I've recently marked the six-month anniversary of this blog. Things have gone rather smoothly throughout, as I've noticed not much of my material has been biased enough to warrant debate. Not that I'm complaining... but there is an issue I know I'll get hammered for, and I'll gladly accept any challenges on:
Why are college sports getting so much attention, and is it deserved attention?
I know & can appreciate one of the goals that publicizing college sports strives for: to show sports fans who the future generation of pro sports belong to. But I never understood why the hoopla goes so far, especially with college basketball. The season seems to last forever. You would think that seeing Duke win all those games, and teams such as UConn consistently defying odds & getting into the national spotlight were more important than anything going on in the pro level. Does interest in an athlete's talents automatically have to lose viewers because that person is no longer in college?
The headline making the local newspapers most of the week has been the Michigan/Ohio State football game coming up on Saturday. I am always shrugging and saying "so what?" I am more a die-hard pro fan, and my preference still includes watching a pathetic 2-7 Detroit Lions team than to see whether the Wolverines will wind up with a perfect record. I'd rather see a battle for the World Series crown than for the Little Brown Jug. But what do I seem to hear about more? Certainly not the former, with the media having its way.
Your job is to feel free and bash this entry as much as you can, trying to convince me why I should give college sports credit for more than constant front-page exposure and sports show leadoff subjects. How did you go about getting the fever for a college team to where the pep & enthusiasm show more in college basketball stands than NBA stands? Why are bettors more enthused to collect for college picks rather than pro picks? Aren't pro picks the cream of the crop?
It's not a guarantee that any one person or argument will make me ditch the pro gear I wear and go to college pennants. But I certainly would appreciate the perspective of ones who do. Heck, the only reason I wear a Michigan State jacket is to keep warm. Imagine that!
I'd like to give credit where it's due, but I want to know why I'd be doing so.
