[kypecos]

Geographic center is not as important as population center. IMO. The main population center in Kentucky is located in the triangle of Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky. Anything that is a two hour drive away from the edges of that area presents a travelling hardship/impediment to a MAJORITY of the teams that play football in Kentucky. Northern Kentucky is obviously too far away from the rest of the state and that makes Louisville or Lexington the logical choice (both geographically and according to the greatest concentration of poplutation). In fact, since Louisville is more centrally located and has the greatest population (by far), it is the most obvious and most logical choice. But UofL cannot host the games due to Big East commitments (from what I understand) and UK's field is inferior and not up to the task. So that leaves the KHSAA with limited alternatives.

Having said all of that, most people love everything about the way that WKU handles the championships. The field is a great fit for a high school football game and the city has multiple things to do (restaurants, hotels, attractions, etc.). It is well run and accommodating. In a pie in the sky world, the best case scenario would be to move WKU's field to Louisville or Lexington. But that's not going to happen. So it appears that WKU is the best alternative for the time being. While the arguments regarding EKU are understandable, the fact is that it is more geographically isolated from the rest of the state and is still a 2 hour plus drive from even Louisville and Northern Kentucky, and its facilities and ameneties do not surpass or even equal what is available at WKU. So the KHSAA appears to have done the best that it can under the circumstances.

If you look at the attendance figures over the years, the greatest attendance always occurred when the games were played in Louisville. Probably for many of the reasons cited above and for the additional reason that Louisville is a very attractive city to visit. LOTS of things to do before and after the football games and many use it as an excuse for an extended stay (and maybe attend some of the other games as well as their own teams). So my personal preference (and the preference of most of the state according to the historical attendance figures) would be to see the games return to UofL in the near future. The PJCS is not as cozy as WKU's field but it is an awesome stadium, provides plenty of parking and is an easy drive for the majority of the state. But like others have said, wherever they play the games is where we will go. It's just a fact that more people would join us if the games were played in Louisville.