Sunday, May 16, 2010
The NCAA 68 Team Tournament!
Bill's blog from April 29, 2010:
The uproar. The cries of "it will never work." Critics saying, "They're too greedy." College sports is filled with naysayers on the outside looking in -- only that time (1984), it was writers and fans decrying increasing the NCAA men's basketball tournament field to 64 teams for the 1984-1985 season. A lot has happened in the intervening 25 years, including the continued growth of the NCAA Tournament as a rallying point for college basketball fans, alumni, and "subway" alumni around the world. March brings with it madness, and each year, another form of madness -- how big can it get?
So the recent announcement by the NCAA, in the person of interim interim president Jim Isch was very careful not to rule out a move to 96 teams in the future -- saying that "everything is still on the table and it will be a membership decision" -- but he said that adding three more teams to the current tournament format is the anticipated scenario for now. What the agreement -- which also includes Internet, wireless and marketing rights -- means is that every game will be shown live on national television. Beginning next season, first- and second-round games will be shown on four networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV (formerly known as Court TV). All games will continue to be streamed online as well.
(Of course, ESPN pioneered the broadcast of all NCAA Tournament games back in 1980 with the celebrated 'whip-around' format that is now much-beloved and greatly missed by college hoops fans everywhere).
In the end, everybody wins -- fans get to see more games in the early rounds (the "bracket busters" we've all come to love), while the TV networks get more games to show, sponsors more opportunity to connect with fans, and the participating schools get a share of a larger tournament earnings pool. Even better, the National Invitational Tournament will continue, at least for now. I am glad that this latest "enhancement" to the NCAA Tournament is happening, without making the conference tournaments a moot point. If and when that day comes, however, I may be a little less forgiving. For now -- hoop it up!
The uproar. The cries of "it will never work." Critics saying, "They're too greedy." College sports is filled with naysayers on the outside looking in -- only that time (1984), it was writers and fans decrying increasing the NCAA men's basketball tournament field to 64 teams for the 1984-1985 season. A lot has happened in the intervening 25 years, including the continued growth of the NCAA Tournament as a rallying point for college basketball fans, alumni, and "subway" alumni around the world. March brings with it madness, and each year, another form of madness -- how big can it get?
So the recent announcement by the NCAA, in the person of interim interim president Jim Isch was very careful not to rule out a move to 96 teams in the future -- saying that "everything is still on the table and it will be a membership decision" -- but he said that adding three more teams to the current tournament format is the anticipated scenario for now. What the agreement -- which also includes Internet, wireless and marketing rights -- means is that every game will be shown live on national television. Beginning next season, first- and second-round games will be shown on four networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV (formerly known as Court TV). All games will continue to be streamed online as well.
(Of course, ESPN pioneered the broadcast of all NCAA Tournament games back in 1980 with the celebrated 'whip-around' format that is now much-beloved and greatly missed by college hoops fans everywhere).
In the end, everybody wins -- fans get to see more games in the early rounds (the "bracket busters" we've all come to love), while the TV networks get more games to show, sponsors more opportunity to connect with fans, and the participating schools get a share of a larger tournament earnings pool. Even better, the National Invitational Tournament will continue, at least for now. I am glad that this latest "enhancement" to the NCAA Tournament is happening, without making the conference tournaments a moot point. If and when that day comes, however, I may be a little less forgiving. For now -- hoop it up!
Labels: basketball, cbs, college, ESPN, ncaa, nit, tbs, tnt
# posted by ESPN Founder : 12:26 AM
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