With this being "Championship Week", a lot of talking heads are spouting off about ways to fix the NCAA Tournament. Some don't like these small schools getting in. Some believe only the best 65 teams should be included.
Take your noses out of the clouds, people.
The NCAA Tournament is the biggest sporting event in this country. Yes, it out-does the Super Bowl. I love the Super Bowl, but only two fan bases can really enjoy it. The rest of us are betting. In the NCAA tournament, there are 65 fan bases that are involved. Fan bases that also loathe one or two (or more) schools that are in as well.
Look, the small schools deserve their place at the table. It makes up the fabric of the tournament. Who doesn't get goosebumps watching these mid-to-low major conference tournaments and seeing the emotion that goes into those games. Yes, you will see some great basketball in the big conferences, but there isn't the do-or-die feel of those championship games.
And while pretty much all of these smaller schools have no shot to actually win the thing ... there is always George Mason out there to show that it could happen. Davidson, a college with about 1,000 people, was a shot away from getting to the Final Four last year.
Some of the best moments involve the Vermonts, Santa Claras, Richmonds, Cleveland States, Weber States, Sienas, Coppin States, Hamptons, Princetons, Valparasios and East Tennessee States of the world. The first weekend is about survival. You know there will be some upsets; you just hope that it isn't you suffering them.
If these small schools aren't in ... then who gets in? Maryland? Providence? Teams that had all kinds of chances to prove to the world that they could be a top team and failed?
So stop the crap about not letting the mid-majors into the dance.
Take your noses out of the clouds, people.
The NCAA Tournament is the biggest sporting event in this country. Yes, it out-does the Super Bowl. I love the Super Bowl, but only two fan bases can really enjoy it. The rest of us are betting. In the NCAA tournament, there are 65 fan bases that are involved. Fan bases that also loathe one or two (or more) schools that are in as well.
Look, the small schools deserve their place at the table. It makes up the fabric of the tournament. Who doesn't get goosebumps watching these mid-to-low major conference tournaments and seeing the emotion that goes into those games. Yes, you will see some great basketball in the big conferences, but there isn't the do-or-die feel of those championship games.
And while pretty much all of these smaller schools have no shot to actually win the thing ... there is always George Mason out there to show that it could happen. Davidson, a college with about 1,000 people, was a shot away from getting to the Final Four last year.
Some of the best moments involve the Vermonts, Santa Claras, Richmonds, Cleveland States, Weber States, Sienas, Coppin States, Hamptons, Princetons, Valparasios and East Tennessee States of the world. The first weekend is about survival. You know there will be some upsets; you just hope that it isn't you suffering them.
If these small schools aren't in ... then who gets in? Maryland? Providence? Teams that had all kinds of chances to prove to the world that they could be a top team and failed?
So stop the crap about not letting the mid-majors into the dance.
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