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Message: [QUOTE="IthacaMatt, post: 5103338, member: 405"] I told you that the overall ratings for the tournament are down almost 10% in the last 10 years. I believe that the data bears that out, despite your protests. I had a link, but didn't think it would be necessary to post, but you are sure argumentative, and switch your positions and the focus of the argument more times the longer the conversation goes on. Here you go: [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.statista.com/statistics/251560/ncaa-basketball-march-madness-average-tv-viewership-per-game/[/URL] This year's NCAA Championship game was 2nd lowest rated ever. That does not indicate a healthy product that is resonating with the audience, when girls' games are outdrawing you in your biggest game of the year. And then you point to the play-in games having their highest ratings ever - wow. Who cares about the play-in games, unless you're in them. (Another of your arguments in this thread. No one cares after their teams are eliminated, but 67 teams get eliminated every year.) So you point to one game not indicating anything, but again 10 year decline in viewership is factual. Not an opinion. A big part of mass appeal of the Tournament is playing brackets at your job, and with your friends. Ignore that if you like, but it's also a fact. The lady who is someone's secretary and picked teams based on their mascots, or where her kids went to school winds up winning the pool. Happens every year. That's part of the charm. Playing a bracket is like buying a lottery ticket, or playing parlay slips at your factory job or your corner bar in the old days. Gambling on your phone may be the new trend, but brackets of more than 64 are ugly and not user friendly. The bracket graphic is an "app", so to speak, that literally anybody can use. Watering down the product is not a good idea. You disagreed for 5 different reasons, but the stats say fewer people are watching. Fewer people care. Player turnover has really hurt basketball fandom overall. Same thing with the portal. This will be a very interesting year, and 50+% roster turnover each year becomes commonplace. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?