The Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament is an important event for Jamestown and it’s great to see City Council members stepping up to help new tournament organizer Pat Smeraldo keep the tournament in the city for at least another year. However, with the tournament now on its third local host organization and in need of $20,000 in outside funding to continue, there are concerns about its future in Jamestown.
It took significant effort to secure the tournament for next year, with some confusion over funding sources and a collaborative effort by several council members to award ARPA funding and bring the tournament back on a different date. Looking ahead, there are questions about the sustainability of the tournament in Jamestown. ARPA funding won’t be available forever, and the current host organizations can’t continue to bring the tournament back year after year if it doesn’t at least break even. If Gus Macker officials want to keep the tournament in Jamestown, they will need to work with local officials to find ways to bring down costs. Otherwise, the benefits to downtown may not outweigh the costs in the long run.