One knock on College Basketball, no matter how intense conference play is in February and how mad it is in March, was that unlike all the other sporting events, pseudo religions, it never had that big season premier. The good, casually attractive match-ups in the early season don't happen until the season is at least two weeks old, The Maui and Preseason NIT usually produce some riveting games, but other than that, and obscure early season match up of TV ratings inducing, powerhouses is not the norm. Sure, you have ACC/BIG TEN and SEC/BIG EAST, but those events are about 4 weeks in, and sometimes do not produce a great number of watchable games to the casual fan.
With other sports, you get hit with a blitz of advertising and hype letting you know that DAY ONE of their season is coming. They build it up, and put their most marketable franchises on display and pair them up. The NFL does it, The NBA does it, MLB and even the NCAA. They all do it. They celebrate what is opening day, and it works. You could argue that the excitement and intrigue that their promotions bring on, sustains a great deal of their viewership percentage, and it sells it's product to new customers, and they hang on for a while. Could you imagine an unwatchable NBA without a early season chalked full of marquee match-ups? The NFL goes globe trotting, has the hall of fame game, and MLB's Opening Day(now WEEK) might as well be a national holiday.
I am sure as I write this, I am leaving out more descriptive examples of these made for TV celebrations in order to post this in a timely manner, but you get the drift. Everybody does it. Except for major college basketball.
Until Now....
Starting in November next year, the NCAA will come out with guns blazing. The Champions Classic was announced, and it varies from you usual conference challenges, coach's classics, and various tropical get-aways in one key way: It is bringing the thunder.
Four of the most storied programs in college basketball will alternate playing each other over the next 3 years in different host cities to kick-off the season. Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, and Kansas, arguably the 4 best programs going today and traditionally, are going to square off in locales such as MSG, The Georgia Dome, and United Center starting next year and going up until 2013, provided that Mayan calender stuff goes away. I'd still pay my electric bill if I were you.
Hopefully, the rest of college basketball will realize what a boon for business across the board this will be and won't attempt to undercut the movement by scheduling games to compete with this festival. I'm sure the mob, er NCAA and ESPN can strong arm that.
This year, we were treated to the Game of the Century to open up the season, Pittsburgh and Rhode Island battling in what would not have been confused with the Celtics/Lakers Series of the 80's. Even with a build up, this game would not have attracted flies, which is saying something because this game was shitty. The debut for the season was seen on ESPN U. The U. Yup, kind of, well, sad.
So, after the NCAA and TV Execs are contemplating ruining the greatest American sporting event in March Madness, they actually have figured out a way to kick off their season in grand fashion.
And to think, we could be giving up a future season opener of St. Bonaventure and Purdue ESPN 3(That's the Internet). Man, I sure hope they don't cut their throats with this thing....sarcasm.
4 comments:
the champions classic is a great move for ncaa, the schools involved, and college basketball fans.
For diehard fans such as yourself I'm sure this is good news. However the lack of excitement for the casual sports fan has more to do with when it comes out and the way the season is set up. Basketball begins in the heart of the football season. Secondly the casual sports fan like myself realizes that other than making money fir their school the regular season means little. I know the top 30, all conference winners, and middle of the pack major conference teams will all battle it out for a championship anyway so why invest time watching unless you are a fan. More marquee contest willl certainly make the start of the season better for you but a casual fan like myself won't know the difference. Also although I love March Madness the Super Bowl is the biggest and best sporting event.
Casual sports fans are border-line homos.
The Super Bowl is great. And, I think they use a play-off system to get there.
with march madness being the way the championship is decided I see what your saying. But every year there are teams that are expected to be there and fold (North Carolina last year) and there are teams that surprise everyone. the regular season is what makes a teams resume and stacks up the tourny. plus it is nice to know some things about the teams when your filling out a bracket.
side point... i think every baseball fan would love to have theo epstien as thier gm. they are building a pretty gritty, stacked, young team.
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