A way to influence change to the NCAA?

[LoneStar_Brave]

The only real way to influence change is to financially impact the primary decision makers. That would include the NCAA, advertisers, and networks. The primary question is how to hit them financially.

For the past few years, I have boycotted watching any bowl games (other than if my favorite team was playing) and I try to get my buddies to do the same. In my opinion, if you watch or attend the bowl games AND are in favor of a NCAA playoff, then you are financially supporting the very system that you deem flawed. It is a huge conflict of interests to scream for the playoff and watch all that BCS nonsense. There needs to be a grass-roots movement for the boycott of this system. I hate to pull a "Simpsons" reference, but there was an episode where all the billboards/advertising characters came to life and started rampaging through the town. The only way to get them to stop was to ignore them because the beasts thrived on attention, even if it was negative.

The NCAA BB tournament is considerably less flawed. The #35 at large team has a much much much much less gripe than that #3 ranked football team. In my opininion, EVERY team is effectively in the NCAA tournament. BU beat SIU in the opening round before falling to UNI in round two... keep winning...keep playing. Unfortunatly if the team falls outside the 6 major conferences, that is about the only way to keep playing.

The system is still flawed because it is better to be mediocre in a good conference than to be good in a mediocre conference.

They say that the ratings were down the year all those mid majors made some noise (2006), so make the ratings go down again. Don't watch.

 

[BradleyBrave]

They say that the ratings were down the year all those mid majors made some noise (2006), so make the ratings go down again. Don't watch.

Actually, the ratings have gone down each year since BU made the Sweet 16. So one could argue as the number of mids has gone down, so have the ratings for the tournament.

But, ratings aren't supposed to matter when it comes to 'fair' competition...

 

[LoneStar_Brave]

Ratings aren't "supposed" to matter.

But if CBS can't charge top dollar to those advertisers, then they can influence reform... but it will probably not be in the favor of the mids.

I think the ratings were down last year because the tourny as a whole stunk (a few exceptions, like the championship game). There were so many blowouts in ALL rounds that people tuned out by halftime. If I recall (maybe someone can do the leg work), only 3 or 4 games of the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds were still undecided in the last minute of the game... that will drive the ratings into the toilet

 

[real fan]

Ratings are better when you have cinderella type teams that pull off the big upsets as more people become interested in watching as a lot of us like to pull for the teams that are huge underdogs.

 

[Bravesfan]

Actually, the ratings have gone down each year since BU made the Sweet 16. So one could argue as the number of mids has gone down, so have the ratings for the tournament.

But, ratings aren't supposed to matter when it comes to 'fair' competition...

That's a good point. But why then did the ratings go down in 2006? Was that part of a trend that had already started even before then because the number of mids were already on the decline, or did college basketball fans really detest that they had to "suffer" through seeing George Mason and the rest advance so far into the tournament? I thought more people watched when the Cinderella's do well!

So which is it?

 

[BradleyBrave]

That's a good point. But why then did the ratings go down in 2006? Was that part of a trend that had already started even before then because the number of mids were already on the decline, or did college basketball fans really detest that they had to "suffer" through seeing George Mason and the rest advance so far into the tournament? I thought more people watched when the Cinderella's do well!

So which is it?

I would argue that the ratings were down in '06 in the Final Four because both games were terrible. Had Mason been remotely close to winning their game, I am sure that the ratings would have been higher. Remember, the highest-rated NCAA Tournament game ever featured a team from the Missouri Valley Conference...