February has just ended,
and this can only mean one
thing; March Madness is
quickly approaching.
March Madness is a
potential huge money
maker for big-time college
basketball programs and
their stars, not to mention a
major source of free publicity
for their schools.
March Madness is the
popular term used to identify
the National Collegiate
Athletic Association
Tournament, which determines
the national champions
of men’s and women’s
college basketball.
Basketball powerhouses
like North Carolina,
Kansas, Kentucky and
Duke continuously bring in
significant revenue from tshirt,
jersey and ticket sales
as a result of the tournament.
Doing well in
March Madness has put
smaller schools, like
George Mason and
Gonzaga, on the map.
These schools have seen
an increase in student
applications. With more
student applicants to pick
from, they can raise their
standards, perhaps even
their tuitions.
Many alumni make large
donations because of
March Madness, allowing
their school to maintain its
high level of competitiveness.
CBS has paid 6 billion
dollars over 11 years to
broadcast the tournament.
NCAA distribution of revenue
to the college participants
is split up into several
categories, one of which
is based on tournament
performance.
When a team is successful
in reaching the final four
or, better yet, the national
championship game, they
will receive a large financial
contribution from the
NCAA.
The benefits are great for
the schools that have made
their mark on the college
basketball world as a premier
program. The program’s
reputation is greatly
enhanced by being successful
during March Madness.
When basketball coaches
are trying to recruit the top
high school players, they
can use the spotlight and
publicity that accompanies
March Madness to their
advantage.
Often NCAA success is a
two-edged sword. While it
makes it easier to sign up
top recruits for next season’s
team, the publicity
given to this year’s star
players–often last year’s
recruits-often results in
their turning professional.
Since 2005, NCAA athletes
need only complete
one year of college and be
19 years old before jumping
to one of the National
Basketball Association’s
professional teams. This
rule is hard on a coaches,
teammates and fans, who
that your best college stars
are likely only to be there
for one year.
Pro basketball teams dangle
millions in front of top
college basketball players.
Three more years of education,
even free education,
suddenly appear to be
nothing compared to the
millions at college players’
fingertips. Very few stars
decide to stay in college
for all four years; it does
happen, but, unfortunately,
not nearly enough.
As case in point, is former
Texas Longhorn college
star Kevin Durant who
turned professional after
one year in college. The
second overall pick in the
basketball draft, he made
$5 million his first year, $7
his second and is set to
make over $ 9 million in
his third season. Staying in
college and completing his
sophomore, junior, and
senior years must have
seemed hardly worth it
compared to $21 million.
In this writer’s opinion, a
college education in a good
school is a privilege that
shouldn’t be taken lightly,
especially on a free athletic
scholarship.
For years, college athletes
had gone to high school,
then college, and , only
then, got to go on to the
pros. The NCAA that
allows college athletes to
skip most of that middle
step of four years of college
has a negative effect
on many players.
Sure, there are wildly successful
NBA players who
never attended college, like
Lebron James and Kobe
Bryant. For every Lebron
or Kobe, however, there
are plenty of players who
left college for the NBA
and never lived up to their
potential.
Perhaps three more years
of college preparation and
experience would have
turned them into successful
players; if not, they would
have had something to fall
back on. The NCAA rules
should be changed to
ensure that college athletes
complete their course of
study.
March Madness is a huge
money maker for the universities
that get to participate
in it. As it now stands,
the powerhouse college
basketball programs and
their star players soon will
soon benefit from all the
hype, attention and money
that March Madness
brings.
For the college basketball
players, it is their chance to
showcase their skills and
show NBA teams why they
are deserving of that huge
paycheck that will lure
them away from college
athletics and completion of
their education.