Dear NCAA,
I know you’re basking in your own glory, coming off what could be argued the most exciting first two rounds in recent NCAA tournament history. But before you use the current popularity of March Madness as momentum to persuade fans like myself that expanding the tournament to 96 teams is a good idea, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.
Just because something is great, doesn’t mean more of it is necessarily better.
The NCAA college basketball tournament is the closest thing we have to a perfect postseason in sports. There’s no BCS, no first round byes, no home and away games, just one single-game elimination bracket of the 65 best teams in the country. Win, you move on. Lose, you go home.
The greedy, money hungry suits in your organization must be licking their chops at the prospect of making even more money by expanding the tournament from 65 to 96 teams in the near future. More games equal more drama, which produce higher ratings, meaning more ad revenue, etc. right? Wrong.
Pick up the phone and ask the NCAA bowl committee how the turnout, ratings and revenue for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl and San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl were last year. Any college football fan will tell you, it’s definitely possible to have way too many teams playing in the postseason.
Whether you add 32 more mid-major teams, power conference teams, or a combination of both, the point is neither will better the tournament. We want to see mid-majors like Northern Iowa and St. Mary’s upset powerhouses Kansas and Villanova. We don’t want to see mid-majors play each other. Part of what makes upsets so special is that no one rationally gives these smaller schools a chance to win against the elite.
No one cares if David beats another David. But when David slays the mighty Goliath, it’s not only newsworthy, it’s legendary.
We certainly don’t want to see average teams from power conferences be rewarded for season-long mediocracy with a trip to the big dance. An invitation to the tournament should be a reward for a great season, not a hand-out to a team that stumbled down the stretch.
Once again your tournament has been great, creating story-lines, upsets and buzzer-beaters that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Do us a favor. Don’t be blinded by the money, leave March Madness the way it is and let us enjoy it like we always have.
Sincerely,