Once again, the stewards of the best championship event in American sports are proving incapable of leaving well enough alone.
Ordinarily, the “March Madness should Expand!” chorus doesn’t reach full voice until Selection Sunday, led by coaches on the outside looking in. (Note to said coaches: the solution to your troubles is simple. Win more games.) But this year the discussion is starting early, and it’s at the NCAA level. You know what that means…
Money.
The NCAA has an opt-out in its deal with CBS after the 2010 Final Four. According to a report in the Sports Business Journal, they’ve started exploring the possibility of expanding the tournament to 96 teams and are floating the possibility with potential broadcast partners. Their reasoning is simple — more games means a bigger licensing fee.
I can’t stand the idea, personally. Adding teams to the postseason just cheapens an achievement that, for most schools, really means something — and would most likely end up benefiting mediocre teams from big conferences more than anyone else. What’s your take?
Expanding the NCAA Tournament? originally appeared on About.com Basketball on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 19:42:16.
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