March Money Madness – Bradley Scout

There are so many stories in sports that seem to be dug up and refreshed every year. Among them are postseason expansions, and March Madness is the latest to join these conversations.

The NCAA’s top dogs were part of the organization’s record $1.16 billion in sales in 2021, accounting for approximately 85% of revenue.With its success, the NCAA reportedly Discussing increasing the number of 68-team tournaments. Brackets of 96 to 128 teams have been proposed, but all win one thing the NCAA cares about: a bigger pie.

Expanding tournaments is not only a crime against the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t need to fix it”, it can destroy what makes the tournament, and the season leading up to it, great.

Background

March’s success is essential to the NCAA’s money making. The contract Network CBS and Turner Sports have with the NCAA currently runs through 2032, and the latest extension to that contract will see the NCAA receive an additional $8.8 billion.

Considering that 18.5 million people watched the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship, that’s a staggering amount of money. Not only did 18.5 million people watch his 72-69 Kansas Jayhawk win, but they also saw ads across the scorer’s table, an excessive amount of his CapitalOne commercials, and endless marketing ploys.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 tournament will be March Madness with a packed arena for the first time since 2019. The revival of the tournament not only treated the network well, it also made coaches and the NCAA think: ? “

reason to add

Syracuse head coach Jim Boheim, 77, said he had fought for this expansion for 30 years. Baylor head coach Scott Drew said his preference is full field with 128 teams. Even SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is joining him in investigating a larger area for the 16-team conference soon.

These Talking Heads are fielding more teams in tournaments for several reasons. First, the current format leaves too many talented teams behind. College basketball now has 358 teams, and only 19% of him make it to the national championship.

The second reason the expansion has taken off is that some coaches say it’s not only fair to see more teams involved and given opportunities, it’s more fun for the fans. This is because we believe that Last year’s darling St. Peters his Peacocks became his 15th seed, the first to reach the Elite Eight. His 3,000-student school in New Jersey quickly became a fan favorite, cheering David on multiple Goliaths across the country.

The final main reason decision-makers are pushing this is much quieter, but not to mention the bigger tournaments reduce everyone’s odds of winning. A talented tournament regular like Duke wouldn’t mind adding another game, especially if it makes Cinderella harder to reach the ball.

fight with

As a firm believer that the NCAA Tournament is the best postseason in all of sports, I think the expansion of tournaments takes away from the appeal that the regular season brings. Furthermore, it doesn’t solve the problem of including all worthy teams, it’s just for the money.

First, at last year’s March Madness, Michigan qualified despite losing its first game in the Big 10 tournament, finishing with a record of just 17-14. Michigan’s argument was that they played on a difficult non-conference schedule and played in a conference that had a lot of talent. Can’t wait to see.

For example, if you’re the Wolverines, why schedule the top teams in your non-conference schedule? you get a chance.

Another point that supporters will mention is that expanding the field will help include all teams deserving of postseason contention. While waiting to be served, let me analyze why that problem goes nowhere as long as someone is eating at the child’s table.

Let’s go back to Wolverines here. Again, Michigan had a 17-14 record in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Dayton Flyers, the top seed in his NIT tournament last year, finished the season with a 23-10 record. Since both parties are always involved in the increase tournament, the dispute between No. 68 and No. 69 has been resolved, but the dispute between No. 128 and No. 129 has just begun. Someone will always be unhappy until all 358 teams are included.

when to whistle

It’s really all about money when it comes to competing against singer Jessie J on “Price Tag.” The NCAA is a business, their business is to provide a playing field for college athletes, and it’s always about “student-athletes,” but they have to find a way to make money and keep their products on top. Obsolescence is what kills a product, so a stagnant March He Madness Field could make such an impression on a leader.

The shot clock should expire in the NCAA Tournament expansion negotiations. Doing so makes the regular season less important and doesn’t undermine the conclusion that only the best players enter the world of madness.