College basketball has been dragged through the mud the last few weeks, and it’s time to defend the future of our fantastic sport. Yes, RJ Hampton decided to play in New Zealand instead of playing one year at Kansas. Yes, 87 underclassmen entered a NBA Draft that involves 60 players. Yes, kids will go straight from high school to the NBA in a few years.
And yes, college basketball is still awesome and will continue to be awesome for years to come.
The pessimism for the sport continues to reach new heights, and I even read an article that suggested unless something is fixed soon, college basketball could turn into college baseball. Perhaps the most ridiculous statement that could be made.
There is way too much tradition and too much of a following in college basketball for anything that drastic to happen. College sports are different from professional sports in that the name on the front of the jersey is significantly more important than the name on the back. This is especially the case for college basketball already because by the time we get to know some of the top players, they announce they’re headed for the NBA.
As fans, we will continue to go to the games, we will continue to watch on TV, we will continue to ignore our families during March Madness. The sport has an entire month dedicated to it for cryin’ out loud.
For a three-week stretch from March to April, we eat, we drink, we gamble and we watch college basketball. This is America. It’s what we do.
People are still going to skip work, they’re going to skip school and they’re going to sit down and watch four consecutive days of non-stop college hoops the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Losing a few of the top players overseas or in the NBA will never change this. You could take out hundreds of the top college basketball players each year and people will still be interested.
Do people really think we’re going to stop our annual March Madness viewing habits because shooting percentages are down? It’s absolutely ridiculous to think that. We’re going to watch it every year like we always do, and we’re going to enjoy doing it.
God bless this sport. Join me in the fight to end the slander of college basketball.
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