Many people say that money has ruined sports and they do have a point.
It seems as if players only excel in years where their current contracts are about to expire, playing well enough to get a big payday. The days of players remaining with a team their entire careers seems to be a part of ancient history.
Just one reason why amateur sport can be better to watch.
While there is a lot of money involved in the NCAA’s (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I basketball championship tournament, a.k.a. March Madness, players don’t see a dime of it, save for scholarship money, and that’s one of the reasons why it is one of the best sporting events to follow.
The tournament goes until April 4 and while it is an opportunity for some players to showcase their skills for NBA scouts, for most it will be their last hurrah at big-time hoops in North America.
In other words, each athlete, no matter if they are a star or a role player, has ample reason to go all out and give it the clichéd 110 per cent.
Players dive for balls headed out of bounds and go in hard for rebounds; they hustle up and down the court.
They are giving it their all and sometimes the desire of one team trumps the desire of another team, adding an extra layer to the drama.
Just as they say that any team can win on any given Sunday in football, so it goes for the March Madness tournament, as witnessed by the number of upsets throughout the years and the Cinderella teams are always a feel-good story.
This year, Marquette, seeded No. 11 in the East region, defeated sixth-seed Xavier 66-55 to begin its journey and just this past Sunday, Marquette eliminated the three-seed Syracuse by a final of 66-62 – the game was won when a player nailed a three-pointer with 27 seconds left.
The same goes for the Southwest region’s 11th-seed, Virginia Commonwealth (VCU), who has taken out sixth-seeded Georgetown handily 74-56 and hammered three-seed Purdue 94-76.
Seeing the high-profile schools win all the time isn’t a good thing and the fact that the VCUs and Marquettes are advancing to the round of 16 (Sweet 16) is why the tournament is so great.
If you are a fan of sport and drama, you owe it to yourself to watch some games.
– Karl Yu is Associate Editor for the Grand Forks Gazette
