Broadcaster Blasts Albany Regional, and Here’s How We Proved Him Wrong

Radio and TV personality Doug Gottlieb decided to wage war against the Capital Region this weekend. Check out this post on his X account, which went viral on Friday:

Gottlieb was responding to another X user, who questioned the NCAA's choice of Albany as a regional site for the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Both Gottlieb, and the other user, decided to ignore the incredible turnout at MVP Arena for the men's tournament last year, and instead blasted the Capital Region without provocation.

Gottlieb and other doubters were quickly proven wrong this weekend. First, here were a few of our favorite responses to his post:

It's one thing for us, Capital Region residents and sports fans, to defend our home turf. That's our job. It's quite another, however, to have coaches of teams who are PLAYING IN ALBANY defend it for area for us.

Enter: Dawn Staley, who did exactly that:

As noted by The Times Union's Michael Kelly, Staley shared this praise unprovoked. She went out of her way to say positive things about the Albany regional, and I appreciate her willingness to do so.

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If you were in the building this weekend, then you know how great the crowds were every day. If you didn't get to go, let me show you a few videos that prove that to be true:

The announced attendance on Sunday, a day featuring the first of two Elite Eight matchups, was 13,568. The previous day, the announced attendance was 13,878, which was a sellout, per Mark Singelais of The Times Union.

READ MORE: Check Out the First Photos of Caitlin Clark Practicing in NY’s Capital Region

Tonight, the crowd will once again be large and loud, as Caitlin Clark and Iowa battle against Angel Reese and LSU for a trip to the Final Four. We won't know until game time, but I would have to imagine that the Albany crowd is saving its best performance for last.

For the time being, however, the Capital Region should take a bow for the collective performance as host this year.

Doug Gottlieb, meanwhile, should not take a bow, but rather, take a hike.