SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Local Organizing Committee for the NCAA final four unveiled their new logo for the 2018 tournament during a pep rally at the Mission Concepcion Sports Park Gym.
"I really think this speaks to San Antonio, it looks like San Antonio, how San Antonio will feel in 2018 during the tercentennial," said Jenny Carnes the executive director for SALOC.
The rally was attended by a thousand kids from the "I play" program along with UTSA cheerleaders and band.
"You could feel the excitement of the entire city," said Dan Gavitt the vice president for NCAA Men's Basketball.
Celebrities were also there like former Spur Sean Elliott.
"This is great for our city, this is amazing," Elliott said.
This will be the fourth time the city has hosted one of the most prestigious events in all of sports. San Antonio hosted for the first time in 1998 then again in 2004 and 2008.
"We know how to entertain, we know how to throw a party, no one does it better than San Antonio," Elliott said.
It is rare for a city to host the final four, four times, but it will have been 10 years since the last time and people missed coming here.
"Among coaches, administrators and media that cover the final four on a regular bases this along with maybe Indianapolis, probably the two most popular places where the Final Four is held," Gavitt said.
The fact that some $50 million is being put into Alamodome renovations is a main reason the city was able to get back in the running. Of course there is nothing like that southern hospitality to go along with it.
"It speaks to the passion of this area for basketball, the incredibly genuine people of San Antonio and the hospitality for this area," Gavitt said.
Even though there was much to celebrate and look forward too there is concern when it comes to completing the mission.
During this upcoming Texas State legislative session Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has made it a top priority to take up Senate Bill 6. It deals with gender and bathrooms. It's called the Woman's Privacy Act and has to do with woman's bathrooms, locker rooms and showers.
A bill also dealing with gender and bathrooms was passed in North Carolina and prompted the NCAA to pull the Final Four tournament out of that state, there is concern it could happen here if the bill becomes law.
"It's incredibly important for us to remain committed to our core values and that is conducting NCAA championships and hosting NCAA events in communities that are free of discrimination," said Jeff Jarneke the director of championships for the NCAA.
"We are watching the state but we are watching all the states where NCAA Championships are being conducted," Jarneke said.
Jarneke said the NCAA won't speculate on the outcome of the proposed law, they will, however, be keeping tabs on how the state moves forward.
"Tough to speculate on what may be because of the nuances and the way the bill may be written or might actually be passed along the way, but something that our office is indeed focused on," Jarneke said.