Bristol, Tenn. City Schools unveils rebranded holiday basketball tournament ‘The Classic’

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — Bristol Tennessee City Schools (BTCS) and Tennessee High School announced on Tuesday a revamped holiday basketball tournament named “The Classic.”

According to a release from the school district, The Classic will take place Dec. 26-28 and Dec. 30-31 this year.

The tournament, formerly known as the Arby’s Classic, has been a Tri-Cities tradition for 40 years, bringing high school players and nearly 30,000 fans from around the globe to compete and spectate.

The release said the school system went through a bid process in late 2023 and was in contract negotiations for six months with the event’s longtime sponsor, AES Restaurant Group, a franchisee of hundreds of Arby’s restaurants along the East Coast.

The district said in the release that while it was looking forward to a continued partnership with the tournament’s headline sponsor, the two parties were unable to reach an agreed-upon decision, thus prompting BTCS to take the tournament’s branding in a different direction.

“The name is not what defines the tournament,” said Dr. Annette Tudor, director of schools. “Our athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers are what make this tournament so special. The Classic is and always has been Tennessee High School, and in a sense, we are bringing it back home, home to community partners who are invested in this community and invested in our young people.”

An AES Restaurant Group spokesperson told News Channel 11 that negotiations began in November, and as of March, the school system was “excited” to continue the partnership. The group said it was then notified Monday the school system was no longer willing to accept the previous proposal.

Tudor said the decision was not financially based. The school system wanted to add the high school’s name to the title, but she said the franchise group wouldn’t allow it.

Tudor stressed that the school system sees this step as one of growth, and that the longstanding holiday tradition hosted in Bristol is made special by the community members and players.

“For your die-hard fan, The Classic is about great basketball, but there’s no denying that for many, this week after Christmas is just as much about tradition and our community coming together,” Tudor said in the release. “We are excited about the opportunity to honor both of those with a new level of community involvement, more local partnerships, and the same level of intense competition and excellence fans have come to love and expect.”

Eighteen teams have agreed to compete in the tournament this winter. Director of ‘The Classic’, Richard Ensor, does not believe any teams will retract their commitment.

AES Restaurant Group’s spokesperson said it has extended the offer to continue its tournament locally and has already received an interest from a local high school to continue its Arby’s Classic this year.

Ensor remained confident in light of the question of the future of the franchise’s “Arby’s Classic.”

“There’s so much [that] goes into having this tournament,” said Ensor. “It’d take them (BTCS) two or three years to get everything going. Especially get good teams, because I get all the good teams.”

BTCS said that organizers will be communicating with longtime local sponsors of The Classic soon and plan to add more community partners in the future. More information about the tournament and the teams participating will come out sometime next week.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.