I’m taking an indefinite break from my annual March Madness competition. First, the competition winners do not show up anyway (see Steven Wins TPOL’S March Madness Bracket! & First Class Queen: Come on Down!). Second, and more importantly, who cares about March Madness? I have not watched one game this year and do not know any of these players. NIL and the transfer portal have killed college sports. Players have no allegiance to universities and go wherever money or playing time takes them. While players should be paid for their services, no one appreciates the unintended consequences of this free-for-all system. March Madness wants to expand to 72 teams, the college football playoffs want to go to 14. Tradition made college sports great. The jersey meant something to the university, the coaches, and especially the fans. Now, it means nothing.
Take Colorado football as an example. It is no longer a university team. Instead, it is a group of mercenaries playing for Deion Sanders. Where he goes, they go. It’s bad enough that the NFL and NBA have turned into the WWE, but those are professional teams. While it sounds naive, the point of college sports is that amateur athletes played because they loved the game and because they wanted to represent their university. The crazed fans followed suit because they believed that the competition was based on something more than a paycheck. How else can you explain the relief and elation I felt after Michigan finally won the national championship (see Michigan Wolverines National Champions! I Can Die in Peace)?
Sadly, that’s all over. The marquee match-up of the future will be Prigozhin Wagners playing the Hyped Harbaughs. I hope somewhere Kordell Stewart is saying a Hail Mary that I’m wrong.
“No One Cares” perfect summary of this blog.
Except you ‘JonC’, that’s why you have to comment. We appreciate your passive hostility!
We’ve entered a post-amateur world. College athletes are now entrepreneurs, and their goals in college have nothing to do with getting a degree to help them on their lives’ journeys. (Did they ever?) I hope they can each get as much funding and fame to launch their lives after the reality of injury/age ends their athleticism.
I hope their local Honda dealer’s NIL contribution will last them their whole life. It’s too extreme and short sighted now.
definitely do not give a fuck about this shitty blog.
how about doing some for NFL or some other sport in the future
Cricket!