Members Only: By 2039, the NCAA tournament will look very different (SI)

[OrangeXtreme]

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2014/08/18/ncaa-tournament-future

 

[Alsacs]

It won't come to this IMO. The P5 wanted autonomy and now that they got it they won't create their own basketball tournament. The NCAA pays all the bills to maintain the tournament, travel, renting arenas, courts, crews etc. The P5 control football and that is what their power play was all about. Football is five times higher than basketball money. The NCAA Tournament for basketball will remain the P5 will just leverage what they want more until the other 300 member schools give them what they want.

 

[Madbiker]

So these elitist sports writers are unhappy when the athletes don't get paid to play. And they're unhappy when paying them creates an uneven competitive environment for the smaller schools. Idiots. It didn't take a genius to see some of the "unintended" consequences that would happen.

 

[Full_Rebar]

It won't come to this IMO. The P5 wanted autonomy and now that they got it they won't create their own basketball tournament. The NCAA pays all the bills to maintain the tournament, travel, renting arenas, courts, crews etc. The P5 control football and that is what their power play was all about. Football is five times higher than basketball money. The NCAA Tournament for basketball will remain the P5 will just leverage what they want more until the other 300 member schools give them what they want.

I don't know the answer to this, but does the cost of running a tournament outweigh the revenue only being split among 96 schools instead of 330? I would imagine that the bids for hosting a FF/regional would cover some of those travel costs. Does the NCAA really rent arenas?

I said 96 schools because I think the P5 would want to include some of the hoops only teams in this tournament. Also, Whichever tv entity loses the bidding war will revitalize the NIT for the other schools/leagues.

 

[Alsacs]

I don't know the answer to this, but does the cost of running a tournament outweigh the revenue only being split among 96 schools instead of 330? I would imagine that the bids for hosting a FF/regional would cover some of those travel costs. Does the NCAA really rent arenas?

I said 96 schools because I think the P5 would want to include some of the hoops only teams in this tournament. Also, Whichever tv entity loses the bidding war will revitalize the NIT for the other schools/leagues.

You make a fair point, but the NCAA pays for the Lacrosse, soccer, rowing, cross country, softball, wrestling championships with the revenue from the NCAA tournament. I agree their is a lot of wasteful spending in the NCAA for meaningless bureaucratic jobs but the I can't see the P5 splitting away completely. The NCAA tournament is about David vs. Goliath that first weekend. I can't see the P5 leaving that they will just threaten to leave for leverage to get whatever changes they want passed.

 

[pfister1]

It won't come to this IMO. The P5 wanted autonomy and now that they got it they won't create their own basketball tournament. The NCAA pays all the bills to maintain the tournament, travel, renting arenas, courts, crews etc. The P5 control football and that is what their power play was all about. Football is five times higher than basketball money. The NCAA Tournament for basketball will remain the P5 will just leverage what they want more until the other 300 member schools give them what they want.

I don't think he was suggesting that the P5 would create their own tournament. I think he was suggesting that the consequences of the two recent decisions would eventually undermine the competitiveness of the non-P5 schools to the point that it would ruin the Tournament. I found it really hard to understand what he was predicting the future landscape would be, other than changed which you could be reasonably assured would be the case with 25 years from now with or without the 2 recent decisions. Not sure what you would call this type of piece Editorial Fiction? Anyway I don't think it was very well done.

 

[Full_Rebar]

You make a fair point, but the NCAA pays for the Lacrosse, soccer, rowing, cross country, softball, wrestling championships with the revenue from the NCAA tournament. I agree their is a lot of wasteful spending in the NCAA for meaningless bureaucratic jobs but the I can't see the P5 splitting away completely. The NCAA tournament is about David vs. Goliath that first weekend. I can't see the P5 leaving that they will just threaten to leave for leverage to get whatever changes they want passed.

Depends on the tv/sponsorship money. If the P5 broke, they wouldn't be paying for all the D2/D3 championships or the salaries of NCAA admins, compliance people, etc.

 

[bballbeadle]

What a well-written but thoroughly depressing article! I can't live in his world. Besides, by 2039 I will most certainly be dead. (Unless that new diet I started reaps more than the loss of a few pounds...) Anyway, by that time I intend to transcend to pure thought while still holding onto my seat in 309.

I suppose this can give all of us fans even more incentive to live in the present moment. As my saintly mother used to say, "Someday, but not today!" So, blow it out your ear, morose, cynical Sports Illustrated writer with nothing better to do. And bring on the madness of 2014-15!

 

[jgeorge322]

Well the elite schools have been getting richer for years yet the parody in march only increases... Lots of good ballers out there.

 

[longtimefan]

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2014/08/18/ncaa-tournament-future

Guys, you're taking this too seriously. The angle here is more than a little tongue in cheek. Note the Chelsea Clinton and Paul Finebaum references.

On a more serious note, the essay was written by Alexander Wolff, who was one of the writers (along with Armen Ketayian) who tried to bring JB down, back in the day. Remember "Raw Recruits"?

 

[cuseattle]

I would like Lawrinson to put all the teams in Members Only jackets.