NCAA Threatens to Trade MarchMadness Perfection… for Just a Little More
April 9, 2010
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March Madness is one of thebest sporting events of the year, every year, on a very short list withthe Super Bowl, the World Series and the Olympics. But March Madnessis the most inclusive – and, in some ways, the purest.
The tournament’s 65 teamscame from 31 states this year. Schools like Gonzaga and Winthrop,Lehigh and New Mexico State all got to play.
What separates March Madnessfrom the other events is that we get to play, too. Every officeruns a hoop pool, and the winner is never the ESPN-addicted sharpiein sales, but the receptionist who picks her teams based on her favoritecolors. It’s a beautiful thing.
This year’s March Madnesshad it all – early round upsets, like Northern Iowa over Kansas; traditionalpowers like Michigan State and Kentucky advancing to the Elite Eight;and a title game for the ages.
In this corner, you had thethree-time champeeens: The Duke Blue Devils, whose coach wondered whyhis school wasn’t more popular. Yes, why aren’t obnoxious rich kids from New York more popular? Got me, Coach!
And in this corner, you hadthe upstart Butler Bulldogs from Indianapolis, who had never been tothe Final Four. They play their home games in the very arena wherethey filmed the movie “Hoosiers” in 1986, and where Milan High Schoolplayed that actual game, in 1954.
All the experts said Duke wasgoing to blow out Butler, but the game went back and forth all night.In the final seconds, Butler’s wonderboy, Gordon Hayward, dashed downthe court to launch a last-second half-court shot -- but it bouncedoff the rim, just off the mark. Duke won by two – the closestfinal since Michigan’s overtime victory in 1989.
It was one of those rare gameswhere both teams came out the better for it. For the fourth time,Duke earned a national title, and for the first time, Butler earnednational respect.
The TV ratings were the bestin eleven years. So the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, was notcontent to say, “It is good.” No. That’s forsuckers. It said, Gimme gimme gimme.
Instead of leaving perfectionalone, the NCAA is poised to add 31 teams and another week to the tournament.If you wonder why, you have to remember the NCAA’s holy trinity: Greed,Hypocrisy and Stupidity.
March Madness is already thebiggest money maker in the history of college athletics, by far.Every year, CBS pays out $700 million to the NCAA, in exchange for tendays of basketball. The coaches are millionaires, and the playersare students. Where’s Karl Marx when you need him?
But $700 million is not enough.Why? Because, to the NCAA, it is never enough. Itreminds me of an exchange between Homer Simpson and his boss, MontyBurns. When Homer says, “You’re the richest man I know.”Burns says. “Yes. But you know, I’d trade it all forjust a little more.”
Some things in sports are perfect:90 feet from home plate to first base. 100 yards on a footballfield. And three weeks for March Madness.
If the NCAA adds a fourth week,they’ll give us a lot of bad teams playing bad basketball, and ruinthe rhythm of the tournament for everyone. How are you going tofit 96 teams on a single sheet of paper to fill out your bracket?
None of this will stop theNCAA, because nothing -- not billions, not perfection, not fair play-- has ever stopped the NCAA.
March Madness might be thebest sports event of the year. But the NCAA is going to tradeit all, for just a little more.
Now that is madness.
Copyright © 2010, Michigan Radio
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnubacon
Amen Mitch!! Send it to the NCAA and gather signatures!! Millions of BB fans agree with you 100%!!
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Always dropping the perfect Simpson's quote at the perfect time. Great article; never let perfection get in the way of greed, right?
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Swish...excellent piece!
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John- responding to your comment about Dukies...You wrote "The Duke Blue Devils, whose coach wondered why his school wasn’t more popular. Yes, why aren’t obnoxious rich kids from New York more popular?'
Some of us are actually nice people from the Midwest, your high school alma mater in fact- a River Rat. Most of the rich kids from New York are here at Michigan because Duke is too hard to get into ;-]
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Ms. Kerry,
This, I enjoyed! As we say, "Some of my best friends are Dukies" -- including some native Midwesterners, as you say...like my dad!
Nonetheless, the national image is what it is -- fair or not -- and Coach K's mystification is, well, mystifying.
The flip side is: Who cares? Lot of folks hate the Yankees, too -- and the Wolverines, for that matter. It is, generally speaking, the right problem to have. After all, no one hated Duke when the Blue Devils stunk.
And, regarding your observation about the rich kids from New York attending Michigan (instead of Duke): Touche. A fine line, that. Got a chuckle out of me.
-JUB
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Right on!!!
The play-in game doesn't suck enough as it is already. So the NCAA wants to add 30 more teams.
The NIT is frequently regarded as a second class tournament with an unfortunate abbreviation that frequently gets translated to "Not Invited (to) Tournament". Yet, the NCAA wants to add 30 more teams.
This is a bigger shamocracy than when the NHL used to invite the whole league to the playoffs and the Minnesota North Stars made the Finals with a losing record.
It will never happen but at times like these I wish Bobby Knight was the NCAA president.
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