlotte during the tournament week include Common, T.I. and Wale. 

Other than being the third most attended basketball tournament among all NCAA divisions, it is televised nationally in more than 57 million homes nationwide. The conference has partnerships with ESPN and TV One. 

Since 2000, the CIAA has made more than $266 million for North Carolina and more than $16.5 million in scholarships for CIAA institutions. The amount of money generated by the CIAA is remarkable, and I am proud to say I'm a student at a HBCU in this conference. 

The CIAA has received national recognition being featured in "Ebony" and "Essence" magazine. 

I encourage you to go to at least one day of the tournament. For those who were already familiar with the tournament, I hope you understand that this week is bigger than just sports. It's a celebration of African-American excellence.