Old Age-NCAA tournament

We are in the month of March already, time has flown by already. I guess the old saying is true, “as you get older time goes faster!” As the days go by we get closer and closer to March Madness. Yes, I cannot wait. Although I love the madness of the game I do have some grips. My main grip is how the viewing of tournament games has disappeared from local channels during the week.

I remember sitting in front of the television and watching as many games I could on local television stations depending on where I was living at the time. At the age of 18 during my senior year of high school, I was working at one of the main hotels where the Final Four teams were staying during the 1988 NCAA Final Four. It was awesome!! I meet and seen my favorite team KU, sorry folks, also K-State and Oklahoma players. I remember how I could not wait to get home to turn on the TV to watch end of games and watch news to see highlights.

It seems like those days are long gone. Now it is all about the money. To watch the madness, starting last year you need to have cable or satellite to watch games. Games are broadcasted on TBS, TNT, TRU TV and CBS. I can say CBS is local in most areas, but it used to be the only station. All games were broadcasted on all day back to back nonstop until the sweet sixteen.  At this point viewers were able to watch games in their entirety for the remainder of the tournament. We still watched the games on local broadcasting channels. How good it was back then.

Money changed the whole way we can watch and enjoy March Madness. Now we have to go back and forth between channels or just watch the most interesting game to you. For me this has changed how I enjoy the game. College sports are still my favorite over professional, but it just like professional is really starting to disappoint me because of how everything is money driven. They say it increases the fan experience. Well it doesn’t for me! I do not like to switch among all the channels to try to watch a game. It makes you miss too much, whereas before you had no choice but to watch what was showing so you didn’t have that kind of a thought on missing something.  Now I try to watch as much of every game since they are available on multiple stations.

I want the old way back. I just being selfish, but at least it would erase my thought of college sports being all about the money and not the student athletes. I ranted already on how money is a huge influence in college sports now and the athletes are being used. Yes they are getting an education but they still have to pay for it while the school still profits.

I have to say I still will be watching the tournament again this year!