DAVIDSON'S STEPHEN CURRY, being guarded by Kansas' Mario Chalmers, had Detroit fans on their feet with his performance at this year's NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament at For Field. The 2009 NCAA Final Four will be held in Detroit next April. - Dan Graschuck photo

THE WORLD SERIES between the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals was a boom for Motor City in 2006. - Dan Graschuck photo

DETROIT NATIVE Jerome Bettis (above) helped to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL at Ford Field. - Lakiesha Harvey photo
The sporting games people play are, naturally, just games. However, they sure enliven any city that is lucky enough to host some of America’s premier sporting events.

Keeping in its recent tradition of being a ‘playa’ on the national sporting scene as a major event host, it appears, from all indications, that Detroit’s momentum is still viable.

The recent NCAA Midwest Regional Men’s Basketball Tournament at Ford Field proved Detroit is alive and well as the tourney produced two NCAA records: A single-session preliminary round record, as the Davidson-Kansas contest drew 57,563; and a total attendance record, as 114,591 set a new NCAA mark for any regional series.

The NCAA Midwest Regional grand undertaking comes on the heels of Detroit having successfully hosted Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in 2005, Super Bowl XL in 2006, the Ryder Cup in 2006, and the World Series in 2006. Add in the PGA Championship this summer, the return of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix on Labor Day weekend, and the 2009 NCAA Final Four next April, and clearly the Motor City looms large on the sporting map.

Some reports have estimated that in one weekend, the Metro Detroit area hauled in $14 million as a direct result of the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, the Tigers on Opening Day at Comerica Park, and the NCAA Regional Tournament at Ford Field.

During the NCAA Regional games, I talked to fans at Ford Field, on the streets, at the hotels, and at a couple of watering holes, and folks from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Wisconsin were getting their groove on.

Almost all expressed how nice the people in Detroit are, how helpful many were in giving directions, and how impressed they are with the casinos and restaurants.

I also met fathers and sons that came from Ohio, the Upper Peninsula, Grand Rapids and Saginaw. Many teens were high school basketball players in their letter jackets from all over the state.

It’s a shame it takes others to come to town to tell us what an interesting city we have. It only affirms my belief that many in the metro area seem to focus on Detroit’s misgivings and overstate them with a broad negative brush – especially in light of the mayor’s ongoing controversies. It pains me to hear others say the city is being dogged and it will hurt our image.

I’m sorry, but it is the mayor (one person) that is being dogged and it has hurt his image.

I was watching the History Channel recently and it showed a special on the 1992 L.A Riots. I was living in L.A. at the time, and I saw first-hand how the local and national media pointed the finger at the cops and individuals involved; not the entire city. The same holds true for what happened recently in New York during its governor scandal; only the governor – not the city – was targeted.

Detroit is one of America’s great, old cities, and its impact on America – and the world – is real and lasting. And it’s not just because of the cars and the music. Once again, the Motor City’s people showed, even in the face of a national economic downturn and a scandal, that we are a gracious and friendly host.

Sure, there are those that prey on others, but that is true of any city in America.

The overriding feeling Detroit left on its visitors is that we know how to play ball with any city when it comes to hosting mega events like the Super Bowl, NCAA Tournament and the All-Star Game.

And just think, the record-breaking NCAA Midwest Regional, in terms of attendance, was only the appetizer, because the main course – the 2009 NCAA Final Four – will be here in less than 360 days.

Since the NCAA mandated in 1996 that all Final Fours will be played in domed stadiums, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, San Antonio, Indianapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans, Seattle and Minneapolis are the only cities in America that have the facilities.

I’ve been to every one of those cities and none of them can be converted to accommodate basketball like Ford Field. The other stadiums have those giant upper decks that rise another 100 feet higher than fan- friendly Ford Field.

I might be jumping the gun, but it is safe to assume Detroit, after it hosts the 2009 tournament, will find itself in the permanent Final Four rotation.

When all is said and done, people enjoy coming to big cities like Detroit for major events like the NCAA Tournament.

With all the hotel rooms filled and guests waiting to get into the many eateries and bars, that unique Motown buzz was back downtown during the tourney, and it will continue to hum in the near future.

Get ready.

Leland Stein can be heard on WGPR radio (107.5) every Sunday from 11 p.m. to midnight. He can be reached at lelstein3@aol.com.