The Problem With 68 Teams

I've always hated March Madness. The primary reason? There's just too many teams.

Now, for America, this is the single biggest organized gambling event in existence, and that's why most people who actually follow it care at all. They don't care about the teams, the games, or the players. They just want to see if the teams they picked to win, won. There's some kind of money at stake in the local office pool.

It's not about basketball, it's about making some extra cash. Most of those betting don't watch a single early round game. Many watch no games at all.

I have this same rant every year. But it's more than just sports betting. As I stated already, there's just too many teams. And even with a 68 team tournament...

...there are STILL so many commentators, the next day talking, about how the wrong teams got in, and so many other teams got ripped off by not being the ones invited.

REALLY?!?!

Are the best 15-20 teams included? Then shut UP!

Who cares if the 48th seeded team shouldn't be there? Who cares if 4 other teams that YOU thought should be there aren't in the top 68?

What kind of insanely stupid people feel that including a 66th ranked team belongs in the same tournament as a team ranked THIRD? Why should a team ranked 67th even be given a chance to upset a team ranked 2nd?

The bigger the tournament, the less meaning the regular season has, and if the regular season has no real meaning, why watch any of the games? They have about as much importance as baseball's spring training games.

Even the top ten teams this year have something like 60 losses between them. I believe that's more losses than any top 10 has ever had.  None of the teams are special, BUT at least they proved they are better than teams beneath them. They EARNED their spots.

The others simply don't belong.

The tournament should start with an elite eight. Another 8 should be determined from those who just missed a top 8 ranking. And everyone else should settle for the NIT.  You'll have the best 8-10 teams in there somewhere, and THEY will be fighting for the crown of best in the country.

As it should be.

Right now, it's March Mediocrity. The TV viewership for the first rounds are awful. Eliminate half the teams next year, and another half the next year. Then you'll have a tournament worth watching.

But now? As my close personal friend Billy Shakespeare once said, it's much ado about nothing.

I'll have to come up with some kind of contest just to make it interesting...