So how is something I prefer ruining something I love?
There are two very naive reasons.
1. The 68 Team Field
Let me go no further without saying that these are reasons that far from ruin college basketball; they just make it the smallest amount worse.
Since 2011, the NCAA tournament has fielded 68 teams. Since this doesn't work out on a normal bracket, there are four "play-in" games. This really means that teams must win another game before they are really part of the 64 team NCAA tournament field. That means four teams will play in the fast moving tournament having already played one game. The other four teams won't even be part of the 64 team field.
Why do these teams, four of whom have theoretically qualified for the tournament, get put in such a terrible situation? Money. It is all about selling an extra day of advertising for the NCAA. In 2011, my Clemson Tigers played in a play-in game and, after winning, were back on the court in 24 hours. When Clemson lost their next game by a margin of less than 5, fatigue was definitely questioned since the team had two games so close to each other.
The NCAA is milking out a little more money at the cost of weakening their product.
2. Gus Johnson
If you call yourself a basketball fan and you don't know who he is, you are really missing out. If you have just become a March Madness fan in the last couple of years, there is a good reason you don't know who the most exciting announcer in all of sports is. Gus Johnson left CBS -- the company with exclusive broadcasting rights for the NCAA tournament -- two years ago. Without him, the tournament hasn't been the same. Why did Johnson leave CBS? Contract negotiations. Once again, money was standing in the way of a great aspect of the NCAA tournament.
While these are not things to get too tied up over, it is interesting to see how capitalism has hurt the quality of the great NCAA tournament.
Who Gus Johnson is:
Fatigue can definitely affect a team's performance, I completely agree. But is it really ruining the game? Of course they are going to try to make more money, but because one team is more fatigued doesn't really make the game more or less entertaining, it might just lead to a bit more heartbreak for the fans. The networks may or may not be able to tell a difference because of the extra money they make in five years, but at the same time most people probably won't remember if their team made it all the way or not by then.
ReplyDeleteWell being a sports fan we definitely remember everything about our team. I can assure you I did not have to look up anything for this post. That just shows that I am still bitter about my team getting shafted by this stupid rule two years ago. When it comes to the NCAA tournament, it's much more than a game.
DeleteI feel like the whole sports world is going to hell in a hand bag. It seems as though every year there is another ploy to squeeze out another dollar. I also believe its ridiculous that contract negotiations ended Gus Johnson's commentating, now I have a feeling that I will be stuck listening to the NCAA basketball equivalent of Lou Holtz for the rest of the season.
ReplyDeleteOh well, in the end I predict Miami to win.
I totally agree. The only thing holding us back from a real college football playoff is money.
DeleteIt is certainly true that sports is being increasingly commercialized at all levels, including the college level. And in many sports, college is essentially the minor leagues for the pro leagues (except much more popular than most minor league play).
ReplyDeleteJust to be devil's advocate: couldn't you argue that with the 68 team format, sure some people are going to play at a disadvantage. But overtime more people will be in the tournament, and they'd gladly be in the tournament even if they have to sacrifice some competitive advantage.
This is very very interesting. I have never thought about it like this before. However, I know very little about basketball (It's my least favorite sport). However, this will never stop me from getting in on the march madness, well madness. Also, I think Clemson as well as other teams should be thankful there success paid off to allow them to make it this far, while other teams didn't even qualify for march madness.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the only resin we don't have a college football playoff is because of the money. College basketball has always done it this way and I think it has done more for the sport than almost anything else.
ReplyDelete