The biggest night in college basketball should have been ignored by many for the spectacle that is opening day.
Last nights National Championship game was perhaps one of the worst games of the entire tournament. Michigan State University just could not keep up with North Carolina from the minute the ball was tipped. The Tar-Heels took control early with a big lead and never surrendered it once.
The question then became is it worth it to watch?
There were no big surprises during the game or plays that someone could look back on years from now and remember. It was a very typical boring basketball game where the clearly elite Big East Conference trounced the Big Ten. To top it off the game was almost identical to the one played in Ford Field earlier this season by MSU and UNC.
America’s past time started today and for many it should have taken center stage. There were great match-ups throughout the day and even some big surprises. How could anyone say that watching the National Championship game was better than watching the pathetic Orioles trounce the high payroll of the New York Yankees, a game someone could look back on years from now. Sure there are 161 games to go in the Major League Baseball season but none of them will be opening day.
It’s not to say that either Michigan State of North Carolina should be criticized for their play. It was the match-up that wasn't good not the teams. Congratulations to both teams for their achievements but I am going to keep watching my baseball.
Monday, April 6, 2009
It isn't all about money
The biggest problem with the NCAA is how greedy it is and the fans are the ones who end up suffering because of it.
The state of Michigan has seen their very own Michigan State Spartans make it to the National Championship game, which is being held at Ford Field. In theory this is great for the true fans of the school since they should be able to cheer on the green and white, with the game being so close to home. The only problem is that the NCAA sold all of the tickets last year.
It is not a new concept, the NCAA ignoring fans, but the trend is getting progressively worse. The organization is so concerned about money and sponsorships that they sell tickets a year in advance. To them it creates buzz and excitement for the event, in reality though all it does is force fans to hope their school makes it that far when they buy their tickets.
The ironic part about the whole situation is that the NCAA actually loses money by selling them so early. Scalpers and second hand ticket sites like Stubhub sell the same tickets for almost quadruple the price to the patrons of the schools actually in the Final Four. This is money that could be used to better the NCAA environment.
Its not just basketball that suffers but football also has the same problem with the BCS. The system needs to be fixed quickly because in these economic times the NCAA soon could find no one buying tickets and subsequently no one supporting the kids who have worked so hard to make it to the Final Four.
The state of Michigan has seen their very own Michigan State Spartans make it to the National Championship game, which is being held at Ford Field. In theory this is great for the true fans of the school since they should be able to cheer on the green and white, with the game being so close to home. The only problem is that the NCAA sold all of the tickets last year.
It is not a new concept, the NCAA ignoring fans, but the trend is getting progressively worse. The organization is so concerned about money and sponsorships that they sell tickets a year in advance. To them it creates buzz and excitement for the event, in reality though all it does is force fans to hope their school makes it that far when they buy their tickets.
The ironic part about the whole situation is that the NCAA actually loses money by selling them so early. Scalpers and second hand ticket sites like Stubhub sell the same tickets for almost quadruple the price to the patrons of the schools actually in the Final Four. This is money that could be used to better the NCAA environment.
Its not just basketball that suffers but football also has the same problem with the BCS. The system needs to be fixed quickly because in these economic times the NCAA soon could find no one buying tickets and subsequently no one supporting the kids who have worked so hard to make it to the Final Four.
Home or away the champion should win regardless
The Michigan State Spartans have obtained the ultimate home court advantage in the Final Four and potentially the championship game.
With their birth to the Final Four Michigan State returns home to face Connecticut. The Spartans are no stranger to Ford Field and will be in the company of friends when they play on Saturday. Even though the last time they played in the cursed football stadium they were blown out by UNC, the Spartans seem to be up beat.
Perhaps the team’s optimism comes from the knowledge that they will be surrounded by green and white when they play. In the first two rounds of the tournament there was criticism that Villanova played to close to home giving them an edge over teams that were better than them. Coach Jay Wright blew off the pundits and said that his team will play anywhere. Will he think the same thing if they have to play Michigan State in the finals?
Ford Field would upset any team or coach. The tournament is supposed to be played on a neutral court, but how can the NCAA justify Michigan State playing in the heart of Detroit? Michigan is largely a two-school state and so while East Lansing is three hours from Detroit, it will be impossible to escape the State fans.
It might not be fair and many might argue that their needs to be a rule in place incase this happens. In the end however, if a team is to be considered the National Champion shouldn’t they be able win everywhere not just on a neutral court?
With their birth to the Final Four Michigan State returns home to face Connecticut. The Spartans are no stranger to Ford Field and will be in the company of friends when they play on Saturday. Even though the last time they played in the cursed football stadium they were blown out by UNC, the Spartans seem to be up beat.
Perhaps the team’s optimism comes from the knowledge that they will be surrounded by green and white when they play. In the first two rounds of the tournament there was criticism that Villanova played to close to home giving them an edge over teams that were better than them. Coach Jay Wright blew off the pundits and said that his team will play anywhere. Will he think the same thing if they have to play Michigan State in the finals?
Ford Field would upset any team or coach. The tournament is supposed to be played on a neutral court, but how can the NCAA justify Michigan State playing in the heart of Detroit? Michigan is largely a two-school state and so while East Lansing is three hours from Detroit, it will be impossible to escape the State fans.
It might not be fair and many might argue that their needs to be a rule in place incase this happens. In the end however, if a team is to be considered the National Champion shouldn’t they be able win everywhere not just on a neutral court?
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Pride and Nothing More
Every athlete on all 65 of these teams are playing for only thing, pride and fans need to remember that and treat them with the respect that they deserve.
These kids are not playing money for and they aren’t hoping for a bigger contract, yet. These kids take the floor every night in the name of school spirit and for bragging rights, nothing else. Basketball fans need to remember this and respect that these players are giving their all.
Nerves already play a big part of the tournament and they don’t need any more pressure. The games they play are perhaps the most important ones they have ever played and for many seniors it will be their last. It is a game and many in the stands seem to forget that. Win or lose every athlete should be commended for their courage and sportsmanship instead of criticized for their play.
It is easy for the pundits and critics to sit on the side of the court taking pot shots at players. What do they really have to base it against though? They aren’t playing in the games and are not part of the team. They have the simple job of reporting what is happening during the game, not what is wrong with any specific players.
Each and every player should be proud of their accomplishments and forget what ever anyone else says.
These kids are not playing money for and they aren’t hoping for a bigger contract, yet. These kids take the floor every night in the name of school spirit and for bragging rights, nothing else. Basketball fans need to remember this and respect that these players are giving their all.
Nerves already play a big part of the tournament and they don’t need any more pressure. The games they play are perhaps the most important ones they have ever played and for many seniors it will be their last. It is a game and many in the stands seem to forget that. Win or lose every athlete should be commended for their courage and sportsmanship instead of criticized for their play.
It is easy for the pundits and critics to sit on the side of the court taking pot shots at players. What do they really have to base it against though? They aren’t playing in the games and are not part of the team. They have the simple job of reporting what is happening during the game, not what is wrong with any specific players.
Each and every player should be proud of their accomplishments and forget what ever anyone else says.
Above and Beyond
All is not lost even with American’s loss to Villanova.
The team won’t be advancing to the second round of the playoffs and students won’t be tuning into to see their campus heroes take on UCLA. The Eagles played a great game but in the end just couldn’t match the physicality of Villanova. The basketball game brought more victories to the campus community though, than any victory on the hardwood could have.
AU’s trip to the post season brought the campus together. Never before have they had something like this to rally around. It is no secret that there isn’t much school spirit around American but no one would be able to notice that on Thursday. If students weren’t buying their tickets on Stubhub or taking the school trip to Philadelphia they were adorning their red, white and blue.
The power of a fan base is lost on most people who don’t actively follow sports. There is Red Sox nation, Hockeytown and “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys just to name a few. All of these sports franchises have a fan base that transcends sports it is almost like a personal bond that every single fan shares. During the Eagles game on Thursday, the American fan base transcended sports.
Everyone lived and died by what happened on the hard wood and looked to each other for comfort when the game was over. Even though there may not be much of a fan base throughout the year, for that one night it can be said that American Universities fans transcended sports.
The team won’t be advancing to the second round of the playoffs and students won’t be tuning into to see their campus heroes take on UCLA. The Eagles played a great game but in the end just couldn’t match the physicality of Villanova. The basketball game brought more victories to the campus community though, than any victory on the hardwood could have.
AU’s trip to the post season brought the campus together. Never before have they had something like this to rally around. It is no secret that there isn’t much school spirit around American but no one would be able to notice that on Thursday. If students weren’t buying their tickets on Stubhub or taking the school trip to Philadelphia they were adorning their red, white and blue.
The power of a fan base is lost on most people who don’t actively follow sports. There is Red Sox nation, Hockeytown and “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys just to name a few. All of these sports franchises have a fan base that transcends sports it is almost like a personal bond that every single fan shares. During the Eagles game on Thursday, the American fan base transcended sports.
Everyone lived and died by what happened on the hard wood and looked to each other for comfort when the game was over. Even though there may not be much of a fan base throughout the year, for that one night it can be said that American Universities fans transcended sports.
Anything Can Happen
What does it mean for a school dominated by politics to go to the NCAA Tournament two years in a row?
For little American University this may be as close as they can get to a college basketball dynasty. With the Inauguration and President Obama being the center of attention the men’s basketball team had to fight to get students interested despite only losing one game in Patriot League play. The team played second fiddle for much of the season but when the Patriot League Tournament rolled around the school was sure not to let them down.
Students turned out in the hundreds for the Patriot League finals, game many of them coming back early from spring break. The Eagles returned the favor as they showed up against Holy Cross and captured their second Patriot League title in the schools history. The school has now transformed from a political powerhouse to a basketball bad boy.
With the tournament less than a week away students packed into the Tavern and watched anxiously as they were told whom their Eagles would be playing. It was filled with boos and cheers for team’s students did or didn’t like. The whole place would become dead silent every time a potential seed came up and then everyone would let out a sigh of relief when it wasn’t the Eagles. Finally in the last bracket, it was announced that AU would be playing the Villanova Wildcats in Philadelphia on Thursday.
The announcement was bittersweet. Even though the game couldn’t get any closer to school, accept if it was in the actual District, they had to face a team many had in their elite eight. Even with the tough match up the campus was a buzz with hope. It seems like almost everyone has American winning in his or her bracket and no one is counting the Eagles out.
Even with the improbable match up, AU is going to bask in the glory of thinking anything can happen while they can.
For little American University this may be as close as they can get to a college basketball dynasty. With the Inauguration and President Obama being the center of attention the men’s basketball team had to fight to get students interested despite only losing one game in Patriot League play. The team played second fiddle for much of the season but when the Patriot League Tournament rolled around the school was sure not to let them down.
Students turned out in the hundreds for the Patriot League finals, game many of them coming back early from spring break. The Eagles returned the favor as they showed up against Holy Cross and captured their second Patriot League title in the schools history. The school has now transformed from a political powerhouse to a basketball bad boy.
With the tournament less than a week away students packed into the Tavern and watched anxiously as they were told whom their Eagles would be playing. It was filled with boos and cheers for team’s students did or didn’t like. The whole place would become dead silent every time a potential seed came up and then everyone would let out a sigh of relief when it wasn’t the Eagles. Finally in the last bracket, it was announced that AU would be playing the Villanova Wildcats in Philadelphia on Thursday.
The announcement was bittersweet. Even though the game couldn’t get any closer to school, accept if it was in the actual District, they had to face a team many had in their elite eight. Even with the tough match up the campus was a buzz with hope. It seems like almost everyone has American winning in his or her bracket and no one is counting the Eagles out.
Even with the improbable match up, AU is going to bask in the glory of thinking anything can happen while they can.
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