Answer: 132. That's right, 132. 68 in the NCAA. 32 in the NIT. And there are two other post-season tournaments with 16 teams each. I'm sorry for being a curmudgeon, but 132 is just a little too many, and by "a little" I mean "a lot."
I'm sorry to say that I think this has all just gotten too big. The regular season gets longer and longer. There is the conference tournament and now for anyone remotely decent there is the post-season tournament. I can't help but wonder how many of these guys are actually getting a, you know, education, especially since when you're 18 to 22 and people are kissing your rear because you're good at basketball you probably don't care about education.
Assuming they're going to not get rid of college sports altogether, I think they should just de-couple it from education. Don't make the players go to school. Give them some money. And maybe give them some lifetime education credits too so when they get to be 25 and they realize maybe getting an education is valuable they can go back to school when they're serious.
I say that for the revenue sports. For the non-revenue sports, really, what's the point? I know some people like them but why are we paying people to play sports in college when few people are particularly interested in the sport? Why is education and sports so bound up anyway? It's not this way in other countries. I know I'm an outlier on this issue but I am what I am.
I'm sorry to say that I think this has all just gotten too big. The regular season gets longer and longer. There is the conference tournament and now for anyone remotely decent there is the post-season tournament. I can't help but wonder how many of these guys are actually getting a, you know, education, especially since when you're 18 to 22 and people are kissing your rear because you're good at basketball you probably don't care about education.
Assuming they're going to not get rid of college sports altogether, I think they should just de-couple it from education. Don't make the players go to school. Give them some money. And maybe give them some lifetime education credits too so when they get to be 25 and they realize maybe getting an education is valuable they can go back to school when they're serious.
I say that for the revenue sports. For the non-revenue sports, really, what's the point? I know some people like them but why are we paying people to play sports in college when few people are particularly interested in the sport? Why is education and sports so bound up anyway? It's not this way in other countries. I know I'm an outlier on this issue but I am what I am.