NCAA has a heart made of greenbacks

Last week, word leaked out that the NCAA wants to expand the basketball tournament field to 96.  Why tamper with the golden goose?  Why money of course.

The NCAA has a six billion dollar contract with CBS which gives the NCAA an opportunity to opt out of the deal before August 31st in hopes of making even more money.  Nothing like riding on the backs of 18 to 22 year olds to make a living is there?  

While not exactly sweat shop conditions, it is interesting that old men and women in the name of education have no problem tasting caviar and champagne thanks to others who can do what they can’t.

Those who see the field of 64 as three weeks of sporting perfection can’t fathom the tournament any other way than it is now.  But once upon a time, it was just a sixteen team tournament, not that anybody but hard core basketball fans really cared back then.

A 96 team tourney wouldn’t be that hard to pull off.  All it would mean is one more opening round of games while the top16 teams get a bye.  Simple right?  Yeah, but who really thinks there are 96 teams that fans want to see play in the tourney?  How many sub .500 teams would find there way in?  These wouldn’t be Cinderella’s, they’d be sacrificial lambs.

Would a 96 team tourney totally devalue the league conference tournaments, that are already play-in games to the big dance?  Yes.  Not to mention it would be a hit to the pocketbooks of the conference coffers.  League tournaments can be huge moneymakers.

With a 96 team field the NCAA would make more money.  The NCAA would be more powerful.  The men and women who work there would probably end up with better paying jobs with better perks, but what about the players?  Elite programs have it great already, but how is this going to help the small Division One programs and their players?  And don’t give me the line they’d be able to look back one day and say, “I played in the Big Dance.”.  Every school can say that now thanks to conference tournaments.

This is nothing but pure greed.  It’s amazing the NCAA won’t get behind a football playoff system that could make them billions, but they’ll suck the blood out of the basketball tournament like a vampire on a drinking binge.

TV’s involved, so in the end it’ll probably happen.  That doesn’t mean they won’t have ruined the best event in sports.