The Biggest Losers of the Tournament

Alright Pete, spring break is over.  Time to get back on that horse and start blogging.  Although, I am going to try and change it up a little bit.  Sometimes I have a tendency to be a little...wordy with my posts.  So during the week, I will try to keep my posts a little shorter, more frequent, and still on a variety of topics.  But on the weekend I will do more of a feature post that will be longer because, let's face it, none of you really have the time to read 1200 words on why I think the CBA will screw the players in the NBA (as to the question of if any of you care, well I'm electing to ignore that one and live in blissful ignorance thinking it is the most important issue in the world to all of you).  So let's get to it.



March Madness.  The most wonderful time of the year.  As an NBA purist, I find it difficult to watch large amounts of college basketball.  But, without fail, I am able to catch as many tournament games as humanly possible.  The upsets, the comebacks, the Cinderella stories.  March Madness is honestly the single best sporting event in the US because it gives everyone an opportunity to be a fan.  Fill out a bracket, sit back and watch the pandemonium unfold.

But lost in all this excitement is the bigger picture.  I'm not entirely sold on the idea of paying college athletes to play, but if there were ever a better argument other than March Madness for why they should, I'd love to see it.  Advertisers spend millions of dollars for commercial spots, endorsement deals, and anything where they can get their logo near the courts.  Television companies spend even more.  Through 2024, Turner Sports and CBS will pay more than 11 billion dollars to carry the tournament.  That money funnels directly into the schools participating and the NCAA's pocket.

Ever wonder why so many players get caught receiving improper benefits?  Situations like this are exactly why.  So many players are one-and-done because money that they never see in college is waiting for them in the pros.  While you sit there and watch billions of dollars being invested in these college players, think about where that money goes and consider how much of it the players see.

It certainly doesn't detract from the significance of the event, but it should make people wonder about how fair it really is to the players at the end of the day.