NCAA Basketball Sells Its Soul

Earlier today, the NCAA held a basketball meeting to discuss the state of the game. The primary topic of discussion was the NCAA tournament and potential changes too it. The sad thing is, if anything is wrong with college basketball it certainly is not the tournament, which is nearly flawless. As it stands, March Madness is one of the most exciting events in college sports. In fact, it is probably the most exciting events and a lot of that is due to the 64-team bracket. Nonetheless, Greg Shaheen, NCAA Basketball vice president, somehow thinks that it is necessary to change what is successful and implement something that the overwhelming majority of fans, coaches and sports analysts disapprove of. There are certainly some problems with college basketball such as the One and Done rule which needs serious reconsideration, yet NCAA basketball staffers tries to find the one thing that is problem-free and reek havoc in paradise.

The real reason the NCAA wants to do this: Greed. The new proposal will expand the field to have more games at little cost. Let's be honest, at 64 teams, the small schools from weak conferences still get a chance to play in the NCAA tournament...Murray State anyone? Expanding the field to 96 demeans their accomplishments. Even the weak conferences like the American East and Atlantic Sun still have bids to the tournament. Do we honestly need to expand the field and make conference championships meaningless? Today, Shaheen seemed to answer that question affirmatively, which should be unsettling to anyone who has an interest in college basketball. This proposal is certainly not a team to get more Cinderella teams as schools not in the top 32 will have to play an additional game to get on top. One thing the 96-team bracket will inevitably do is expand the power of the big conferences by giving schools like North Carolina the ability to be among the field of 96, when their pathetic regular season record, including a 5-11 conference record, should say otherwise. Nonetheless, the proposal does not even benefit the fans whose teams' did not make the tournament. UNC typically makes NCAA tournament play every year and most fans would tell you that the Tarheels deserved nothing better than the NIT this year. I myself am a big Boston College basketball fan, and this year the Eagles unfortunately did not make the tournament. However, in a field of 64 I feel like they deservedly did not make the tournament as there are 64 better schools or at least a good amount of better non-conference champion bid schools.

College basketball is a lot of fun particularly March Madness (and like I said my a lot of my enjoyment of March Madness can be attributed to my tournament system). If this proposal goes through, which now seems to not be so much of a question of if but when, then my interest will certainly decrease. I think it is up to the fans to show their displeasure with NCAA corporate mongers and boycott or at least diminish viewership of NCAA games come tournament time. I myself plan to boycott or watch fewer games come tournament play. After all, the fans are the viewers and the ones who make up ratings. If the NCAA is going to say our opinion does not matter, it is our prerogative to prove them wrong.