I haven’t gotten a feel on what is going on in high-school spring sports yet, so let’s talk some college basketball, especially with the NCAA men’s and women’s tournament wrapping up.
In the past (pre-Caitlin Clark), the men and women wouldn’t have been mentioned in the same breath. The mind set was that the girls lacked the same interest of the men’s tourney.
Guilty as charged here, as I rarely paid attention to women’s basketball; instead focusing strictly on the men’s March Madness. Slowly, I am beginning to explore what the women have to offer.
Cut me some slack. Decades of conditioning myself to the men’s game led me to believe it was a superior product. Can’t say I have converted over to 100 percent of following the women, but I am making inroads into exploration. That’s a start.
My TV viewing college roundball doesn’t start until the tournament. Since I don’t have cable, the woman’s tournament on ESPN was out of reach for me. For the men, the only games I saw were the ones broadcast on CBS.
I used to go to a neighbor’s house while he was at work and watch March Madness on those non-CBS stations, but now he has a live-in and I opted not to cramp her privacy.
Besides, the unending barrage of commercials is mind numbing and there must be better things to do than be chained to a TV set. Okay, I know that is a Boomer quote, as the younger crowd streams games on their phones or other devices.
Many viewers were disappointed in the lack of Cinderella stories for both men and women. The reward for that were two semifinal classics on the men’s side.
As far as intensity, there is no difference between the men and women. Fundamentally, the women are better, but more highlight reels are found on the men’s side.
This year’s women’s TV ratings weren’t as high as the Caitlin Clark mania the year before. Still, they continue to make steps to being on par with the men.
In regard to fan allegiance, a plus for the women is stability. Generally, they don’t bounce around from school to school like the men.
Somewhat surprisingly, though, college basketball fans don’t seem to care if their team is composed of transfers. It has become crazy in the manner in which players change schools on a yearly basis.
As long as the old alma mater is winning and the action fun to watch, alumni and fans are happy to welcome a different line up every year. Some are even willing to chip in a few thousand dollars to university coffers to woo players from other schools.
It is hard to believe there was a time when schools, coaches and over ardent boosters were penalized by the NCAA for bribing recruits. Now, it is the Wild West, where anything goes. Or, so it seems.
Long-time football and basketball coaches are calling it quits because of the weirdness in navigating the transfer portal and the NIL pay-for-play.
Previously, the most difficult thing to do in building a team was the recruitment of high-schoolers. Coaches hated all the soul-selling it entailed.
A coach could be an expert in the Xs and Os, but without a degree in salesmanship, you weren’t getting the athletes needed to carry out those game plans to a high degree.
Yes, coaches are overpaid with their million-dollar contracts, but the pressure they are under is mind-boggling. That applies for both the men and women.
Certainly, the over emphasis on sports in this country has reached absurd stages. Back when college and pro football were in the heat of the playoffs, I felt like I overdosed on it.
So much so, that I made a conscious decision to end my streak of watching every Super Bowl since the first one in 1967. It was cold turkey for me when the Eagles and Chiefs went at it this year.
On a positive note, sports of all kinds remain the one thing that continues to bind us together. With all the political division occurring in this country, it is a refreshing to know we have sports to bring us together.
Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications.
