I can’t say I’m crazy about the logo design, but Nashville should be a slam dunk for its bid to host the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four for one year sometime between 2012 and 2016. There are twelve other cities* vying for the five opportunities to host, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Nashville and Tennessee have a strong heritage of success in women’s basketball, and it isn’t all from Pat Summit. OK, a big chunk of it is, and her success is hard-earned and well deserved. Vanderbilt and MTSU have had plenty of women’s hoops success, too, and there are many high schools (most notably Shelbyville) that have been extremely successful. The SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament has been well attended each time it has been played in Nashville, too.

This would be a nice boost for the local economy and good national visibility for the city (despite the logo), and I’m all for it. Regarding the logo, I’ll leave the larger debate about whether Nashville’s country music industry helps or hinders the city’s image for another time, but my short answer to that question is a resounding “yes.”)

[*The other bidding cities are: Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio and Tampa.]