WASHINGTON, D.C. –With so many variables to consider when putting together your 2008 NCAA March Madness picks, it makes choosing your teams to go to the finals a gamble.
What isn’t left to chance is the reliability of steel, a dependable material that permeates the world of basketball, from some obvious applications to others that just may not cross your mind. Steel has been assimilated into everyday life so effectively that most fans will never realize its presence as they shout and cheer from the steel-framed bleachers and lean on the steel railing on the way to the concession stand.
Sports stadiums themselves are quite steel-intensive. During this year’s NCAA tournament, steel will again play an integral role in every game. For example, this year’s Midwest Regional games will be staged at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., which required 10,500 tons of steel to build back in 2002. Reliant Stadium, in Houston, Tex., which will host the South Regional games, has a roof built with over 1.5 linear miles of primary long-span steel trusses. The entire structure utilized 17,274 tons of steel in its construction.
But beyond the major stadiums and arenas that are hosting this year’s March Madness games, steel is found in other aspects of the game of basketball. Take for instance the ball carts that are used to transport game balls, which are made of steel tubing or wire. Where would the NCAA be without the sound of a referee’s whistle? This too is a steel product. And all NCAA basketball rims are made of 5/8” high tensile steel and equipped with a breakaway function.
And don’t forget the steel in the school buses that transport college teams to the playoff games. The steel safety cage and side impact steel beams are the built-in safety features that protect the game’s most important asset: the players.
So once your teams have been chosen, take a moment to appreciate the fact that steel is helping to make it all possible this March Madness season.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 31 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 130 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI's member companies represent approximately 75 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s Web site at www.steel.org.
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